CEBUANO LANGUAGE LESSON 116 / Top 500 Cebuano vocabulary: 03: siya

Part of Speech

• Independent personal pronoun, 3rd person singular (“he,” “she,” or “it”)

• Contraction
  • In casual writing or speech, you may see “sya” as a contracted form of siya.

Frequently Used Phrases

• Wala siya.
  • “He/She is not here.”
• Siya ra.
  • “Only him/her.” (emphasis: nobody else)
• Nganong wala siya?
  • “Why is he/she not here?”
• Siya na.
  • “It’s him/her now.”

Uses

• Subject Pronoun
  • Use siya when the person or thing is the doer of the action/emphasis the subject:
    • Siya ang moadto. (“He/She will go.”)
• Object Pronoun
  • You can also use siya to mean “him” or “her” after a verb written in full form (not the enclitic):
    • Nakita nako siya. (“I saw him/her.”)
• Position in Sentence
  • Before or after the verb is okay.
    • Siya ang mosulat. / Mosulat siya. (“He/She will write.”)
• No Gender Marking
  • Cebuano does not mark “he” vs. “she.” Context or name is needed in translation.
• Animate & Inanimate
  • Usually for people or animals. For things, you can still use siya if you think of the thing as “it.”

Common Mistakes

• Confusing siya with niya/iya
  • niya = oblique form (“by him/her,” “to him/her”)
  • iya = possessive (“his,” “her”)
• Mixing enclitic vs. independent
  • Don’t write ”nakita ko siya” (missing enclitic). It should be ”nakita nako siya.”
• Spelling in casual text
  • s’ya or sya is okay in chat, but use siya in formal writing.

Example Sentences

Parts of Speech Breakdown

1. Nakita nako siya sa mall kagahapon.
   • Nakita – Verb (past tense of “to see”)
   • nako – Pronoun (1st person singular enclitic “by me”)
   • siya – Pronoun (3rd person singular “him/her”)
   • sa – Preposition (“at”)
   • mall – Noun
   • kagahapon – Adverb (“yesterday”)
2. Mosulat siya og sulat para sa maestro.
   • Mosulat – Verb (future “to write”)
   • siya – Pronoun (3rd person singular)
   • og – Marker for direct object
   • sulat – Noun (“letter”)
   • para – Preposition (“for”)
   • sa – Preposition + article (the/for)
   • maestro – Noun (“teacher”)
3. Wala siya karon sa balay.
   • Wala – Verb (negation “not/be absent”)
   • siya – Pronoun (3rd person singular)
   • karon – Adverb (“now”)
   • sa – Preposition (“at/in”)
   • balay – Noun (“house/home”)
4. Gihigugma siya sa tanan.
   • Gihigugma – Verb (passive “to be loved”)
   • siya – Pronoun (3rd person singular)
   • sa – Preposition (“by”)
   • tanan – Noun (“everyone”)

Reordering Exercise: Form correct Cebuano sentences using “siya / sya ”

Rearrange the words below to create a grammatically correct Cebuano sentence.
Each sentence includes one version of “he/she” — either siya, sya — depending on the formality or tone of the sentence.

①nagsulti / siya / sa akong mama / ang

②mokaon / og mangga / ganahan / sya

③ang / siya / nagdala / sa bag / sa eskwelahan

④sya / naa / sa balay / karon

⑤Siya / moadto / sa mall / ugma / ang

Correct Answers and Explanations

1:Correct sentence: Siya ang nagsulti sa akong mama.
Explanation:
Means “He/She was the one who spoke to my mother.”
This is a subject-emphasis construction (“It was he/she who…”), so we place “siya” at the beginning.
“Siya” is the formal and grammatically standard form, suitable for writing and formal speech.

2.Correct sentence: Ganahan sya mokaon og mangga.
Explanation:
Means “He/She wants to eat mango.”
In normal word order, “sya” (an informal spelling of “siya”) follows the verb ganahan.
This is common in spoken Cebuano and text messaging.

