In the previous chapter, we discussed the object-focus ‘in’ verbs. In this chapter, we move to another object-focus verb group — Tagalog ‘i’ verbs. These verbs conjugate using prefixes and infixes. You know what’s next ✨
Vocabulary
- Diyos → Lord, God
- sarili → oneself
- tatay → father
- president → president
- kapitbahay → neighbor
- mangga → mango
- prutas → fruits
- kanin → cooked rice
- almusal → breakfast
- baon → packed lunch
- papel → paper
- lagari → saw (tool)
- seremonya → ceremony
- katahimikan → silence
- balot → wrap
- balik → return
- alay → offer
- utos → rule
Tagalog “I” Verbs
While ‘in’ verbs act on objects that express intentions, some (or most) Tagalog ‘i’ verbs act on objects with the notion that it is being moved or being transferred.
| “Mag-” / “Um-” / “In-” Verbs | “I-” Verbs |
|---|---|
| “to sell something” | “to sell something to” |
| “to buy something” | “to buy something for” |
Base Form (Infinitive Form / Imperative Form)
To express the infinitive form / imperative form:
- Take the root word. → alay
- Attach “i-” before the root word. → ialay
You might ask, “will there be no hyphens?”. In Tagalog, two consecutive vowels are understood to be separate syllables.
Completed Action
To express the completed action form:
- Take the root word. → balot
- Take the first syllable and insert “in”. → b(in)alot
- Add “i” at the beginning of the new word. → (i)binalot
For root words beginning with a vowel:
- Take the root word. → alay
- Attach “ini-” before the root word. → (ini)alay
| Root word | New affix | Modification | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| balot (wrap) | i + -in- | i + b (in) alot | ibinalot (wrapped) |
| balik (return something) | i + -in- | i + b (in) alik | ibinalik (returned something) |
| alay (offer) | in- | in + alay | inalay (offered) |
| utos (rule) | in- | in + utos | inutos (mandated, ) |
Examples:
- Ibinalot ni Fred ang mangga sa papel. → Fred wrapped the mango with paper.
- Ibinalik ng ale ang pitaka. → The lady returned the wallet.
- Inialay ni Jessica ang prutas sa Diyos. → Jessica offered fruits to the Lord.
- Iniutos ng presidente ang seremonya. → The president called for the ceremony.
- Niluto ni Miguel ang almusal. → Miguel made breakfast. (lit. Miguel cooked breakfast.)
Ongoing Action
To express the ongoing action form:
- Take the root word. → balot
- Get the first syllable of the root word. → ba
- Insert “in” before the first vowel. → b(in)a
- Attach the new affix before the root word → (bina)balot
- Finally, add “i” as a prefix. → ibinabalot
For root words starting with a vowel:
- Take the root word. → alay
- Get the first syllable (without the last consonant, if any) → a
- Attach “ini-” before the syllable. → (ini)a
- Attach the affix before the root word. → (inia)alay
| Root word | Affix | 1st syllable | New affix | Modification | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| balot (wrap) | i + -in | ba | b + in +a | i + bina + balot | ibinabalot (wrapping) |
| balik (return) | i + -in | ba | b + in + a | i + bina + balik | ibinabalik (returning) |
| alay (offer) | ini- | a | ini + a | ini + a + alay | iniaalay (offering) |
| utos (rule) | ini- | u | ini + u | ini + u + utos | iniuutos (mandates) |
Examples:
- Ibinabalot ni Mama ang baon. → Mom is wrapping the packed lunch.
- Ibinabalik ng kapitbahay ang martilyo. → The neighbor is returning the hammer.
- Inaalay ni Ann ang sarili sa Diyos. → Ann is offering oneself to the Lord.
- Inuutos ng tatay ang katahimikan. → The father is calling for silence.
Upcoming Action
To express the upcoming action form:
- Take the root word. → balot
- Get the first syllable (without the last consonant, if any). → ba
- Attach “i” to the syllable. → (i)ba
- Attach the new affix to the root word. → (iba)balot
| Root word | Affix | 1st syllable | Modification | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| balot (wrap) | i- | ba | iba + balot | ibabalot (will be wrapping) |
| balik (return) | i- | ba | iba + balik | ibabalik (will be returning) |
| alay (offer) | i- | a | ia + alay | iaalay (will be offering) |
| utos (rule) | i- | u | iu + utos | iuutos (will be mandating) |
Examples:
- Ibabalot ni Pedro ang kanin. → Pedro will wrap the rice.
- Ibabalik ng kapitbahay ang lagari. → The neighbor will be returning the saw.
- Iaalay ni Jack ang sarili. → Jack will be offering oneself.
- Iuutos ng teacher ang homework. → The teacher will be assigning a homework.
Conclusion
Here’s your cheat sheet:
| Root word | Base form (Infinitive) | Past Tense | Present Tense | Future Tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| balik | ibalik | ibinalik | ibinabalik | ibabalik |
| alay | ialay | inalay | inaalay | iaalay |
Now, you have learned conjugating Tagalog “i” verbs, and more importantly, conjugation rules for the first five basic Tagalog verb groups. In the next chapter, it will be FUN. We will conjugate English verbs with “mag-” and “i-”.