barato

1 Part of speech, core meaning, usage, and example sentences

• Part of speech: adjective
• Core meaning: “cheap,” “inexpensive,” “affordable,” sometimes “low-quality” if context suggests.

Examples

1. Barato ra ang pamililhón sa tabo. – The vegetables at the farmers’ market are cheap.
2. Barato kaayo ang pamasahe kung walay surge. – The fare is very inexpensive when there’s no surge.
3. Barato pero lig-on ang iyang sapatos. – His shoes are cheap yet sturdy.
4. Nangita sila og barato nga pabrika para sa proyekto. – They’re looking for an affordable supplier for the project.

2 Linkers and derivational patterns

• Linkers
  • -ng before a consonant → barato-ng tiket – cheap ticket.
  • nga before a vowel / clarity → barato nga hotel – inexpensive hotel.
• Degree & intensity
  • mas barato – cheaper.
  • pinakabarato – cheapest.
  • barato-barato – rather cheap.
  • barato kaayo / barato gyud – very cheap / dirt-cheap.
• Exclamation & abstract noun
  • Kabarato oy! – How cheap!
  • kabaratohon – cheapness, affordability.
  • pagkabarato – the state of being cheap.
• Verb-like relatives
  • mubarato / nibarato / nagbarato – to get cheaper.
  • pabarata! / pabaraton – make something cheaper, ask for a discount.

3 Where to place it in a sentence

1. Predicate: Ang cellphone barato. – The cellphone is cheap.
2. Modifier: barato-ng cellphone.
3. Complement after emphasis: Mao ni ang barato nga solusyon. – This is the inexpensive solution.

4 Common collocations

• barato nga presyo – low price
• barato nga balay – affordable house
• barato nga pamasahe – cheap fare
• barato nga tindahan – discount shop
• barato-barato nga opsyon – fairly cheap option

5 How it’s used in detail

“Barato” highlights low monetary cost. It can be positive (“good bargain”) or negative (“cheaply made”) depending on tone. Attach a linker when it precedes a noun; omit the linker when it serves as predicate. Comparative (mas barato) and superlative (pinakabarato) follow regular Cebuano patterns. Reduplication (barato-barato) tempers the judgment to “somewhat cheap.” The verb form nibarato commonly refers to prices dropping.

6 Frequent mistakes

• Linker omission: ✗ barato ticket → ✓ barato-ng ticket.
• Placing mas after the adjective: ✗ barato mas → ✓ mas barato.
• Separating pinaka from root: ✗ pinaka barato → ✓ pinakabarato.
• **Using barato to mean “sale” (correct term is baligya or discount).
• Dropping the hyphen in reduplication: ✗ baratobarato → ✓ barato-barato.

7 Five handy conversational phrases

1. Kabarato sa ukay-ukay, sulit kaayo! – The thrift-shop prices are so cheap, really worth it!
2. Mas barato kon mag-advance booking ka. – It’s cheaper if you book in advance.
3. Pinakabarato gyud ni nga flight nga akong nakit-an. – This is absolutely the cheapest flight I’ve found.
4. Barato-barato ra ang snack, pero lami. – The snack is fairly cheap, yet tasty.
5. Nibarato ang prutas human sa tibo-ok adlaw nga ulan. – Fruit got cheaper after a whole day of rain.

8 Five mini-dialogues

1. Q: Barato ba ang hotel sa Cebu? – Is the hotel in Cebu cheap?
   A: Oo, barato kaayo kung off-season. – Yes, very cheap in the off-season.
2. Q: Ngano mas barato man ning brand sa gatas? – Why is this milk brand cheaper?
   A: Mas barato kay local ra ang production. – Cheaper because it’s locally produced.
3. Q: Asa ang pinakabarato nga karenderia sa silingan? – Which eatery in the neighborhood is the cheapest?
   A: Si “Nanay’s” ang pinakabarato, tag-₱60 ra ang sud-an. – “Nanay’s” is the cheapest; dishes are only ₱60.
4. Q: Barato-barato na ba ang gasolina karon? – Is fuel somewhat cheaper now?
   A: Oo, nibarato gamay human sa rollback. – Yes, it dropped a bit after the rollback.
5. Q: Unsaon nato pagpabarato sa budget? – How do we make the budget cheaper?
   A: Ipili ta ug mas simple nga materyales. – Let’s choose simpler materials.

9 Multiple-choice dialogue questions

Q1. Barato ba ang imong sapatos?
A. Sapatos barato kaayo ang akong.
B. Barato kaayo ang akong sapatos.
C. Barato sapatos kaayo ang akong.

Q2. Asa ang mas barato, ang kape o ang tsaa?
A. Mas barato ang kape kaysa tsaa.
B. Kape kaysa tsaa ang mas barato.
C. Mas barato kaysa kape ang tsaa.

Q3. Pinakabarato ba kini nga ticket sa linya?
A. Kini pinakabarato ticket sa linya.
B. Ticket kini pinakabarato sa linya.
C. Pinakabarato kini nga ticket sa linya.

Q4. Ngano barato ra imong suhol?
A. Barato ra akong suhol kay promo rate.
B. Suhol barato ra akong kay promo rate.
C. Promo rate suhol barato ra ako kay.

Q5. Kinsa’y naay barato-barato nga plano para sa date?
A. Si Roy naay barato-barato nga plano.
B. Naay si Roy barato-barato plano.
C. Plano barato-barato naay si Roy.

Answer key & quick explanations

• Q1 – B → Predicate barato kaayo + subject; A & C scramble article order.
• Q2 – A → Correct comparative “Mas barato ang X kaysa Y.” B & C invert elements.
• Q3 – C → Pinakabarato directly before kini with linker; A & B mis-order demonstrative/noun.
• Q4 – A → Predicate then reason clause; B & C jumble sentence parts.
• Q5 – A → Proper “naay + subject + description.” B & C break this pattern.