Tagalog Conjunctions: 7 Unique But Easy Types
Original blog post: https://ling-app.com/fil/tagalog-conjunctions/
Wanna level up your simple Tagalog sentences to compound or complex sentences? Why not learn these essential Tagalog conjunctions today?
When you start learning the Tagalog or Filipino language, you’ll begin with simple sentences. But, if you wanna improve your sentence and use more complicated words and phrases, then it’s better to learn the Tagalog conjunctions.
In this blog, I will walk you through a simple lesson about Tagalog conjunctions. You will also see how the Tagalog or Filipino language is different from the English language. So, let’s start learning about conjunction.
Conjunctions In Tagalog
In the English language, conjunctions are words used to connect words, clauses, and sentences. There are different types of conjunctions — coordinating conjunctions, correlative conjunctions, and subordinating conjunctions.
In the Tagalog or Filipino language, the word used to connect words, clauses, and sentences is called Pang-ugnay, but this is quite tricky because there are three types of pang-ugnay, and some of them do not have English counterparts. Here are the different pang-ugnay in the Tagalog or Filipino language:
A. Pang-angkop
Pang-angkop connects two words to make it sound more beautiful and easy to pronounce. The English language does not have an equivalent for this because this has something to do about the spelling of the words. The word “angkop” in Filipino can mean”adapt.” So, pang-angkop is used to let the word “adapt” to the other one. There are three types ofPang-angkop:
“Na”
The pang-angkop “na” is used when the first word ends with a consonant. See examples below:
“-Ng”
The next pang-angkop is “-ng”. You might be wondering what’s the dash in the beginning means. This dash means that there’s a word before it. But, when you’re going to put it in a word, you must remove the dash already. The pang-angkop “-ng” is used when the first word ends with a vowel. See examples below:
“-G”
The last pang-angkop is “-g”. Again, the dash before the letter g indicates that there’s a word before it. This pang-angkop is used when the first word ends with the letter “n.” See examples below:
B. Pang-ukol
The next type of pang-ugnay is pang-ukol or preposition. A preposition is a word or set of words that come before a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to indicate a direction, place, location, time, spatial relationships, location, or to introduce an object. We will discuss it further in another blog but for now, take a look at each example below:
C. Pangatnig
After learning the first two pang-ugnay, let us learn pangatnig. Pangatnig is a term that connects two or more words. They link words, sentences, or clauses together. Like what was mentioned above, the English language has three (3) types of conjunctions — coordinating conjunctions, correlative conjunctions, and subordinating conjunctions.
But, take note that Filipino conjunctions are categorized in a unique way. Filipino conjunctions are divided into groups based on how they are employed in sentences or the types of phrases or clauses to which they refer.
Let us discuss the different pangatnig like how you learn it in English so you won’t be too confused.
Coordinating Conjunctions
A coordinating conjunction is a word or group of words that connect elements that have equal weight or importance and are grammatically alike. The abbreviation FANBOYS stands for the seven most common coordinating conjunctions in English: for, and, neither, nor, but, or, yet, and so.
For — Sapagkat
Example Sentence:
Note: The Filipino word “sapagkat” and “dahil” can also be translated as “because” in English.
And — At, At saka
Example Sentence:
Note: The word “at saka” adds more formality to speech. This conjunction can also be translated as “moreover”and “in addition to that” in English.
Nor — Ni, at Hindi, Ni hindi
Example Sentence:
Note: Filipinos do not frequently speak like this. You’ll seldom hear this in casual conversation. For beginners, there are lots of ways that you can express yourself without using this conjunction.
Many people get confused about this, even a child beginning to learn Tagalog. In the Philippines, the word “ni” is also one of the pronouns. Because of this, you really have to understand the context before determining if the word “ni” is used as a conjunction or a pronoun.
But — Pero, Datapwat, Ngunit, Subalit
Example Sentence:
Note: These words have the same meaning. The only difference is where and how they are used. Filipinos commonly use “pero” in everyday conversation, while the rest are usually used in formal situations, books, and written formal essays. You’ll seldom hear Filipinos use “datapwat” in casual conversations.
Or — O, O kaya
Example Sentence:
Note: This coordinating conjunction is used the same way in English. It’s not hard to remember because it sounds and is spelled almost like the English word. This is also commonly used when choosing something.
