aha

Cebuano Word: aha

1 Part of Speech, Meaning, and Example Sentences

• Part of speech: interrogative adverb / interrogative pronoun
• Core meaning: “where” — functionally the same as asa and diin, but heard mainly in parts of Negros and Bohol and in older or poetic style.

Everyday example sentences

• Aha ka karon? – Where are you now?
• Aha ta magkita ugma? – Where shall we meet tomorrow?
• Aha ang opisina sa mayor? – Where is the mayor’s office?

2 Learning Points for Cebuano Interrogatives

• Regional distribution: Aha is perfectly correct but less common than asa in Metro Cebu. Expect to switch to asa in Cebu City conversations.
• Sentence-initial rule: In direct questions the wh-word (aha) appears first.
• Emphatic particle: Adding man after aha softens the tone or adds “so then”: Aha man ang hotel?
• Indirect questions: In embedded clauses, aha follows the reporting verb: Wala ko kabalo aha sila nagpuyo.
• Intonation: Keep a rising tone on the last syllable to mark the utterance as a question.

3 Common Collocations

• aha ka – where are you
• aha man – so where / where then
• aha dapit – where exactly
• aha gikan – where something came from
• aha paingon – where headed

4 Typical Position in a Sentence

• Direct question: Aha + ang + noun/subject Aha ang terminal sa bus? – Where is the bus terminal?
• Indirect question: matrix verb + aha + clause Gipangutana niya aha mi mag-stay. – He asked where we would stay.

5 Five Frequent Conversational Phrases

• Aha ka gikan? – Where have you come from?
• Aha ta mag-kaon? – Where shall we eat?
• Aha ko makapalit ani? – Where can I buy this?
• Aha ang pinakaduol nga ATM? – Where is the nearest ATM?
• Aha paingon ang jeep? – Where is the jeepney going?

6 Five Mini-Dialogues (Cebuano ↔ English)

1. A: Aha ka paingon? – Where are you heading?
   B: Pa-adto ko sa merkado. – I’m on my way to the market.
2. A: Aha ta mag-panihapon? – Where shall we have dinner?
   B: Sa bay-bayon ta; nindot didto. – Let’s eat by the seaside; it’s nice there.
3. A: Aha ang opisina sa turismo? – Where is the tourism office?
   B: Atbang sa simbahan. – Opposite the church.
4. A: Aha ka nag-tuon og Cebuano? – Where did you study Cebuano?
   B: Sa online course ra. – Just in an online course.
5. A: Aha gikan kining kape? – Where did this coffee come from?
   B: Gikan sa Bukidnon; lami kaayo. – From Bukidnon; it’s very good.

7 Multiple-Choice Dialogue Exercise

(Prompt = declarative sentence. Choose the interrogative (aha) that correctly asks for the information. One option per item is grammatical; the other two are mis-ordered.)

Part A – Questions with Answer Choices

Q1. Juan must ask the exact place of the library.
A. Librarya aha ang?
B. Ang aha librarya?
C. Aha ang librarya?

Q2. The visitors need to know the location of the airport.
A. Aha ang tugpahanan?
B. Tugpahanan aha ang?
C. Ang tugpahanan aha?

Q3. Carla wants to ask where those fruits came from.
A. Aha gikan ang prutas?
B. Gikan prutas aha ang?
C. Prutas aha gikan ang?

Q4. The driver should ask the precise parking area.
A. Aha dapit ang parkehan?
B. Parkehan aha dapit ang?
C. Dapit parkehan ang aha?

Q5. Leo hopes to discover the destination of that ferry.
A. Paingon lantsa aha ang?
B. Ang lantsa aha paingon?
C. Aha paingon ang lantsa?

Part B – Answer Key & Explanations

General rule: In Cebuano direct questions, the interrogative word aha must appear first, immediately followed by ang + noun or by the descriptive phrase containing that noun. Any other order breaks normal grammar, which is why the incorrect options are ungrammatical.