Learn how to start a conversation with a stranger in Cebuano.
In this lesson, you will:
- Practice polite and friendly expressions like “Excuse me” and “What time is it?”
- Learn common small-talk questions such as “Where are you from?” and “What are you doing here?”
- Build confidence in approaching new people and making conversations.
- Test your skills with a comprehension quiz and practice exercises.
Perfect for beginners, travelers, and language learners who want to feel more comfortable starting conversations in real life.
VOCABULARY
Directions: Listen and repeat after your teacher.
Cebuano Word: dag-om / dag-om
Part of speech:
Noun (weather term)
Meaning:
- clouds, overcast sky
- sometimes used to mean darkness from clouds or gloomy sky
Situations where it is used:
- Common in daily speech when describing the weather.
- Refers specifically to dark clouds that suggest rain.
- Reduplication (dag-om dag-om) emphasizes the heaviness or thickness of clouds, making the sky look very dark.
Example sentences:
- Dag-om ang langit karon. → The sky is cloudy now.
- Dag-om dag-om, murag mo-ulan. → It’s very cloudy, looks like it will rain.
- Nawala ang adlaw tungod sa dag-om. → The sun disappeared because of the clouds.
Cebuano Word: bati
Part of speech:
Adjective / Verb
Meaning:
- Adjective: bad, unpleasant, ugly
- Verb: to feel, to sense (commonly used in the form bati-on = to feel something)
Situations where it is used:
- As an adjective, used in everyday conversation to describe something of poor quality, unpleasant, or ugly.
- As a verb, often appears in expressions of emotion or sensation (akong gibati = what I feel).
- Can be positive or negative depending on context, but most often negative when used as an adjective.
Example sentences (adjective):
- Bati kaayo ang salida. → The movie is really bad.
- Bati nga pamati ang akong nadawat. → I got a bad feeling.
- Bati ang iyang batasan. → He has a bad attitude.
Example sentences (verb form):
- Unsay imong gibati? → What do you feel?
- Bati-on nako nga gikapoy ko. → I feel that I am tired.
- Wala ko’y gibati. → I don’t feel anything.
Cebuano Word: panahon
Part of speech:
Noun
Meaning:
- time, period, season
- weather (depending on context)
Situations where it is used:
- Refers broadly to time (a point, period, or era).
- Also means season or occasion.
- In everyday conversation, often used to mean weather (maayong panahon = good weather).
- Common both in daily life (weather, schedules) and in formal/literary use (seasons, historical times).
Example sentences (time/period):
- Sa panahon sa gubat, lisod kaayo ang kinabuhi. → During the war, life was very hard.
- Walay panahon nga magdula ko karon. → I have no time to play now.
- Sa panahon sa ting-ulan, daghang baha. → In the rainy season, there are many floods.
Example sentences (weather):
- Nindot ang panahon karon. → The weather is nice today.
- Bati ang panahon, tingali mo-ulan. → The weather is bad, maybe it will rain.
- Kung maayong panahon, mangadto ta sa baybayon. → If the weather is good, we’ll go to the beach.
Part of speech:
Adverbs / Demonstratives of place
Meaning:
Situations where they are used:
- diri is used to indicate location: where something/someone is.
- ari is used to indicate direction toward the speaker: asking someone to come closer.
- Both mean “here,” but diri = “in this place,” while ari = “to this place (toward me).”
- Very common in daily conversation, often paired with verbs of motion or pointing.
Example sentences (diri):
- Diri ko nagpuyo sa Davao. → I live here in Davao.
- Diri ibutang ang baso. → Put the glass here.
- Diri ra siya naghulat. → He was just waiting here.
Example sentences (ari):
- Ari sa balay, dayon! → Come here to the house, quickly!
- Ari ta mag-istorya. → Let’s talk here (come to me so we can talk).
- Ari sa ako, ayaw diha. → Come here to me, not there.
Cebuano Word: gihuwat
Part of speech:
Verb (past / completed action, object-focus form)
Meaning:
- waited for (something/someone)
Situations where it is used:
- Refers to the act of waiting that has already been done.
- Focus is on the object being waited for.
- Comes from the root hulat = to wait.
- The prefix gi- marks it as past tense / completed action, and often object-focus.
Example sentences:
- Gihuwat tika gahapon. → I waited for you yesterday.
- Gihuwat namo ang bus dugay kaayo. → We waited for the bus for a very long time.
- Dili na nako gihuwat ang salida. → I didn’t wait for the movie anymore.
Cebuano Word: layoa
Part of speech:
Adjective (imperative/command form with suffix -a)
Meaning:
- make it far / put it away / move it farther
Situations where it is used:
- Comes from the root layo = far.
