cero

▸ 1. Part-of-Speech & Meaning

• Part of speech: numeral / interjection
• Meaning: “zero (0)” – the Spanish-derived form used in Cebuano, spelled cero (sometimes heard as sero).

Cero ang score sa duha ka team sa pagsugod.
→ The score of both teams was zero at the start.

Pila iyang utang? Cero na—nahuman na niya bayad tanan.
→ How much does he owe? Zero now—he has paid everything.

Kung mag-divide ka og numero sa cero, dili pwede.
→ You cannot divide a number by zero.

▸ 2. Cebuano or Spanish?

• Spanish-based numeral: cero
• Native Cebuano word for “zero”:wala (literally “nothing”)
  • usa, duha, … wala is rare; speakers use cero/sero for counting.

▸ 3. When Native vs Spanish Form Is Used

Example:

• Scoreboard: dos – cero
• Empty list: Wala ko’y reklamo. (“I have zero/nothing to complain about.”)

▸ 4. How the Word Is Used

1. Cardinal value: count “0” in numbers (e.g., cero, uno, dos, tres).
2. Answering totals: “Cero ang bayad.”
3. Code reading: phone digits sais-cero-nuebe (609).

▸ 5. Five Common Pitfalls

1. Spelling it sero in formal writing (acceptable in casual chat, but cero is standard).
2. Forgetting Spanish pronunciation /ˈse-ro/ → saying /ke-ro/.
3. Using cero when the sense is “none” (should be wala).
4. Writing an extra ka (✗ cero ka tawo).
5. Mixing native and Spanish numerals in one figure (✗ usa-cero-tres → keep one system).

▸ 6. Common Collocations

• cero og ______ (“zero and …” e.g., cero og usa)
• dos-cero (2-0, sports)
• punto cero (“point zero,” decimals)
• cero balance (loan or bill fully paid)

▸ 7. Things to Watch Out For

• Plural marker: never add mga before cero.
• Counting down: say tres, dos, uno, cero—not tres, duha, usa, wala.
• Pronunciation: Cebuano tongue often softens to “sero,” but spelling exam expects c.

▸ 8. Handy Phrases

1. Cero ang bayad, libre ni. — “The fee is zero; this is free.”
2. Cero pa gihapon ang puntos? — “Is the score still zero?”
3. Na-cero mi sa dula. — “We were held scoreless in the game.”
4. Cero ko’y plano mouli karon. — “I have zero plans to go home now.”
5. Ayaw kahadlok sa sayop; tanan magsugod sa cero. — “Don’t fear mistakes; everyone starts from zero.”

▸ 9. Five Mini-Dialogues

1
Q: Tag-pila na ang balance? Cero na?
A: Oo, cero na gyud.
EN: “How much is the remaining balance—zero?” “Yes, it’s truly zero.”

2
Q: Cero ba gihapon ang temperatura?
A: Medyo taas na, duha grados na.
EN: “Is the temperature still zero?” “It’s a bit higher now, two degrees.”

3
Q: Ni-score ba sila?
A: Wala, cero-cero hangtod sa katapusan.
EN: “Did they score?” “No, it was 0-0 until the end.”

4
Q: Unsa’y posibilidad nga madaog ta?
A: Cero kung dili ta maningkamot.
EN: “What’s our chance of winning?” “Zero if we don’t work hard.”

5
Q: Pwede ko mangayo og kopya?
A: Cero problema, ihatag nako karon.
EN: “Can I ask for a copy?” “Zero problem, I’ll give it now.”

▸ 10. Multiple-Choice Dialogue Questions

Q1. Cero ba ang imong grado sa quiz?
A. Cero ang grado nako sa quiz.
B. Ang grado cero nako sa quiz.
C. Sa quiz cero ang grado nako.

Q2. Cero ba ka og utang karon?
A. Utang cero ko karon.
B. Cero ko og utang karon.
C. Karon cero utang ko.

Q3. Cero ba ang score sa first half?
A. Score cero ang sa first half.
B. Sa first half score cero.
C. Cero ang score sa first half.

Q4. Cero ba ta’y pundo para ani?
A. Ta pundo cero para ani.
B. Cero ta’y pundo para ani.
C. Pundo ta cero para ani.

Q5. Cero ba sila ka reklamo?
A. Cero sila ka reklamo.
B. Sila cero ka reklamo.
C. Ka reklamo cero sila.

▸ Answer Key

• Q1 – A Subject + verb ang grado follows cero naturally. Others jumble order.
• Q2 – B Cero ko og utang is the idiomatic structure (“I have zero debt”).
• Q3 – C Standard “cero ang score” with place phrase last; A/B misplace subject.
• Q4 – B Cero ta’y pundo (“we have zero funds”) keeps numeral before object.
• Q5 – A Cero sila ka reklamo pattern: numeral phrase then subject + classifier.