Planning to take a ferry to somewhere?
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to ask which pier the ferry leaves from in Cebuano. Perfect for travelers and language learners alike!
👉 What you’ll learn in this video:
- How to politely ask a question to a stranger in Cebuano
- Key travel words like taxi, jeepney, outside, and take care
- Useful phrases such as “Where can we ride a ferry?”
- A real dialogue you can use when traveling around Cebu
Whether you’re learning Cebuano for travel or daily communication, this video gives you practical, real-life phrases you can use right away.
VOCABULARY
Directions: Listen and repeat after your teacher.
Paingun
Meaning
Part of Speech
- Preposition / Directional marker
Situations Where It’s Used
- Used when showing movement or direction toward a place.
- Common in daily life: traveling, giving directions, or describing where someone is going.
Example Sentences
- Paingun mi sa merkado karon buntag.
→ “We are heading to the market this morning.” - Asa ang dalan paingun sa simbahan?
→ “Where is the road going to the church?” - Nagdagan siya paingun sa balay.
→ “He ran towards the house.”
Dyip
Meaning
- Jeepney (public utility vehicle in the Philippines, adapted from U.S. military jeeps).
Part of Speech
- Noun
Situations Where It’s Used
- Talking about transportation, commuting, or fares.
- Very common in everyday life in the Philippines.
- Used when asking or giving directions, or describing how someone travels.
Example Sentences
- Mosakay ta ug dyip paingun sa plaza.
→ “Let’s ride a jeepney going to the plaza.” - Puno na ang dyip, maghulat ta sa sunod.
→ “The jeepney is full, let’s wait for the next one.” - Pila ang plite sa dyip padulong sa downtown?
→ “How much is the jeepney fare going downtown?”
Taksi
Meaning
- Taxi (car for hire with a driver, used as public transport).
Part of Speech
- Noun
Situations Where It’s Used
- Talking about transportation in cities and airports.
- Asking about fares or availability.
- Choosing between faster but more expensive transport vs. cheaper ones like jeepneys.
Example Sentences
- Mosakay ta ug taksi paingun sa hotel.
→ “Let’s take a taxi going to the hotel.” - Pila ang bayad sa taksi padulong sa airport?
→ “How much is the taxi fare to the airport?” - Mas paspas ang taksi kaysa dyip.
→ “The taxi is faster than the jeepney.”
Gawas
Meaning
- Outside / out
- Can also mean except / other than depending on context.
Part of Speech
- Adverb / Preposition / Noun (depending on usage)
Situations Where It’s Used
- Talking about location (outside a place).
- Indicating exclusion (“except for”).
- Very common in daily speech for directions and conditions.
Example Sentences
- Naa siya sa gawas sa balay.
→ “He is outside the house.” - Gawas sa ulan, nindot ang panahon.
→ “Except for the rain, the weather is nice.” - Pagawas sa kwarto kay init kaayo dinha.
→ “Go out of the room because it’s very hot there.”
Ayo-ayo
Meaning
- Take care / Be well
- A common Cebuano expression used when parting ways.
Part of Speech
- Expression / Interjection
Situations Where It’s Used
- When saying goodbye politely.
- Similar to English “Take care!” or “All the best!”
- Very common in friendly or casual contexts.
Example Sentences
- Ayo-ayo diha, ha!
→ “Take care there, okay!” - Salamat sa imong tabang, ayo-ayo.
→ “Thank you for your help, take care.” - Ayo-ayo sa inyong biyahe.
→ “Take care on your trip.”
Makasakay
Meaning
- Can ride / able to get on (a vehicle)
Part of Speech
Situations Where It’s Used
- When talking about the possibility or ability to ride/board transport.
- Very common in commuting or travel conversations.
- Can be used for jeeps, buses, taxis, boats, etc.
Example Sentences
- Makasakay pa kaha ta ug dyip karon?
→ “I wonder if we can still catch a jeepney now?” - Dali ra makasakay ug taksi sa plaza.
→ “It’s easy to get a taxi at the plaza.” - Wala ko makasakay kay puno na ang bus.
→ “I couldn’t ride because the bus was full.”
Pwede
Meaning
- Can / may / allowed to
Part of Speech
- Modal verb / Expression
Situations Where It’s Used
- Asking or giving permission.
- Talking about possibility.
- Very common in polite requests.
Example Sentences
- Pwede ko mosulod?
→ “May I come in?” - Pwede ba nato buhaton ugma?
→ “Can we do it tomorrow?” - Pwede nimo ko tabangan?
→ “Can you help me?”
