▸ 1. Part of Speech & Meaning
• Part of speech: numeral / determiner
• Meaning: “one hundred twenty (120)”
Usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka estudyante ang nisalmot.
→ One hundred twenty students joined.
Nag-order ko og usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka bibingka.
→ I ordered one hundred twenty rice cakes.
Usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ra ko ka minuto nag-huwat.
→ I waited only one hundred twenty minutes.
▸ 2. Cebuano or Spanish?
- Native (Cebuano): usa ka gatos ug kawhaan
- Spanish-based: siyento baynte (ciento veinte)
▸ 3. When Each Form Is Used
Scene | usa ka gatos ug kawhaan | siyento baynte |
---|---|---|
Counting objects / people | ✓ | — |
Money, phone digits, codes | — | ✓ |
Ordinal reference | ika-usa ka gatos ug kawhaan (120ᵗʰ) | Spanish ordinals hardly used |
▸ 4. How to Use usa ka gatos ug kawhaan
usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka + Noun
Usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka tiket among gipalit.
Mini-patterns
• usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ra – only 120
• usa ka gatos ug kawhaan pa – 120 more
Frequency example
Usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka beses siya mi-praktis sa tuig.
Ordinal form
ika-usa ka gatos ug kawhaan = 120ᵗʰ
▸ 5. Five Common Pitfalls
- Dropping ka: ✗ usa ka gatos ug kawhaan mansanas
- Adding mga: ✗ usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka mga tawo
- Switching to siyento baynte mid-sentence
- Reversing order: ✗ mansanas usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka
- Using cardinal instead of ordinal (sa usa ka gatos ug kawhaan adlaw → sa ika-usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka adlaw)
▸ 6. Quick Collocations
- usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka ___ – 120 …
- usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ra – only 120
- usa ka gatos ug kawhaan pa – 120 more
- ika-usa ka gatos ug kawhaan – 120ᵗʰ
- sa usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka adlaw – in 120 days
▸ 7. Learner Alerts
- Phone digits & prices usually employ siyento baynte or English “one-twenty.”
- Pronounce /u-SA ka GA-tos ug ka-WA-han/ (stress SA and WA).
- Avoid Tagalog isandaan dalawampu.
- Use mga, hapit for rough estimates.
▸ 8. Handy Phrases
- Usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ra mi kabuok karon. — “There are only 120 of us now.”
- Pwede ko mangayo og usa ka gatos ug kawhaan pa ka kutsara? — “May I have 120 more spoons?”
- Usa ka gatos ug kawhaan na lang ang nahibilin. — “Only 120 remain.”
- Magkita ta mga usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka oras gikan karon. — “Let’s meet about 120 hours from now.”
- Usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka beses nako gisulayan — nakaya ra gyud! — “I tried 120 times and finally did it!”
▸ 9. Mini-Dialogues (Cebuano ⇄ English)
# | Question (A) | Reply (B) |
---|---|---|
1 | Tag-pila ang usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka mangga? | Singko-syentos saisenta pesos ra tanan.“Only ₱560 for all 120.” |
2 | Usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ba ka adlaw ka mag-bakasyon? | Oo, usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ra ko ka adlaw libre.“Yes, exactly 120 days.” |
3 | Naa kay usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka tiket? | Wala, usa ka gatos ug napulo’y siyam ra ang nabilin.“No, only 119 left.” |
4 | Usa ka gatos ug kawhaan na ka tuig ta nag-kaila, noh? | Sakto, usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka tuig na gyud.“Right, 120 years indeed.” |
5 | Mopalit ta og usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka botelya? | Murag daghan; kasiyaman lang siguro.“Seems a lot—maybe 90 will do.” |
▸ 10. Multiple-Choice Dialogue Questions
Q1 Usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ba ka libro imong gipalit?
A. Usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka libro akong gipalit.
B. Libro usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka akong gipalit.
C. Gipalit ko usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka libro.
Q2 Usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ba mo ka adlaw mag-puyo dinhi?
A. Mag-puyo dinhi mo usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka adlaw.
B. Dinhi usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka adlaw mo mag-puyo.
C. Mo mag-puyo dinhi usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka adlaw.
Q3 Usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ba ka bata ang nag-dula sa gawas?
A. Usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka bata nag-dula sa gawas.
B. Sa gawas nag-dula usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka bata.
C. Nag-dula usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka bata sa gawas.
Q4 Usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ba ta ka botelya ang paliton?
A. Paliton ta usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka botelya.
B. Ta usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka botelya paliton.
C. Botelya usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka paliton ta.
Q5 Usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ba sila ka beses ni-adto didto?
A. Usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka beses sila didto ni-adto.
B. Ni-adto sila didto usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka beses.
C. Didto sila usa ka gatos ug kawhaan ka beses ni-adto.
▸ Answer Key
Q | Correct | Why it’s correct |
---|---|---|
1 | A | Numeral phrase before subject + verb; B/C mis-order words. |
2 | A | Verb → place → subject → numeral is the normal flow. |
3 | A | Subject phrase then verb is idiomatic; B/C move adverbial awkwardly. |
4 | A | Imperative Paliton ta + object is proper; B/C split components. |
5 | B | Frequency phrase at clause end flows best; A/C invert sentence parts. |
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