- With the suffix -a, it becomes an imperative (command).
- Used when telling someone to distance something/someone, or to put it farther away.
- Common in daily instructions, especially when something is too close or bothersome.
Example sentences:
- Layoa ang aso kay sakit sa mata. → Move the smoke away because it hurts the eyes.
- Layoa ang basurahan sa pultahan. → Put the trash can farther from the door.
- Palihog layoa ang bata sa kalsada. → Please keep the child away from the street.
Cebuano Word: taud-taud
Part of speech:
Adverb / Time expression (reduplicated form)
Meaning:
- after a while, in a moment, soon
- sometimes: for quite some time (depending on context)
Situations where it is used:
- Very common in daily speech when talking about short waiting periods.
- Reduplication (taud-taud) gives the sense of “a short while” or “a bit of time.”
- Can point to either the near future (after a while, soon) or the recent past (a while ago).
- Similar to English “in a little while / a while ago.”
Example sentences:
- Moadto ta didto taud-taud. → We’ll go there after a while.
- Taud-taud na ko naghulat nimo. → I’ve been waiting for you for quite some time already.
- Nangadto siya diri taud-taud lang. → He came here just a little while ago.
FLASHCARDS
DIALOGUE PRACTICE
Directions: Listen and repeat after your teacher.
Situation: Joyce is talking to a stranger.
Cebuano Version
Joyce: Excuse me ate. Unsa na oras te?
Leah: Alas tres traynta’y singko.
Joyce: Aw dag-om dag-om te no.
Leah: Lagi, bati jud kaayong panahon day.
Joyce: Nag unsa ka ari ate?
Leah: Naa ra koy gihuwat day.
Joyce: Aw. Taga asa pud ka te?
Leah: Taga Dumaguete.
Joyce: Layoa gud diay nimo te. Nag unsa ka ari? Dugay naka dinhi?
Leah: Taud taud. 3 years na.
Joyce: Hala dugaya na diay nimo te no.
Leah: O naa man gud diri ang trabaho.
Joyce: Mao sad. Sige ate, ari sa ko.
Leah: Sige day.
Joyce: Salamat.
English Version
Joyce: Excuse me Ms. What time is it?
Leah: It’s 3:35.
Joyce: Ah. It’s cloudy, isn’t it?
Leah: Yeah, the weather is not good.
Joyce: What are you doing here?
Leah: I’m just waiting for someone.
Joyce: Ah. Where are you from?
Leah: I’m from Dumaguete.
Joyce: That’s too far. What are you doing here? Have you been here for a long time?
Leah: For quite some time. It’s 3 years already.
Joyce: Oh, you’ve been here for a long time.
Leah: Yes, my work is here.
Joyce: I see. Anyway Ms, I will go now.
Leah: Okay, Ms.
Joyce: Thank you.
LESSON
These expressions are commonly used to start a conversation with a stranger.
⚫ Excuse me
This is a polite way of asking someone or when you want
to bother someone who is doing something.
⚫ Hi / Hello
The greeting is also a way of being friendly to a stranger.
⚫ Unsa na orasa te?
What time is it?
⚫ Nag unsa ka ari te?
What are you doing here?
⚫ Taga asa pud ka te?
Where are you from?
COMPREHENSION QUIZ
Directions: Choose the correct answer.
- Is greeting a friendly way of approaching a stranger?
a. o
b. dili
c. ayaw
d. wala - How do you say ‘here’ in Cebuano?
a. didto
b. diha
c. ari
d. adto - What’s the first expression you say when you want to ask a
stranger?
a. Unsa na orasa?
b. You’re cute.
c. Excuse me.
d. What’s your name? - How do you say ‘not good’ in Cebuano?
a. bati
b. nindot
c. layoa
d. panahon - How do you say ‘What are you doing here?’ in Cebuano?
a. Taga asa ka?
b. Unsa na orasa?
c. Excuse me
d. Nag unsa ka ari?
EXERCISE
Directions: Arrange the words to make sentences.
- orasa / unsa / te / na / ?
- traynta’y / alas / singko / tres
- pud / te / asa / ka / taga / ?
- ari / nag unsa / te / ka / ?
- ko’y / naa / gihuwat / ra / day
REVIEW
Directions: Let’s do a role play.
Student: Excuse me , . Teacher: Unsa na orasa? Student: _______.
Teacher: Nag unsa ka ari, ? Student: _____.
Teacher: Taga asa pud ka ? Student: Taga .
Teacher: Nindot ang panahon karon.
Student: __.
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