adlaw-natawhan

Cebuano word: “adlaw-natawhan”
(often written adlawng natawhan; literally “day-of-birth” → “birthday”)

1 Part of speech, meaning, and example sentences

• Part of speech: noun phrase (temporal event)
• Meaning: birthday – the yearly anniversary of a person’s birth

Example sentences

1. Malipayong adlaw-natawhan, Ana! – “Happy birthday, Ana!”
2. Gisaulog namo ang iyang adlaw-natawhan sa balay. – “We celebrated her birthday at home.”
3. Nag-hatag ko og regalo para sa akong igsoon sa iyang adlaw-natawhan. – “I gave my sibling a gift on his birthday.”

2 Tips when learning Cebuano time-and-date vocabulary

• Cebuano uses many compound phrases (adlaw-natawhan, adlaw-panumduman) formed with adlaw “day.”
• Possessive linker “-ng/-’ng” is common: adlawng natawhan (birthday), adlaw’ng inahan (Mother’s Day).
• Dates follow day–month–year order in writing: 21 Abril 2025.
• Ordinal markers (ika-) are rare with birthdays; use sa akong ika-tulo nga adlaw-natawhan only in formal speech.
• When giving the weekday, place it first: Domingo, Abril 21 – akong adlaw-natawhan.

3 Common collocations

• malipayong adlaw-natawhan – happy birthday
• sa imong adlaw-natawhan – on your birthday
• gasa sa adlaw-natawhan – birthday gift
• party sa adlaw-natawhan – birthday party
• handumanan sa adlaw-natawhan – birthday memory

4 Typical position in a sentence

• Object position (most usual): Giplano na namo ang iyang adlaw-natawhan.
• After possessive pronoun: Ang akong adlaw-natawhan kay sa Abril.
• As topic (sentence-initial): Adlaw-natawhan ni Juan karon, mao nga mag-kombi tayo.

5 Five useful conversational phrases

• Kanus-a ang imong adlaw-natawhan? – “When is your birthday?”
• Unsay imong buhaton sa imong adlaw-natawhan? – “What will you do on your birthday?”
• Malipayong adlaw-natawhan! – “Happy birthday!”
• Naa kay plano para sa adlaw-natawhan sa imong anak? – “Do you have plans for your child’s birthday?”
• Mag-kita ta sa imong adlaw-natawhan ha. – “Let’s meet on your birthday, okay?”

6 Five short dialogue exchanges

1. A: Kanus-a diay imong adlaw-natawhan?
   B: Sa Mayo 15 akong adlaw-natawhan.
   – “A: By the way, when is your birthday? B: My birthday is on May 15.”
2. A: Mag-party ba ka sa imong adlaw-natawhan?
   B: Oo, simple lang nga party ra sa balay.
   – “A: Will you have a party on your birthday? B: Yes, just a simple one at home.”
3. A: Unsa imong gusto nga regalo sa imong adlaw-natawhan?
   B: Libro unta, kay ganahan ko mobasa.
   – “A: What present would you like for your birthday? B: A book, because I like reading.”
4. A: Kinsa’y imong gi-imbitar sa imong adlaw-natawhan?
   B: Akong suod nga mga higala ra.
   – “A: Whom did you invite to your birthday? B: Just my close friends.”
5. A: Giunsa nimo pagsaulog sa imong adlaw-natawhan niadtong miaging tuig?
   B: Nag-trek mi sa bukid ug unya nag-ihaw kami og manok.
   – “A: How did you celebrate your birthday last year? B: We went trekking in the mountains and then grilled chicken.”

7 Multiple-choice dialogue questions

(Each question is interrogative; every answer choice contains adlaw-natawhan. One choice per item is correctly ordered.)

Q1. Kanus-a nimo gisaulog ang imong adlaw-natawhan?
A. Gisaulog nimo kanus-a ang imong adlaw-natawhan?
B. Gisaulog nako ang akong adlaw-natawhan karong Sabado.
C. Ang akong karong Sabado gisaulog adlaw-natawhan nako.

Q2. Asa ka mag-party sa imong adlaw-natawhan?
A. Mag-party ko sa balay sa akong adlaw-natawhan.
B. Sa balay mag-party sa akong adlaw-natawhan ko.
C. Adlaw-natawhan sa balay mag-party ko sa akong.

Q3. Kinsa imong gi-imbitar sa imong adlaw-natawhan?
A. Gi-imbitar nako akong pamilya sa akong adlaw-natawhan.
B. Akong pamilya gi-imbitar sa akong adlaw-natawhan nako.
C. Sa akong adlaw-natawhan gi-imbitar nako pamilya akong.

Q4. Unsa imong nadawat sa imong adlaw-natawhan?
A. Nadawat sa akong adlaw-natawhan nako usa ka relo.
B. Usa ka relo ang nadawat nako sa akong adlaw-natawhan.
C. Nadawat usa ka relo sa akong adlaw-natawhan nako.

Q5. Ganahan ba ka mobiyahe sa adlaw-natawhan sa imong anak?
A. Ganahan ka mobiyahe sa adlaw-natawhan ba sa imong anak?
B. Dili, gusto ra ko mag-puyo sa balay sa adlaw-natawhan sa akong anak.
C. Sa balay gusto ra ko mag-puyo sa adlaw-natawhan anak sa akong.

Answer key (with simple explanations)

• Q1 – B: Correct word order = Verb + subject + object + time detail; choices A/C scramble elements.
• Q2 – A: Natural order = Verb + actor + place + time phrase; B/C misplace actor or time.
• Q3 – A: Verb (g-i-imbitar) + actor + object + time phrase; others separate actor from verb.
• Q4 – B: Object-focused sentence: object first for emphasis, followed by verb phrase, actor, and time.
• Q5 – B: Predicate gusto ra ko → place phrase → time phrase; A/C break basic subject–predicate linking.