sigi

Cebuano Word: sigi (standard spelling sige)

1 Part of Speech, Meaning, and Example Sentences

• Part of speech: adverb (continuity / frequency) and discourse particle (consent)
• Core meanings:
  1. continually; keep on; always (adverb)
  2. all right; go ahead; okay (particle, often at the start or end of a reply)

Example sentences

• Sigi rag ulan gikan pa kagabii. — It has kept on raining since last night.
• Sigi siya’g katawa bisan seryoso ang topic. — She keeps on laughing even though the topic is serious.
• “Pwede ko mangutana?” — “Sigi, unsa man?” — “May I ask something?” — “Sure, go ahead.”

2 Learning Points for sigi

1. Adverb vs. particle – as an adverb it comes after the verb; as a particle it often stands alone to grant permission.
2. Reduplication – sigi-sigi intensifies the idea: “Sigi-sigi ra kag yaw-yaw.” (You keep nagging non-stop.)
3. Negative form – dili sigi = “does not keep on”; do not add affixes.
4. Register – informal; for formal writing use padayon (continue) or kanunay (always).
5. Avoid overlap – do not pair with other frequency adverbs in the same slot (“sigi pirme” sounds redundant).

3 Common Collocations

• sigi lang – just keep on / sure, okay
• sigi pa – still going on
• sigi ko – I always / I keep …
• sigi ra – merely always / non-stop
• sigi-sigi – endlessly, repeatedly

4 Typical Sentence Position

• After the verb (adverb): “Nag-tuon sigi siya sa library.”
• Stand-alone or clause-initial when giving consent: “Sigi, padayon ta.”

5 Five Frequently Used Conversational Phrases

1. “Sigi lang, humanon nato ni.” — It’s okay, let’s just finish this.
2. “Sigi pa ba ang ulan?” — Is it still raining?
3. “Sigi siya’g reklamo.” — He keeps on complaining.
4. “Sigi ko’g practice aron ma-master.” — I keep practising so I can master it.
5. “Sigi ha, texti ko inig abot nimo.” — All right, text me when you arrive.

6 Five Everyday Conversation Exchanges

1. A: Mag-order pa ko usa ka kape, pwede?
   B: Sigi, ako’y bayad.
   A: I’ll order another coffee, okay?
   B: Sure, I’ll pay.
2. A: Ngano sigi man kag tan-aw sa phone?
   B: Sigi’g chat akong team, urgent daw.
   A: Why do you keep looking at your phone?
   B: My team keeps chatting; they say it’s urgent.
3. A: Mo-ulan sigi karong semanaha?
   B: Ingon sa forecast, sigi ra daw og ulan hangtod Friday.
   A: Will it keep raining this week?
   B: According to the forecast, it will keep raining until Friday.
4. A: Sigi ta og practice inig hapon, okey?
   B: Sigi, magkita ta alas-tres.
   A: Let’s keep practising this afternoon, okay?
   B: All right, see you at three.
5. A: Nanguha ka’g snacks?
   B: Sigi lang, para sa tanan man.
   A: Did you get some snacks?
   B: It’s fine; they’re for everyone.

7 Multiple-Choice Dialogue Questions (use sigi)

Q1. Sigi ba gihapon siya’g trabaho hangtod gabii?
A. Sigi gihapon siya’g trabaho hangtod gabii.
B. Gihapon sigi siya’g trabaho hangtod gabii.
C. Trabaho siya’g sigi gihapon hangtod gabii.

Q2. Dili ba sigi imong computer ug lag?
A. Dili sigi ug lag imong computer.
B. Imong computer dili sigi ug lag.
C. Lag sigi imong dili computer ug.

Q3. Sigi pa ba’g ulan human sa bagyo?
A. Sigi pa ba’g ulan human sa bagyo.
B. Human sa bagyo sigi pa’g ulan.
C. Pa sigi ba’g ulan human bagyo sa.

Q4. Pwede ko mosulod karon? – Sigi, pero dali lang.
What does sigi express here?
A. Refusal
B. Permission
C. Question

Q5. Ngano sigi nimo’g balik-balik ang video?
A. Balik-balik nimo sigi ang video.
B. Sigi nimo’g balik-balik ang video.
C. Ang video nimo balik-balik sigi.

Answer Key