Mahimo
Meaning
- Can / possible (ability or possibility)
- To become / to be made (secondary meaning, “to turn into” or “become”)
Part of Speech
- Verb
Situations Where It’s Used
- Talking about what is possible or feasible.
- Used more in formal speech or writing than pwede.
- Also used for “becoming” something.
Example Sentences
- Mahimo nato ni kung maningkamot ta.
→ “We can do this if we make an effort.” - Mahimo ka nga maayong lider puhon.
→ “You can become a good leader someday.” - Dili mahimo nga buhaton karon kay walay oras.
→ “It’s not possible to do it now because there’s no time.”
FLASHCARDS
DIALOGUE PRACTICE
Directions: Listen and repeat after your teacher.
Cebuano Dialogue
Leah: Excuse me day, pwede mangutana?
Joyce: Unsa man ate?
Leah: Asa ta makasakay og ferryboat paingun sa Opon?
Joyce: Magtaksi ka ate padung pier tres.
Leah: Aw. wala diay dyip day?
Joyce: Wala ra ba’y dyip diri ate. Bas ug taksi ra ang naa diri.
Leah: Aw wala diay jeep day. Aw sige magtaksi na lang ko.
Joyce: Aw naa ra may taksi sa gawas ate. Ayo-ayo ate.
Leah: Aw sige day salamat.
English Translation
Leah: Excuse me Ms, can I ask a question?
Joyce: What is it, Ms?
Leah: Where can we ride a ferryboat going to Opon?
Joyce: You’ll ride a taxi going to pier 3.
Leah: Oh, there’s no jeepney?
Joyce: There’s no jeepney here. There are only buses and taxis here.
Leah: Ah, there’s no jeepney here. Ah okay, I’ll take a taxi then.
Joyce: Ah, there are taxis outside. Take care Ms.
Leah: Okay Ms, thank you.
LESSON
⚫ Pwede mangutana?
Can I ask a question?
If you want to ask a stranger, you can say ‘Excuse me’ first to be polite and say ‘Excuse me, te/kuya. Pwede mangutana?’.
⚫ Unsa man ate?
What is it, Ms?
Cebuanos always say ‘ate/kuya’ when approaching a stranger. It means ‘Ms. and Sir/sister and brother’. This is to show politeness to a stranger. For grandma and grandpa, they say ‘nanay and tatay’. And for younger ones, they say ‘day/dong’. So, they usually reply ‘Unsa man ate?’ if you want to ask something with a stranger.
⚫ Asa ta makasakay og ferryboat paingun sa Opon?
Where can we ride a ferryboat going to Opon?
Further examples;
Asa mi makasakay og taksi paingun sa SM mall?
Where can we ride a taxi going to SM mall?
Asa ko makasakay og habal-habal paingun sa IT park?
Where can I ride a motorcycle taxi going to the IT park?
⚫ Wala diay dyip day?
There’s no jeepney?
This question is to confirm if there’s transportation in the place.
COMPREHENSION QUIZ
Directions: Choose the correct answer.
- How do you say ‘outside’ in Cebuano?
a. sulod
b. taksi
c. gawas
d. dyip - How do you say ‘can’ in Cebuano?
a. pwede
b. paingun
c. gawas
d. dyip - How do you say ‘Ms.’ in Cebuano?
a. kuya
b. nanay
c. tatay
d. ate - What do you say if you want to ask something to a
stranger?
a. Wala diay dyip?
b. Nag-unsa ka kuya?
c. Unsa mana ate?
d. Excuse me, te. Pwede mangutana? - How do you say ‘take care’ in Cebuano?
a. dyip
b. ayo-ayo
c. gawas
d. pwede
EXERCISE
Directions: Arrange the words to make sentences.
- makasakay / sa / asa / ferryboat / Opon / ta / paingun / makasakay / og / ?
- dyip / wala / day / diay / ?
- mangutana / me / pwede / . / excuse / te / , / ?
- habal-habal / ko / sa / asa / og / IT / makasakay / park / paingun / ?
- mall / taksi / asa / paingun / mi / sa / og / SM / makasakay / ?
REVIEW
Directions: Let’s do a role play.
Student: Excuse me _, pwede mangutana?
Teacher: Unsa man _ ?
Student: Asa ta _ og __ paingun sa _?
Jocye: _ ka ate padung pier tres.
Student: Aw. wala diay _ day?
Jocye: Wala ra ba’y _ diri _. ug _ ra ang
naa diri.
Student: Aw wala diay _ . Aw sige __ na lang
ko.
Jocye: Aw naa ra may _ sa gawas ate. __ ate.
Student: Aw sige __ salamat.
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