▸ 1. Part of Speech & Meaning
• Part of speech: numeral / determiner
• Meaning: “fifty”
Kalim-an ka estudyante ang ni-graduate karon.
→ Fifty students are graduating today.
Nag-order ko og kalim-an ka empanada.
→ I ordered fifty empanadas.
Kalim-an ra ko ka minuto nag-hulat.
→ I waited only fifty minutes.
▸ 2. Cebuano or Spanish?
- Native (Cebuano): kalim-an
- Spanish-based: singkwenta (cincuenta)
▸ 3. When Each Form Is Used
| Scene | kalim-an | singkwenta |
|---|---|---|
| Counting people / things | ✓ | — |
| Money totals, phone digits, codes | — | ✓ |
| Ordinal | ika-kalim-an (= 50ᵗʰ) | Spanish ordinals rarely used |
▸ 4. Using kalim-an
kalim-an ka + Noun
Kalim-an ka tiket among gipalit.
Mini-patterns: kalim-an ra (only 50) · kalim-an pa (50 more)
Frequency: Kalim-an ka beses siya mi-praktis sa usa ka tuig.
Ordinal: ika-kalim-an = 50ᵗʰ
▸ 5. Five Common Pitfalls
- Dropping ka: ✗ kalim-an mansanas
- Double plural: ✗ kalim-an ka mga tawo
- Mixing singkwenta inside an otherwise native sentence
- Reversing order: ✗ mansanas kalim-an ka
- Using cardinal where ordinal is required (sa kalim-an adlaw → sa ika-kalim-an ka adlaw)
▸ 6. Quick Collocations
- kalim-an ka ___ — fifty …
- kalim-an ra — only 50
- kalim-an pa — 50 more
- ika-kalim-an — 50ᵗʰ
- sa kalim-an ka adlaw — in fifty days
▸ 7. Learner Alerts
- Phone digits: speakers normally say singkwenta / “fifty,” not kalim-an.
- Pronounce /ka-LÍ-man/ (stress on lí).
- Avoid Tagalog limampu.
- Use mga, hapit for approximate counts.
▸ 8. Handy Phrases
- Kalim-an ra mi kabuok karon. — “There are only fifty of us now.”
- Pwede ko mangayo og kalim-an pa ka kutsara? — “May I have fifty more spoons?”
- Kalim-an na lang ang nahibilin. — “Only fifty remain.”
- Magkita ta mga kalim-an ka oras gikan karon. — “Let’s meet about fifty hours from now.”
- Kalim-an ka beses nako gisulayan — nakaya ra gyud! — “I tried fifty times and finally did it!”
▸ 9. Mini-Dialogues (Cebuano ⇄ English)
| # | A (Question) | B (Answer) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tag-pila ang kalim-an ka mangga? | Dos-siyentos singkwenta pesos ra tanan.Only ₱250 for all 50. |
| 2 | Kalim-an ba ka adlaw ka mag-bakasyon? | Oo, kalim-an ra ko ka adlaw libre.Exactly fifty days. |
| 3 | Naa kay kalim-an ka tiket? | Wala, kap-atan ug siyam ra ang nabilin.Only forty-nine left. |
| 4 | Kalim-an na ka tuig ta nag-kaila, noh? | Sakto, kalim-an ka tuig na gyud.Fifty years indeed. |
| 5 | Mopalit ta og kalim-an ka botelya? | Murag daghan; kwarenta lang siguro.Maybe forty is enough. |
▸ 10. Multiple-Choice Questions
Q1. Kalim-an ba ka libro imong gipalit?
A Gipalit ko kalim-an ka libro.
B Kalim-an ka libro akong gipalit.
C Libro kalim-an ka akong gipalit.
Q2. Kalim-an ba mo ka adlaw mag-puyo dinhi?
A Mag-puyo dinhi mo kalim-an ka adlaw.
B Dinhi kalim-an ka adlaw mo mag-puyo.
C Mo mag-puyo dinhi kalim-an ka adlaw.
Q3. Kalim-an ba ka bata ang nag-dula sa gawas?
A Kalim-an ka bata nag-dula sa gawas.
B Sa gawas nag-dula kalim-an ka bata.
C Nag-dula kalim-an ka bata sa gawas.
Q4. Kalim-an ba ta ka botelya ang paliton?
A Paliton ta kalim-an ka botelya.
B Ta kalim-an ka botelya paliton.
C Botelya kalim-an ka paliton ta.
Q5. Kalim-an ba sila ka beses ni-adto didto?
A Kalim-an ka beses sila didto ni-adto.
B Ni-adto sila didto kalim-an ka beses.
C Didto sila kalim-an ka beses ni-adto.
▸ Answer Key
- Q1 → B — Correct order: numeral phrase then subject + verb; A & C misplace words.
- Q2 → A — Pattern “verb + place + subject + numeral” sounds natural.
- Q3 → A — Subject phrase before verb; B & C move adverbial awkwardly.
- Q4 → A — Imperative Paliton ta + object; others separate components.
- Q5 → B — Frequency phrase at sentence end flows smoothly; A & C invert clause parts.
