CEBUANO LESSON #51 Learn Cebuano: How to Express Continuous Actions with “Ga”

2022/5/9

Learn Cebuano easily with this beginner-friendly grammar lesson!
In this video, you will learn how to express continuous or ongoing actions in Cebuano using the prefix “ga–”.
We also compare ga, nag, and naga so you can understand how to use them in daily conversations.

You will learn:
✔️ How to ask “What are you doing?” in different ways (Gaunsa ka?, Nag-unsa ka?, Unsay gibuhat nimo?)
✔️ How to say ongoing actions like gakaon (eating), gatan-aw (watching), gasulat (writing)
✔️ The difference between formal and casual usage (naga vs nag/ga)
✔️ Useful dialogue practice for everyday conversations

Example sentences from this lesson:
✨ Gakaon samtang gatan-aw og salida – I’m eating while watching a movie
✨ Gasulat pa ko sa akong buluhaton sa eskwelahan – I’m still writing my school homework
✨ Gaunsa ka? – What are you doing?

This lesson is perfect for:
✔️ Beginners learning Cebuano / Bisaya grammar
✔️ Students who want to understand progressive tense in Cebuano
✔️ Anyone who wants to speak naturally in daily conversations

VOCABULARY

Directions: Listen and repeat after your teacher.

Samtang

Meaning

  • Samtang = “while” / “as long as” / “during the time that.”

Part of Speech

  • Conjunction.

Usage / Context

  • Used to connect two actions happening at the same time (“while”).
  • Can also mean “as long as” when referring to a condition.
  • Very common in storytelling and daily conversations.

Example Sentences

  1. Nagbasa siya samtang nag-inom og kape.
    → He/She was reading while drinking coffee.
  2. Samtang bata pa siya, nag-eskwela sa baryo.
    → While he/she was still a child, he/she studied in the village.
  3. Samtang buhi pa ta, mag-amping ta.
    → As long as we are alive, we should take care.

Kaligo

Meaning

  • Kaligo = “to take a bath” / “to bathe.”

Part of Speech

  • Verb (from root ligo = bath).
  • Can also function as a noun in some contexts (“bath / bathing”).

Usage / Context

  • Very common in everyday Cebuano conversation, especially about hygiene or daily routines.
  • Often appears with mag-, nag-, or nakaligo:
    • magkaligo = will take a bath
    • nagkaligo = is bathing
    • nakaligo = already bathed

Example Sentences

  1. Magkaligo ko sa buntag.
    → I will take a bath in the morning.
  2. Wala pa siya makaligo.
    → He/She hasn’t taken a bath yet.
  3. Human sa kaligo, mokaon ta.
    → After bathing, let’s eat.

Buluhaton sa Eskwelahan

Meaning

  • Buluhaton sa eskwelahan = “school tasks” / “school work” / “assignments.”

Part of Speech

  • Noun phrase (buluhaton = task/duty, eskwelahan = school).

Usage / Context

  • Refers to any work, duties, or assignments given in school (e.g., homework, projects, classroom tasks).
  • Common in daily conversation among students, teachers, and parents.

Example Sentences

  1. Daghan kog buluhaton sa eskwelahan karong semana.
    → I have a lot of schoolwork this week.
  2. Nangayo siya og tabang sa iyang buluhaton sa eskwelahan.
    → He/She asked for help with school assignments.
  3. Apilon sa buluhaton sa eskwelahan ang grupo nga proyekto.
    → The group project is included in the school tasks.

Tiwason

Meaning

  • Tiwason = “to finish” / “to complete.”

Part of Speech

  • Verb (future/passive form; from root tapos/tiwas = finish).

Usage / Context

  • Commonly used when talking about completing a task, project, or action.
  • Often paired with nouns like trabaho (work), buluhaton (task), eskuyla (studies).

Example Sentences

  1. Tiwason nako ang akong buluhaton sa eskwelahan.
    → I will finish my school tasks.
  2. Tiwason nato ang proyekto karong semana.
    → We will complete the project this week.
  3. Dili niya tiwason ang iyang pagkaon.
    → He/She will not finish his/her food.

Salida

Meaning

  • Salida = “movie / film / show.”
  • Can also mean “exit” in some contexts (from Spanish salida = exit), but in everyday Cebuano it usually refers to movies or films.

Part of Speech

  • Noun.

Usage / Context

  • Commonly used when talking about watching movies, cinema shows, or TV shows.
  • In formal Spanish-based contexts, salida still means “exit,” but in Cebuano daily life, the meaning is strongly tied to movies/films.

Example Sentences

  1. Tan-aw ta og salida sa sinehan.
    → Let’s watch a movie at the cinema.
  2. Bag-o nga salida ang ipalabas karong semana.
    → A new movie will be shown this week.
  3. Unsa nga salida imong paborito?
    → What movie is your favorite?

Mangukay

Meaning

  • Mangukay = “to dig” / “to search by digging.”

Part of Speech

  • Verb (future or habitual form; from root ukay = dig, rummage).

Usage / Context

  • Commonly used when talking about digging soil, ground, or searching through things.
  • Can also be used figuratively to mean “rummaging” or “looking through a pile.”
  • Often heard in farming, gardening, or second-hand shops (ukay-ukay = thrift shop).

