English – “niiri”
Part of speech & meaning
• Locative demonstrative adverb / pronoun
• Core sense: “right here / in this very place” – the colloquial blend of niini (“of/on this”) + ri (“here”), used like a short, emphatic form of dinhi (“here”).
Contracted form
• Already a contraction: ni (“of this”) + ri (“here”) → niiri (often written ’niri in texting).
Typical sentence place
• Stands alone after a verb or at clause start:
- Nagpuyo ko niiri. – I live right here.
- Niiri magsugod ang pista. – “The fiesta starts right here.”
• Follows a preposition when stressing exact spot: sa niiri – “right here at…”
Common collocations
- ari niiri – come right here
- niiri ra – only here / just at this spot
- gikan niiri – from right here
- hangtod niiri – up to this exact point
Detailed usage
- Chosen when the speaker wants to emphasise that the action/location is exactly where the speaker stands.
- Complements the distance set:
- Very common in informal Cebuano; in formal prose one may switch to dinhi.
Common mistakes
• Replacing niiri with dinhi when extreme precision or emphasis is intended, and vice-versa.
• Using niiri for something near the listener (dinha is correct).
• Forgetting that niiri cannot come before a noun (use kini nga … for “this …”).
Example sentences
| Cebuano sentence | English meaning | Parts of speech |
|---|---|---|
| Niiri ko nagpuyo. | I live right here. | niiri (ADV) here • ko (PR) I • nag-puyo (V) live |
| Ari niiri, tan-awa ni. | Come here, look at this. | ari (IMP V) come • niiri (ADV) here • tan-awa (IMP V) look • ni (DEM) this |
| Magkita ta niiri ra ugma. | Let’s meet only here tomorrow. | mag-kita (V) meet • ta (PR) we-incl • niiri (ADV) here • ra (PART) only • ugma (ADV) tomorrow |
Questions
Rearrange the following Cebuano sentence into the correct word order.
Maya: Tan-awa niiri nga nobela; bag-o ra gyud ni nigawas.
Jo: Ah, mao ba? Unsa may istorya niiri?
Maya: Mystery daw, sumala sa reviewer. Ganahan ka motan-aw niiri?
Jo: ( una / Oo / niiri / blurb / basahon / ang / ko / , ).
Maya: Kung ganahan ka, paliton nato niiri karon dayon.
Luis: Asa na man ang asin? Murag na-hurot na ta ganiha.
Nina: Ayaw kabalaka, naa ko’y bag-ong asin diri. Niiri oh.
Luis: ( niiri / Salamat; / daw / ihatag / nako ).
Nina: Dayon, i-mix pud ang butter. Niiri ang butter nga gisud-ong nako sa bowl.
Luis: Perfect. Labay pud ug gamay’ng paminta gikan niiri nga botelya.
Nina: Sige, humanon nato kining salsa gamit niiri tanan nga rekado.
Carmen: Team, palihug kuhaa niiri nga hand-out; overview ni sa proyekto.
Paolo: Naa bay kolor nga graph sa sulod niiri?
Carmen: Oo, makita nimo ang timeline ug budget breakdown niiri.
Paolo: Maayo. I-scan ko unya niiri para sa digital archive.
Carmen: ( sab / ko / padalhi / Salamat / ug / kopya / sa / file / nimo / human / ma-scan / niiri / , ).
« Back to Glossary Index