butang

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1 Part of speech, core meaning, sentence position, and example sentences

  • Part of speech
    • Verb (root): butang — “to put, place, set, add”
    • Common noun: butang — “thing, object, item”
  • Sentence-position rule
    A conjugated butang form goes first in the predicate, with any clitic actor-pronoun right after it:

Mo-butang ko sa libro sa estante.
I’ll put the book on the shelf.

  • Example sentences
    • Mo-butang ko ug asukal sa kape. — I will put sugar in the coffee.
    • Nag-butang sila sa dekorasyon sa hall karon. — They are placing decorations in the hall now.
    • Gi-butang sa mekaniko ang tornilyo sa sakyanan. — The bolt was put on the car by the mechanic.

2 Verb derivations of butang

FormVoice & aspectTypical translationSample sentence
mag-butangActor focus, habitual / future“will usually put”Mag-butang siya ug sunscreen kada buntag. — She puts on sunscreen every morning.
mo-butangActor focus, non-past / imperative“will put; put!”Mo-butang ta karon, ha. — Let’s put (it) now, okay.
nag-butangActor focus, progressive“is / was putting”Nag-butang ko pag-text nimo. — I was placing (it) when you texted.
ni-butang / mi-butangActor focus, completed past“put / placed”Ni-butang sila sa bag sa lamesa kagahapon. — They set the bag on the table yesterday.
gi-butangPatient focus, completed past“was put (by …)”Gi-butang sa chef ang garnish sa plato. — The garnish was placed on the plate by the chef.
butang-on (-on)Patient focus, future / imp.“to be put / put it”Butang-on nato ang titulo sa taas sa pahina. — We’ll put the title at the top of the page.
butang-an / butang-i (-an / -i)Beneficiary / locative focus“to put on/into/for”Butang-i ko palihog ug yelo ang akong tubig. — Please put ice in my water.

3 Common phrases

  • butang sa bag — put in the bag
  • mag-butang og label — add a label
  • walay butang — nothing placed / no item
  • gi-butang sa dokumento — inserted in the document
  • butang-on nga topping — topping to be added

4 Detailed usage notes

  1. Actor-focus (mo-, nag-, ni-) stresses who is placing something: mo-butang ko.
  2. Patient-focus (gi-butang, butang-on) makes the object placed the subject: gi-butang ang silya.
  3. Locative / beneficiary focus (butang-an / butang-i) specifies where or for whom: butang-i siya ug asin “add salt for him.”
  4. Markers — ug/og for indefinite things (mo-butang ko og asin), sa for definite place (nag-butang siya sa kabinet).
  5. Noun sense — butang = “thing”: daghan kog butang sa bag — “I have many things in the bag.”
  6. Reduplication — butang-butang can denote random placing or makeshift arrangements.

5 Common mistakes & how to avoid them

MistakeWhy it’s wrongCorrect form
Mo-butang ako sa papel.Clitic pronoun must follow verb.Mo-butang ko sa papel.
Gi-butang ko ang libro.gi- needs actor in genitive (ni / sa).Gi-butang ni ko ang libro.
Butang-on ta siya!Beneficiary/locative command needs butang-i.Butang-i siya!
Nag-butang sa kahonMissing actor pronoun.Nag-butang ko sa kahon.

6 Short everyday conversations

  1. A: Asa nimo mo-butang ang susi? — Where will you put the key?
    B: Mo-butang ko sa bulsa nako. — I’ll put it in my pocket.
  2. A: Nag-butang pa ba sila sa banner? — Are they still putting up the banner?
    B: Oo, hapit na mahuman. — Yes, almost done.
  3. A: Butang-i palihog ug ketchup akong fries. — Please put ketchup on my fries.
    B: Sige, apilan pud nako ug mayo. — Sure, I’ll add mayo too.
  4. A: Ni-butang ka ug date sa dokumento? — Did you put a date on the document?
    B: Oo, gi-butang nako sa ibabaw. — Yes, I placed it on the top.
  5. A: Mag-butang ta og dekorasyon ugma? — Shall we put up decorations tomorrow?
    B: Sakto, para andam na sa party. — Right, so it’s ready for the party.
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