adlaw-natawhan

Cebuano Word: adlaw-natawhan
(noun — “birthday,” literally “day-of-birth”)

1 Part of Speech, Meaning, Usage, and Example Sentences

• Part of speech: noun
• Meaning: the anniversary of a person’s birth; the day someone was born.
• Example sentences
  1. Malipayong adlaw-natawhan, Ana! – Happy birthday, Ana!
  2. Mag-handa mi og keyk para sa iyang adlaw-natawhan. – We will prepare a cake for her birthday.
  3. Nalimot siya sa adlaw-natawhan sa iyang igsoon. – He forgot his sibling’s birthday.

2 Singular & Plural Forms

• Singular: adlaw-natawhan – one birthday
• Plural: mga adlaw-natawhan – several birthdays (rare; usually context already shows plurality)

3 Where You Would Use It in a Sentence

• Subject: Ang adlaw-natawhan nag-hatag ug rason sa pamilya nga magtapok. – The birthday gives the family a reason to gather.
• Object: Gisurprisa nila siya sa iyang adlaw-natawhan. – They surprised her on her birthday.
• Prepositional phrase: Sa adlaw-natawhan pa niya namugos siyag handa. – On his birthday he insisted on treating everyone.

4 Common Collocations

• malipayong adlaw-natawhan – happy birthday
• keyk sa adlaw-natawhan – birthday cake
• handa sa adlaw-natawhan – birthday treat/spread
• regalo sa adlaw-natawhan – birthday gift
• party sa adlaw-natawhan – birthday party

5 Detailed Usage Notes

• Often preceded by the greeting Malipayong or Happy.
• Hyphen is standard; writing it as one word (adlawnatawhan) is non-standard.
• Can shorten in speech to birthday (English loan) but pure Cebuano prefers adlaw-natawhan.
• Verb phrases: mag-selebrar sa adlaw-natawhan, mangimbitar para sa adlaw-natawhan.

6 Common Mistakes to Watch For

1. Dropping the hyphen (adlaw natawhan or adlawnatawhan).
2. Using English plural birthdays instead of mga adlaw-natawhan when really needed.
3. Saying malipayong adlaw alone—needs the full compound for clarity.

7 Frequently Used Conversational Phrases

1. Ganahan ka mag-party sa imong adlaw-natawhan? – Do you want to have a party on your birthday?
2. Unsa’y imong plano sa adlaw-natawhan? – What are your plans for your birthday?
3. Nalipay ka ba sa imong mga regalo sa adlaw-natawhan? – Were you happy with your birthday gifts?
4. Ayaw kalimti ang adlaw-natawhan ni Mama ugma. – Don’t forget Mom’s birthday tomorrow.
5. Mag-blow ka na sa kandila kay adlaw-natawhan nimo karon! – Blow the candles because it’s your birthday today!

8 Conversation Exchanges

1. A: Kanus-a diay imong adlaw-natawhan?
   B: Sa ika-25 sa Enero. A: When is your birthday?
   B: On the twenty-fifth of January.
2. A: Mag-handog ba kag libre sa imong adlaw-natawhan?
   B: Oo, manglibre ko’g ice cream. A: Will you treat us on your birthday?
   B: Yes, I’ll treat you to ice cream.
3. A: Unsay tema sa party sa iyang adlaw-natawhan?
   B: Anime theme daw, ingon sa iya. A: What’s the theme of her birthday party?
   B: She said it’s anime-themed.
4. A: Daghan bang bisita sa adlaw-natawhan ni Lola?
   B: Daghan gyud, halus tibuok barangay. A: Are there many guests at Grandma’s birthday?
   B: Very many—almost the whole neighborhood.
5. A: Gi-unsa nimo pag-selebrar sa imong adlaw-natawhan niadtong mi-aging tuig?
   B: Simple ra—nag-hiking ra mi sa bukid. A: How did you celebrate your birthday last year?
   B: Just simple—we went hiking in the mountains.

9 Multiple-Choice Questions Using adlaw-natawhan

Q1. Unsa’y nahitabo sa imong adlaw-natawhan kagahapon?
A. Nahuman na ang akong adlaw-natawhan kagahapon.
B. Adlaw-natawhan kagahapon nahuman na ang akong.
C. Ang nahitabo adlaw-natawhan akong kagahapon nahuman na.

Q2. Asa ka mag-selebrar sa imong adlaw-natawhan karong Sabado?
A. Mag-selebrar ko sa akong adlaw-natawhan sa baybayon.
B. Baybayon mag-selebrar ko sa akong adlaw-natawhan sa.
C. Sa baybayon ko mag-selebrar adlaw-natawhan sa akong.

Q3. Giunsa nimo pag-andam ang keyk sa adlaw-natawhan?
A. Giunsa nimo ang pag-andam sa keyk sa adlaw-natawhan?
B. Keyk giunsa pag-andam nimo sa adlaw-natawhan?
C. Pag-andam giunsa nimo keyk sa adlaw-natawhan ang?

Q4. Pila ka kandila ang ibutang sa usa ka adlaw-natawhan sa bata nga lima ka tuig?
A. Pila ka kandila ang ibutang sa usa ka adlaw-natawhan sa bata nga lima ka tuig?
B. Ang ibutang pila ka kandila usa ka adlaw-natawhan sa bata nga lima ka tuig?
C. Usa ka adlaw-natawhan sa bata pila ka kandila ang ibutang nga lima ka tuig?

Q5. Ganahan ka og sorpresa sa imong adlaw-natawhan?
A. Ganahan ka og sorpresa sa imong adlaw-natawhan.
B. Og sorpresa ka ganahan sa imong adlaw-natawhan.
C. Ka ganahan og adlaw-natawhan sa imong sorpresa.

Answer Key and Explanations

Q1 – correct answer: A

• Correct order: verb phrase Nahuman na (“already finished”) followed by subject ang akong adlaw-natawhan then time kagahapon.
• In B and C the verb, subject, and time are jumbled, producing an awkward sentence.

Q2 – correct answer: A

• Standard sequence: verb clause Mag-selebrar ko → place phrase (sa baybayon).
• B and C split the verb–subject pair and scatter elements, so the flow sounds unnatural.

Q3 – correct answer: A

• After Giunsa nimo (“How did you”), the verbal-noun phrase ang pag-andam sa keyk sa adlaw-natawhan follows smoothly.
• B and C either drop the article ang or move the object ahead of its marker, breaking Cebuano grammar.

Q4 – correct answer: A

• Cebuano “how many” questions start with Pila ka kandila, then subject ang ibutang, followed by the descriptive phrase.
• B and C invert the order of question word, subject, and descriptor, making them sound odd.

Q5 – correct answer: A

• Predicate Ganahan ka og is directly followed by noun sorpresa plus complement sa imong adlaw-natawhan.
• B and C misplace pronoun ka or scatter modifiers, violating normal modifier-noun order.