Monday, October 20, 2008

Interrogative words

The interrogative words of Hiligaynon are as follows: diin, san-o, sin-o, nga-a, kamusta, ano, and pila

Example: Diin means where.
Diin ka na? "Where are you now?"

A derivation of diin, tagadiin, is used to inquire the birthplace or hometown of the listener. Example: Tagadiin ka? "Where are you from?"

San-o means when
Example: San-o inâ? "When is that?"

Sin-o means who
Example: Sin-o imo abyan? "Who is your friend?"

Nga-a means why
Example: Nga-a indi ka magkadto? "Why won't you go?"

Kamusta means how, as in "How are you?"
Example: Kamusta ang tindahan? "How is the store?"

Ano means what-----A derivative of ano, paano, means how, as in "How do I do that?"
Example: Ano ang imo ginabasa? "What are you reading?"
Paano ko makapulî? "How can I get home?"

A derivative of paano is paanoano an archaic phrase which can be compared with kamusta
Example: Paanoano ikaw? "How art thou?"

A derivative of pila, ikapila, asks the numerical order of the person, as in, "What place were you born in your family?"(first-born, second-born, etc.) This word is notoriously difficult to translate into English, as English has no equivalent. Pila means how much/how many
Example: Pila ang maupod sa imo? "How many are with you?"
Example: Ikapila ka sa inyo pamilya? "What place were you born into your family?"

A derivative of pila, tagpila, asks the monetary value of something, as in, "How much is this beef?"
Example: Tagpila ina nga karne? "How much is this beef?

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seye said...

Thanks for this i can talk with my filipino friend..and surprise her!

Maria said...

I'm glad you pass by and learn something. Well, good luck to your ilonggo practice.

Seffliva said...

Thank you so much for taking the time to share this, readers would truly learn from this. I enjoyed reading those word translations.
interpretation and translation services

Maria said...

Hi Seff,

Thanks for visiting my site and enjoy reading those words. Just have fun!