Simple Sentences

Question 1

Ang paborito ko ang Palawan.
Abogado ang babae.
Bahay ko ito.

Answer 1

Nominal sentence

[noun predicate] + [focus] = [noun predicate] is/are [focus]

These are sentences that have nominal (noun) predicates or some noun form in the predicate position. A beginning student would employ this sentence structure to offer information about one’s occupation, nationality, or answer what-questions.

Question 2

Makulay ang bahaghari.
Maikli ang mga krayola.
Masarap iyan.

Answer 2

Adjectival sentence

[adjectival predicate] + [focus] = [focus] is/are [adjectival predicate]

These are sentences that contain adjective(s) or descriptive word(s) in the predicate position. This sentence structure is used to describe someone or something.

Question 3

Tumakbo si Jose.
Bumili ng kendi ang bata.
Nag-aral si Lisa sa aklatan.
Bumili ng pagkain sa restaurant ang bata sa tindahan.

Answer 3

Active-focus verbal sentence

These are sentences that have the actor (doer) as the focus. The most common verbal affixes for this type of sentence are -um-, mag-, and ma-.

The noun phrases (NPs) following a verbal predicate may be rearranged without changing the meaning of the sentence. In this sense, Tagalog does not have a strict “word order” rule. Generally, the focus comes last but not when it is a pronoun. Pronouns tend to move after the predicate.

(1) PCS = Predicate + Complement(s) + Focus;
(2) ProNP = Pronouns + Noun Phrases; and
(3) Shorter Pronouns and/or Particles before longer ones.