sul-ob

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1 Part of speech, core meaning, and example sentences

RoleCebuano sul-obCore English sense
Verb (root)sul-ob — “to wear, put on (clothes / accessories)”
Common noun (rare)sul-ob — “outfit; the act of wearing”

Predicate order rule – The conjugated verb comes first; the clitic actor-pronoun follows right after:

Mo-sul-ob ko ug jacket kay tugnaw.
I’ll put on a jacket because it’s cold.

Cebuano sentenceEnglish translation
Mo-sul-ob ko ug uniporme kada Lunes.I wear a uniform every Monday.
Nag-sul-ob siya karon sa iyang paboritong relo.She is wearing her favorite watch now.
Gi-sul-oban sa modelo ang bag-ong koleksiyon.The model was dressed in the new collection.

2 Verb derivations of sul-ob

FormVoice & aspectTranslationSample sentence
mag-sul-obActor-focus, habitual / future“will usually wear”Mag-sul-ob siya ug barong kung formal ang event.
mo-sul-obActor-focus, non-past / imperative“will put on; wear!”Mo-sul-ob ta og mask kung musulod sa klinika.
nag-sul-obActor-focus, progressive“is / was wearing”Nag-sul-ob ko pag-tawag nimo.
ni-sul-ob / mi-sul-obActor-focus, completed past“wore / put on”Ni-sul-ob siya ug boots kagahapon.
gi-sul-obanPatient-focus, completed past“was dressed in / was put on”Gi-sul-oban sa inahan ang bata ug jacket.
sul-obon (-on)Patient-focus, future / imp.“to be worn / put it on”Sul-obon nato ang costume ugma.
sul-oban / sul-obi (-an / -i)Beneficiary / locative“to dress someone / put on someone”Sul-obi ko palihog ug apron.

3 Typical clause placement

  • Actor focus: Mo-sul-ob ko ug sombrero sa init.
  • Patient focus: Gi-sul-oban ang mannequin sa gown.
  • Beneficiary / locative: Sul-obi siya ug sapatos nga puti.

4 Common collocations

  • sul-ob ug sapatos — wear shoes
  • mag-sul-ob og coat — put on a coat
  • walay sul-ob — not wearing anything / bare
  • gi-sul-oban sa bride — worn by the bride
  • sul-obon nga PPE — PPE to be worn

5 Usage notes in detail

  1. Physical wearing – applies to clothes, accessories, PPE, even perfume (sul-ob ug pabango).
  2. Result vs. action – Actor-focus verbs show the act of putting on; patient-focus highlights the garment or the person being dressed.
  3. Markers – ug/og for indefinite items (mo-sul-ob ko ug jacket), sa for specific (nag-sul-ob siya sa uniform).
  4. Beneficiary suffix – -i / -an used when dressing someone: sul-obi ang bata “dress the child.”
  5. As noun – nindot iyang sul-ob “her outfit is nice.”

6 Common mistakes & how to avoid them

MistakeIssueCorrect form
Mo-sul-ob ako ug glab.Clitic pronoun out of place.Mo-sul-ob ko ug glab.
Gi-sul-ob ko ang helmet.gi- needs genitive actor (ni / sa).Gi-sul-oban ni ko ang helmet.
Sul-obon ta siya!Beneficiary imperative must be sul-obi.Sul-obi siya!
Nag-sul-ob sa dressMissing subject.Nag-sul-ob siya sa dress.

7 Conversational phrases

  1. “Sul-obi ko ug jacket, tugnaw kaayo.” — “Dress me in a jacket, it’s very cold.”
  2. “Wala pa ko nakasul-ob, hulat sa.” — “I’m not dressed yet, wait a sec.”
  3. “Ni-sul-ob na ka ug mask?” — “Have you put on a mask already?”
  4. “Sul-obon ta ni kung ulan.” — “We’ll wear this if it rains.”
  5. “Ayaw pag-sul-ob ana nga sapatos sa sala.” — “Don’t wear those shoes in the living room.”

8 Short everyday conversations

  1. A: Mo-sul-ob ka ba ug formal shoes tonight? — Will you wear formal shoes tonight?
    B: Oo, kay gala man ang event. — Yes, because it’s a gala event.
  2. A: Nag-sul-ob pa diay ka sa uniform? — You’re still wearing your uniform?
    B: Oo, humanon pa nako ang duty. — Yes, I still have to finish my duty.
  3. A: Sul-obi ko palihog ug apron samtang nag-luto ko. — Please put an apron on me while I’m cooking.
    B: Sige, ara dirí. — Sure, come here.
  4. A: Ni-sul-ob ka sa gift nga watch? — Did you put on the gift watch?
    B: Ni-sul-ob ko karong buntag, cute kaayo. — I wore it this morning, it’s very nice.
  5. A: Mag-sul-ob ta og raincoat kung mag-baktas pa-uli? — Shall we wear raincoats if we walk home?
    B: Sakto, basin mo-ulan unya. — Right, it might rain later.
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