unsa

Cebuano Word: unsa

1 Part of Speech • Meaning • Example Sentences

• Part of speech: interrogative pronoun / interrogative adverb
• Core meaning: “what” – used to ask about a thing, action, quality, or reason

Everyday examples (Cebuano → English)

• • Unsa kini? – What is this?
• • Unsa imong pangalan? – What is your name?
• • Unsa ang nahitabo? – What happened?

2 Learning Points for Cebuano Interrogatives

• Sentence-initial default: In direct questions unsa usually appears first.
• Insertion of man for tone: Unsa man ang problema? softens the question, similar to “So, what is the problem?”
• Agreement with focus marker: When the focus marker ang is present, it immediately follows unsa (Unsa ang…).
• Ellipsis possible: If the referent is clear you may simply ask Unsa? (“What?”).
• Indirect questions: In embedded clauses unsa shifts inside the sentence (Wala ko kabalo unsa siya gusto – I don’t know what he wants).

3 Common Collocations

• unsa man – what then / so what
• unsa diay – what, actually? (mild surprise)
• unsa pud – what also / what else
• unsa pa – what else / what more
• unsa kaha – what perhaps / I wonder what

4 Typical Sentence Position

Direct question:

Unsa + (optional particle) + ang + noun / verb phrase
Unsa ang imong buhaton? – What will you do?

Indirect question:

main verb + unsa + clause
Gipangutana ko unsa iyang plano. – I asked what his plan was.

5 Five Conversational Phrases

• Unsa imong gihunahuna? – What do you think?
• Unsa ang lami nga sud-an karon? – What’s a delicious dish today?
• Unsa pa ang imong kinahanglan? – What else do you need?
• Unsa diay ang oras? – What time is it, actually?
• Unsa kaha ang maayong buhaton? – I wonder what would be good to do?

6 Five Mini-Dialogues

1. A: Unsa imong trabaho? – What is your job?
   B: Mag-uuma ko. – I am a farmer.
2. A: Unsa ang pinakaduol nga ATM? – What is the nearest ATM?
   B: Sa unahan, tapad sa botika. – Up ahead, beside the pharmacy.
3. A: Unsa ang imong paboritong libro? – What is your favourite book?
   B: “Noli Me Tangere.” – “Noli Me Tangere.”
4. A: Unsa man ang imong problema? – So, what is your problem?
   B: Na-wad-an ko og pitaka. – I lost my wallet.
5. A: Unsa pa ang imong gusto makita? – What else would you like to see?
   B: Gusto ko makakita sa lumad nga sayaw. – I want to see the traditional dance.

7 Multiple-Choice Dialogue Exercise

Each prompt is a declarative sentence. Choose the interrogative sentence using unsa that correctly asks for the missing information. One option per set is grammatical; the other two have wrong word order.

Questions with Answer Choices

Q1. The chef needs to ask the exact ingredient.
A. Ang unsa rekado?
B. Unsa ang rekado?
C. Rekado unsa ang?

Q2. The tourist wants to know the name of the festival.
A. Unsa ang ngalan sa pista?
B. Ngalan pista unsa ang?
C. Ang unsa ngalan pista?

Q3. Maria must ask about their plan tomorrow.
A. Unsa ilang plano ugma?
B. Ilang plano unsa ugma?
C. Plano ugma unsa ilang?

Q4. Carlos wishes to find out the problem with the machine.
A. Problema unsa ang sa makina?
B. Unsa ang problema sa makina?
C. Ang makina problema unsa?

Q5. The host needs to ask what dish the guests prefer.
A. Unsa ang gusto nilang sud-an?
B. Sud-an gusto unsa nilang?
C. Ang unsa gusto nilang sud-an?

Answer Key & Explanations

• Q1 – Correct: B
  Unsa begins the question, followed by ang rekado (“the ingredient”).
• Q2 – Correct: A
  Proper order: Unsa ang ngalan sa pista? – “What is the festival’s name?”
• Q3 – Correct: A
  Structure: Unsa + subject phrase ilang plano ugma (“their plan tomorrow”).
• Q4 – Correct: B
  Grammatical pattern: Unsa ang problema sa makina? – “What is the machine’s problem?”
• Q5 – Correct: A
  Correct wh-word first, then ang gusto nilang sud-an (“the dish they prefer”).

Simple rule: In Cebuano direct questions, unsa must appear first, immediately followed by ang (or another determiner) and the noun or clause in focus. Shuffling the order destroys normal grammar, which is why the other options are incorrect.