Cebuano word: “adlaw-pista”
(also written adlaw sa pista; literally “festival-day,” meaning the specific day a fiesta is celebrated)
1 Part of speech, meaning, and example sentences
- Part of speech: noun phrase (temporal event)
- Meaning:festival day / fiesta day — the exact calendar day on which a town or barangay holds its annual religious-civic celebration.
Example sentences
- Malipayong adlaw-pista sa tanan! – “Happy festival day to everyone!”
- Magsugod ang parada sa adlaw-pista alas siyete sa buntag. – “The parade on the festival day starts at seven in the morning.”
- Daghan mi’g bisita niadtong adlaw-pista sa among baryo. – “We had many visitors on our village’s festival day.”
2 Learning tips for day- and time-related vocabulary
- Compound with “adlaw” (“day”): Cebuano marks special dates by attaching adlaw- to an event (adlaw-natawhan, adlaw-pista).
- Preposition pattern: Formal notices often use adlaw sa pista; the hyphenated form is common in speech.
- Date placement: When you add the actual date, put it after the phrase: adlaw-pista karong 29 Hunyo.
- Weekday reference: If the fiesta falls on a Sunday, state it first: Domingo, adlaw-pista sa lungsod.
- Verb partners: Typical verbs are saulog (celebrate), pahigayon (hold), tambong (attend), plano (plan).
3 Common collocations
- malipayong adlaw-pista – happy festival day
- adlaw-pista sa barangay – the barangay’s fiesta day
- pag-saulog sa adlaw-pista – celebration of the festival day
- mga aktibidad sa adlaw-pista – festival-day activities
- bisita sa adlaw-pista – guests on festival day
4 Typical sentence position
- Subject: Ang adlaw-pista makadani ug turista.
- Object (very common): Giplano na nila ang adlaw-pista sa plaza.
- Prepositional phrase: Mitambong sila sa adlaw-pista kagahapon.
5 Five useful conversational phrases
- Kanus-a ang inyong adlaw-pista? – “When is your festival day?”
- Magkita ta sa plaza sa adlaw-pista. – “Let’s meet at the plaza on the festival day.”
- Daghan ba mong bisita karong adlaw-pista? – “Will you have many visitors this festival day?”
- Naa bay parada sa adlaw-pista karong tuiga? – “Is there a parade on this year’s festival day?”
- Malipayong adlaw-pista, amigo! – “Happy fiesta day, my friend!”
6 Five short dialogue exchanges (Cebuano → English)
- A: Unsa’y imong paboritong kalihokan sa adlaw-pista?
B: Ang sayaw sa kadalanan gyud.
– “A: What is your favorite activity on the festival day? B: Definitely the street dancing.” - A: Moadto ka ba sa misa sa adlaw-pista?
B: Oo, alas singko sa ka-adlawon magsugod ang misa.
– “A: Will you attend the mass on festival day? B: Yes, the mass starts at 5 a.m.” - A: Kinsa’y imong kuyog sa adlaw-pista karong tuiga?
B: Akong pamilya ug usa ka higala gikan sa Cebu.
– “A: Who will accompany you this year on festival day? B: My family and a friend from Cebu.” - A: Giunsa nimo pagsaulog sa adlaw-pista sa miaging tuig?
B: Nag-luto mi’g lechón ug nag-kanta sa karaoke.
– “A: How did you celebrate last year’s festival day? B: We roasted lechón and sang karaoke.” - A: Mag-display ba sila og fireworks sa adlaw-pista?
B: Oo, sa gabii pa-pusil sila og daghang pyrotechnics.
– “A: Will they display fireworks on festival day? B: Yes, they’ll launch many fireworks at night.”
7 Multiple-choice dialogue questions
Q1. Kanus-a magsugod ang adlaw-pista?
A. Magsugod karong Domingo ang adlaw-pista.
B. Ang adlaw-pista magsugod karong Domingo.
C. Karong Domingo magsugod adlaw-pista ang.
Q2. Asa ipahigayon ninyo ang adlaw-pista?
A. Sa plaza ipahigayon namo ang adlaw-pista.
B. Ipahigayon namo sa plaza ang adlaw-pista.
C. Adlaw-pista sa plaza ipahigayon namo ang.
Q3. Kinsa ang nag-organisa sa adlaw-pista?
A. Barangay council ang nag-organisa sa adlaw-pista.
B. Ang nag-organisa barangay council adlaw-pista sa.
C. Nag-organisa ang adlaw-pista barangay council.
Q4. Unsa’y imong gi-andam para sa adlaw-pista?
A. Gi-andam ko puto ug bibingka para sa adlaw-pista.
B. Ko gi-andam para sa adlaw-pista puto ug bibingka.
C. Para sa adlaw-pista puto ug bibingka gi-andam ko.
Q5. Ganahan ba sila motambong sa adlaw-pista?
A. Sila ganahan motambong sa adlaw-pista.
B. Motambong sila ganahan sa adlaw-pista.
C. Ganahan sila motambong sa adlaw-pista.
Answer key
- Q1 → A – Verb magsugod → time adverb → subject.
- Q2 → B – Verb + actor + place + object is the standard neutral order.
- Q3 → A – Subject (Barangay council) follows focus marker; object sa adlaw-pista ends the clause.
- Q4 → C – Prepositional phrase may front the clause; verb phrase follows; actor last.
- Q5 → C – Predicate Ganahan + subject + infinitive verb + object gives a natural declarative sentence.