3:Correct sentence: Siya ang nagdala sa bag sa eskwelahan.
Explanation:
Means “He/She brought the bag to school.” “Siya” used at the beginning here for subject focus.

4: Correct sentence: Sya ang naa sa balay karon.
Explanation:
Means “He/She is at home now.” “Sya” goes before naa to indicate the subject of the sentence. This is casual and fits daily conversations or social media posts.

5: Correct sentence: Siya ang moadto sa mall ugma.
Explanation:
Means “He/She will go to the mall tomorrow.”

Grammar Question

In Cebuano, what part of speech is the word “siya”?

Choices:
A. Verb
B. Noun
C. Adjective
D. Pronoun

Correct Answer:
D. Pronoun

Explanation:
“Siya” is a third-person singular pronoun in Cebuano, equivalent to “he” or “she” in English.
It is used to refer to someone who is neither the speaker nor the listener.
Example: Siya ang among maestro. (He/She is our teacher.)

[Question 2]
What is the function of a pronoun in a sentence?

Choices:
A. To express actions or states
B. To describe the meaning of a noun in more detail
C. To connect clauses like a conjunction
D. To replace a noun

Correct Answer:
D. To replace a noun

Explanation:
A pronoun is used in place of a noun to refer to a person, place, thing, or idea that is already known or previously mentioned.
It avoids unnecessary repetition of the same noun.
Examples: ako (I), ikaw (you), siya (he/she).

[Question 3]
What role does a noun play in a sentence?

Choices:
A. It connects clauses like a conjunction
B. It expresses actions or states
C. It functions as a subject, object, or other sentence component
D. It expresses emotion like an interjection

Correct Answer:
C. It functions as a subject, object, or other sentence component

Explanation:
A noun represents a person, place, thing, idea, or concept. It plays key roles in sentence structure such as:

• Subject: Ang bata nagdula. (The child is playing.) → bata (noun)
• Object: Gipalit niya ang libro. (He bought the book.) → libro (noun)
• Complement: Siya usa ka doktor. (He is a doctor.) → doktor (noun)
• Possessive reference: Ang balay ni Maria. (Maria’s house) → Maria (noun)

Additional Questions

Q. Which option is the correct response?

Question 1

1: Kinsa ang nagsulti sa imong mama?

A: Ang nagsulti siya sa akong mama.
B: Siya ang nagsulti sa akong mama.
C: Nagsulti siya ang sa akong mama.

Question 2

2: Kinsa ang ganahan mokaon og mangga?

A: Siya ganahan mokaon og mangga.
B: Ganahan mokaon og mangga sya.
C: Ganahan siya mokaon og mangga.

Question 3

3: Kinsa ang nagdala sa bag sa eskuylahan?

A: Siya ang nagdala sa bag sa eskuylahan.
B: Nagdala siya ang sa bag sa eskuylahan.
C: Sa bag siya ang nagdala sa eskuylahan.

Question 4

4: Kinsa ang naa sa balay karon?

A: Siya ang naa sa balay karon.
B: Naa siya ang sa balay karon.
C: Siya naa sa ang balay karon.

Question 5

5: Kinsa ang moadto sa mall ugma?

A: Moadto siya ang mall sa ugma.
B: Siya ang moadto sa mall ugma.
C: Moadto ang siya sa mall ugma.

Question 1

Kinsa ang nagsulti sa imong mama?
Correct answer: B. Siya ang nagsulti sa akong mama.

Question 2

Kinsa ang ganahan mokaon og mangga?
Correct answer: C. Ganahan siya mokaon og mangga.

Question 3

Kinsa ang nagdala sa bag sa eskuylahan?
Correct answer: A. Siya ang nagdala sa bag sa eskuylahan.

Question 4

Kinsa ang naa sa balay karon?
Correct answer: A. Siya ang naa sa balay karon.

Question 5

Kinsa ang moadto sa mall ugma?
Correct answer: B. Siya ang moadto sa mall ugma.