Yet/Nevertheless/ Nonetheless- Gayon pa man, Gayumpaman, Gayunman
Example Sentence:
Note: This is also not common among native speakers to use every day. In daily conversations, they simply use the word “pero” because it is easier to use and also has the same meaning.
So — Kaya, Kung kaya’t
Example Sentence:
Note: The word “kaya” is the most frequently used form, while “kung kaya’t” means “so that” or “that’s why” in English.
Here is the summary of the coordinating conjunctions you have learned above:
Correlative Conjunctions
Correlative Conjunctions are used in pairs. They’re utilized to link two grammatically similar but equally important or weighted parts.
Either…or — Man… o
Whether…or/neither…or — Maging… o
Neither..nor — Hindi…ni, ni…ni
Both…and — Kapwa…at, parehong…at
Not only…but (also) — Hindi lamang…kundi (pati)
Here is the summary of the correlative conjunctions you have learned above:
Subordinating Conjunctions
Subordinating conjunctions are used to connect a dependent clause (sugnay na hindi makapag-iisa) to an independent clause (sugnay na makapag-iisa). The subordinating conjunction precedes the dependent clause.
Subordinating conjunction transforms a clause into an element whose context determines meaning. Subordinate clauses can be found at the start or middle of a sentence. Here is a list of subordinating conjunctions in Filipino.
Although — Bagaman/ Bagamat
Note:
The dependent clause is “Bagaman magkakaiba ang mga sinusoportahan nating kandidato,”. The word “bagaman” is not commonly used in normal conversations. You can usually hear this in the news, teacher, and other formal platforms.
Even Though — Kahit
When, At The Time That — Nang
Note: You might be confused about the other Filipino word “ng” because these two words are pronounced the same way, but they have different meanings and usage. The word “ng” is a preposition, while “nang” is in conjunction.
Because — Dahil
Ang Pilipinas ay tinaguriang “Texting Capital of the World” dahil sa malaking bilang ng kanilang ipinadadalang text message sa bawat araw. — The Philippines is considered as “Texting Capital of the World” because of the volume of messages they send everyday.
Than — Kaysa
How Do Filipinos Learn Conjunctions?
The one you have learned above is how conjunctions are taught in English, but in the Philippines, they have different types of conjunctions. In fact, they have more than three (3) types of conjunctions. Here are the 7 different types of Filipino or Tagalog conjunctions.
Paninsay — These are used for connecting two contrasting ideas.
Example:
Pananhi — The word “pananhi” came from the word “sanhi,” which means “cause” in English. This conjunction connects words, phrases, or clauses that indicate the causes and effects of events.
Examples:
Pamukod — The word “pamukod” came from the word “bukod,” which means “separate” in English. This pangatnig is used if you have something to separate.
Examples:
Panlinaw — This conjunction is used to clarify a statement. The word “linaw” means “clear”.
Examples:
Panubali — Panubali is used in stating probability or doubt. The word “panubali” came from “pasubali,” which means dissent or reservation.
Examples:
Panapos — The word “panapos” came from the word “tapos,” which means “finish” or “end”. From this, you can imply that this type of conjunction is used to indicate the end of a sentence or speech.
Examples:
Panimbang — This type of conjunction is used to connect words, phrases, or clauses that have the same meaning or weight.
I know that learning these conjunctions is quite a challenge but if you have comments, questions or clarifications, feel free to comment below this post. I’ll be more than willing to answer.
Did You Have A Hard Time?
Learning Tagalog or the Filipino language is hard at first. There are different words with the same spelling but have different meanings. There are words that have multiple meanings, but, one thing for sure is true about the Filipino language, the pronunciation is easy to learn.
When you decide to learn about conjunctions, it means that you’re already at another level of learning Tagalog. You’re not a beginner anymore because conjunctions are used to form compound and complex sentences. You are also on your way to learning how to speak Filipino like a native speaker, so if you need more practice and help, Ling App can surely be your language partner.
With various topics and engaging activities available, you’ll develop you’ll surely love your language learning journey. Lessons are also backed with linguistic research and developed by actual native speakers. So, do yourself a favor and start learning Tagalog now!