Example Sentences

  1. Mangukay sila og yuta para sa tanom.
    → They will dig soil for planting.
  2. Mangukay ko sa mga sinina sa ukay-ukay.
    → I will rummage through clothes at the thrift shop.
  3. Ang iro mangukay sa yuta aron mangita og butang.
    → The dog digs the ground to look for something.

Sayo-sayo

Meaning

  • Sayo-sayo = “a little early” / “somewhat early.”
  • Reduplication of sayo = early.

Part of Speech

  • Adjective / adverb.

Usage / Context

  • Used to describe something done earlier than usual, but not extremely early.
  • Often appears in daily conversations when talking about schedules, arrivals, or timing.

Example Sentences

  1. Muanhi ta sayo-sayo aron dili malangan.
    → Let’s come a little early so we won’t be late.
  2. Namatngon siya ug sayo-sayo karong buntag.
    → He/She woke up somewhat early this morning.
  3. Mas maayo kung magsugod ta ug sayo-sayo.
    → It’s better if we start a bit early.

Unya

Meaning

  • Unya = “later” / “afterward” / “then.”

Part of Speech

  • Adverb.

Usage / Context

  • Very common in daily Cebuano conversation.
  • Can mean:
    1. Later (future time) → “I’ll do it later.”
    2. Afterward / after that → “Eat first, then we’ll leave.”
    3. Then (in a sequence of events).

Example Sentences

  1. Magkita ta unya.
    → We’ll meet later.
  2. Mokaon ta una, unya mulakaw ta.
    → Let’s eat first, then we’ll go.
  3. Unya ra ko motubag sa imong mensahe.
    → I’ll reply to your message later.

Flashcards

DIALOGUE PRACTICE

Cebuano

Jen: Hoy, Leah! Gaunsa ka?
Leah: Gakaon samtang gatan-aw og salida. Ngano man?
Jen: Mangukay ta na.
Leah: Karon dayon?
Jen: Inig udto lang oi. Wala pako kaligo.
Leah: Gaunsa diay ka? Kaligo na lang aron sayo-sayo ta.
Jen: Gasulat pa ko sa akong buluhaton sa eskwelahan.
Leah: Aw sige inig udto na lang ta manglakaw. Chat lang unya nako.
Jen: Sige. Tiwason sa nako ang akong gibuhat.

English

Jen: Hey, Leah! What are you doing?
Leah: I’m watching a movie while eating. Why is it?
Jen: Let’s go to thrift clothes.
Leah: Right now?
Jen: At noon (Let’s go there at noon.). I haven’t taken a bath yet.
Leah: Then/So, what are you doing? Go take a bath so we can go there earlier.
Jen: I’m still writing my school homework.
Leah: I see. Okay then let’s go there at noon. Just chat (send me a message) later.
Jen: Okay. I’ll finish what I’m doing.

LESSON

The prefix ‘ga is short for the suffix ”naga”. We can say /naga, nag, ga/. They mean the same. They indicate a continuous or progressive action. However, the shortened form ‘NAG’ and ‘GA’ are casually used in verbal communication and the standard ”naga” is used in formal communication

For examples:

◆ Unsay gibuhat nimo?
What are you doing?
However, there are other translations of ”What are you doing?” in Bisaya.
For example:
Gaunsa ka?
Gaunsa diay ka?
Nag-unsa ka?

◆ Gakaon samtang gatan-aw og salida.
I’m eating while watching
ga+ kaon = gakaon (eating)
ga+tan-aw = gatan-aw (watching)

In Cebuano, we can omit the subject which is ”I” in this case.
◆ Gasulat pa ko sa akong buluhaton sa eskwelahan.
I’m still writing my activity (schoolwork) in school.
ga + sulat = gasulat (writing)

COMPREHENSION QUIZ

Directions: Choose the correct answer.

1.) Which sentence is not the translation of ”What are you
doing?” in Cebuano?
a. Nag-unsa ka?
b. Gaunsa diay ka?
c. Ngano ka oi?
d. Unsay gibuhat nimo?

2.) How do we say ”eating” in Cebuano?
a. gatan-aw
b. gakaon
c. gainom
d. gausap

3.) Does the prefix ”ga” indicate a progressive tense?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Maybe

4.) What is the shortened form for the suffix ”naga”?
a. pa
b. magpa
c. gi
d. ga


5.) How do we say ” I’m still writing my activity in school.” in
Cebuano?
a. Gatan-aw pa ko og salida.
b. Gasulat pa ko sa akong buluhaton sa eskwelahan.
c. Gakaon pa ko og saging.
d. Galakaw pa ko paingon sa merkado.

EXERCISE

Directions: Arrange the words to make sentences.

  1. /nimo / unsay / gibuhat/ ?
  2. /akong / eskwelahan / Gasulat / ko / pa / sa / buluhaton / sa / ?
  3. / lang / Chat / nako / unya / ?
  4. / og / samtang / salida / Gakaon / gatan-aw / ?
  5. / diay / Gaunsa / ka / ?

REVIEW

Directions: Let’s use the prefix ” ga ” that you’ve learned during the lesson and make some sentences.

For example:
Gaunsa diay ka?
What are you doing?

  1. –
  2. –
  3. –

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