Sentence Order

Tagalog Sentence Order

The sentence order varies depending on the speech style, format, definiteness or focus. There are two ways to put words together in Tagalog. The default syntactical order is the typical format, [In this blog I am going to classify the sentence order format into two which is typical and formal] which is used in everyday conversation. The other format, Formal, is used as the name suggests with formal conversation, written sentences and to make a poetic feel on speech and writing.

Syntactical Order Based on Style (Grammatical Voice)

1. Typical Default Sentence Order

2. Formal Sentence Order

1. Typical Default Sentence Order

A. VERB-SUBJECT-OBJECT PATTERN

Under the default grammatical voice or the typical format, is the VERB-SUBJECT-OBJECT PATTERN. This is a reverse version of the English sentence order. Let's take a look at this examples!

Actor Focus:  Kumain ako ng tinapay (I ate a bread.)

Object Focus: Kinain ko ang tinapay (I ate the bread.)

The verb can be conjugated depending on the emphasis you would like to do on a sentence. Actor focus form of the verb emphasizes that the action is done by the subject or the actor. Kumain ako ng tinapay-
ako is the subject of this sentence, and it is the actor. However, object focus put the emphasis on the receiver of the action. Kinain ko ang tinapay. In this sentence, it is emphasized that the bread was eaten by the subject. Also note, in the translation of actor focus we used the indefinite article ''a'' before bread. This is because the doer of the action just want to say that he's full because he have eaten a bread. And we don't know what bread or which bread, or from where did he get the bread?

In the object focus form,  the definite article ''the'' is used in the english translation because the speaker is pertaining to a specific bread. And the listener knows about that bread which the speaker is talking about. For example Person A is looking for the bread, then Person B says Kinain ko ang tinapay. So the bread which Person A (He might bought it.) was looking for, was actually eaten by Person B.

We can only omit the receiver of the action in the VERB-SUBJECT-OBJECT PATTERN.

Kumain ako. (I ate.)  [Actor Focus]

Take note that you can only take out the object in the sentence if it is in the actor focus form simply because it is focus on the subject, making the object optional to mention.

However, you have to use only the Indirect Pronouns like ko, mo, niya, natin, ninyo, nila to tell who does the action., but you also have to give the receiver of the action since it is in the object focus form. Without mentioning the object the sentence will be considered incomplete.


Kinain ko.. [ang ano?] I ate.. [what?]

On the other hand, if you use Direct Pronouns like ako, kita, siya, kami, tayo, kayo, sila with the object focus form of the verb, it will create another meaning that the action is done to the subject.

Kinain ako.  I was eaten. (by) Passive Voice

The object in this kind of sentence can be omitted. In English,it's equivalent translation is a passive sentence.

B. DESCRIPTION-TOPIC PATTERN (PREDICATE-SUBJECT)

Si Rene siya. He is Rene
Doktor si Robert. Robert is a doctor.
Matalino ang istudyante. The student is intelligent. 

 This pattern is just like a reverse version of English sentence order. Si and Ang is used like a copula to connect the topic to the description. Si is a marker used to introduce a name of person, sina is its plural, while ang is used to introduce other nouns either common or proper nouns except for names of persons, ang mga is its plural. Ang & ang mga can function like the definite article the.

2. Formal Sentence Order

A.TOPIC-DESCRIPTION PATTERN  

The DESCRIPTION-TOPIC PATTERN can be turned to a TOPIC-DESCRIPTION PATTERN by using a copula to connect the subject to the predicate. This pattern is used in formal conversations, writings and to make a poetic composition.

Siya ay si Rene. He is Rene
Si Robert ay isang doktor. Robert is a doctor.
Ang istudyante ay matalino . The student is intelligent


ay-is a copula to link the subject to the descriptions. Remember to properly use Si & Ang to introduce their nouns. The equivalent translation of ay in English is the to be verbs.


B. SUBJECT-VERB-OBJECT PATTERN

                                                Typical                           Formal

Actor Focus	Kumain ako ng tinapay. (I ate a bread.)	Ako ay kumain ng tinapay.  (I ate a bread)
Object Focus	Kinain ko ang tinapay. (I ate the bread.)	Ang tinapay ay kinain ko. (The bread was eaten by me)

Examine the comparison between typical and formal. You can see that we just switch places.From the typical format of the actor focus verb, we change this to formal by placing the doer of the action first then the marker ay plus the verb and the object.

In the typical format of the object focus, We change it to the formal format, the same thing we do to the actor focus. Notice that the pronoun in the object focus form in the formal format is placed right after the verb. Always remember that pronoun always go after the object focus verb both in typical and formal,
and in the actor focus format the pronoun go after the verb only in the typical format, in the formal it is the subject or it is placed in the first.

Sentences with Direct Object and Indirect Object. 

1. Ibinigay ko ang bulaklak kay Jorge. I gave the flower to Jorge.

This is the default syntactical order, Verb-Doer-Direct Object-Indirect Object. The marker ang is used to introduce bulaklak (flower), and the marker kay to introduce a name of person in the oblique case (indirect object/possessive case) which is Jorge.

Let's say we change the indirect pronoun ko in the sentence above, to a name of person like ''Philip''. Then we have to use an indirect case marker of ''si'' which is ''ni''. Ibinigay ni Philip... Philip gave...

how about to a common noun like the ''waiter'', we should also use an indirect case marker of  ''ang'' which is ''ng''.  Ibinigay ng waiter... The waiter gave...

 [see Noun Cases for more details.]

However, we can still change the default order to put emphasis to other part of the sentence.

2. Ang bulaklak ay ibinigay ko kay Jorge. This also means I gave the flower to Jorge. It just emphasized that the flower was given to Jorge by the speaker. Note the use of ay to connect bulaklak which is the common noun subject, to the predicate. Ay in this case doesn't translate to the verb be

3. Kay Jorge ko ibinigay ang bulaklak.   I gave the flower to Jorge. In this sentence, it is emphasized that Jorge received a flower given by the speaker. If you can recall indirect pronoun go after the verb in the object focus form. But here ko precedes the verb ibinigay, this is because when the oblique case noun (Indirect Object) is placed at the beginning of the sentence, the indirect pronoun go after it then follow by the verb. Kay Jorge ko ibinigay...

4. Ako ang nagbigay ng bulaklak kay Jorge.  I am the one who gave the flower to Jorge. This sentence construction give a new meaning emphasizing on the doer of the action. By the use of ang, we can put the doer of the action in the spotlight, and tell that the speaker is the one who does the action.

Let's say we want ''Philip'' to be in the spotlight, and tell the listener that Philip is the one who carries the action then we say. Si Philip ang nagbigay ng bulaklak kay Jorge. Philip is the one who gave the flower to Jorge.