gwapa

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

Part of speech: adjective
Core meaning: “beautiful,” “pretty,” “attractive” (generally for women; masculine counterpart is gwapo).

Example sentences

• Gwapa kaayo siya sa pula nga bistida. – She is very beautiful in a red dress.
• Gwapa ang tan-aw sa bukid sa buntag. – The mountain looks pretty in the morning.
• Nakita nako ang gwapang artista sa sinehan. – I saw the beautiful actress at the cinema.
• Kung gwapa ang presentasyon, dali madani ang audience. – If the presentation is attractive, the audience is easily engaged.

2. Linking endings and derivational forms

• Linkers
  • -ng before a consonant → gwapang : gwapang iyang nawong – her pretty face.
  • nga before a vowel / for clarity → gwapa nga amiga – beautiful friend.
• Degree and intensity
  • mas gwapa – prettier.
  • pinakagwapa – prettiest.
  • gwapa-gwapa – rather pretty.
  • gwapa kaayo / gwapa gyud – very pretty / truly beautiful.
• Exclamatory & abstract nouns
  • Kagwapa nimo! – How pretty you are!
  • kagwapahan – beauty, prettiness.
  • pagkagwapa – the state of being beautiful.
• Progressive notion
  • nag-ka-gwapa – becoming prettier (Nag-ka-gwapa siya samtang nag-edad. – She gets prettier with age.)

3. Where to place it in a sentence

1. Predicate adjective: Ang babaye gwapa. – The woman is beautiful.
2. Modifier with linker: gwapa-ng babaye – beautiful woman.
3. Complement after emphasis: Mao ni ang gwapa nga disenyo. – This is the beautiful design.

4. Common collocations

• gwapa nga babaye – beautiful woman
• gwapa nga ngisi – lovely smile
• gwapa nga tan-aw – pretty view
• gwapa nga tingog – pleasant voice
• gwapa nga sinina – nice dress

5. Detailed usage notes

“Gwapa” praises female appearance or anything perceived as visually pleasing (gwapa nga layout). Attach a linker when it directly precedes a noun; omit it when it follows the noun as predicate. Comparative and superlative use mas / pinaka-. Reduplication (gwapa-gwapa) softens praise to “fairly pretty.” While gwapa is feminine, it is sometimes used informally for objects or neutral contexts. Avoid using it for males in formal speech; use gwapo instead.

6. Common mistakes to watch for

• Missing linker: ✗ gwapa babaye → ✓ gwapa-ng babaye.
• Placing mas after the adjective: ✗ gwapa mas → ✓ mas gwapa.
• Separating pinaka from root: ✗ pinaka gwapa → ✓ pinakagwapa.
• **Using Spanish spelling “guapa” in Cebuano orthography—write gwapa.
• *Confusing with gwapaha (imperative “make pretty”); gwapa is an adjective.

7. Five everyday conversational phrases

1. Gwapa kaayo imong ideya, ipadayon na. – Your idea is excellent; go ahead.
2. Mas gwapa kung i-simplify nimo ang slides. – It’s prettier if you simplify the slides.
3. Pinakagwapa gyud ni nga lugar sa siyudad. – This is truly the prettiest spot in the city.
4. Gwapa-gwapa ra ang resulta; pwede pa nato ayuhon. – The result is fairly good; we can still improve it.
5. Kagwapa sa imong tingog, paminaw kaayo ko. – Your voice is so lovely; I’m really listening.

8. Five short conversation exchanges

1. Q: Gwapa ba ang bag-ong manager? – Is the new manager pretty?
   A: Oo, gwapa kaayo siya ug abtik pa gyud. – Yes, she’s very pretty and energetic.
2. Q: Ngano mas gwapa man ning layout? – Why is this layout prettier?
   A: Mas gwapa kay limpyo ug hayag ang kolor. – It’s prettier because the colors are clean and bright.
3. Q: Asa ang pinakagwapa nga baybayon sa lalawigan? – Where is the prettiest beach in the province?
   A: Ang pinakagwapa naa sa habagatan, puti kaayo ang balas. – The prettiest is in the south; the sand is very white.
4. Q: Gwapa-gwapa na ba ang performance sa team? – Is the team’s performance quite good now?
   A: Oo, taas na ang score kumpara sauna. – Yes, the score is higher than before.
5. Q: Unsaon nato pag-gwapa sa venue? – How will we beautify the venue?
   A: Ibutang nato mga bulak ug suga sa palibot. – Let’s put flowers and lights around.

9. Multiple-choice dialogue questions

Q1. Gwapa ba ang imong igsoon?
A. Oo, gwapa kaayo ang akong igsoon.
B. Oo, igsoon gwapa kaayo akong ang.
C. Oo, gwapa igsoon kaayo ang akong.

Q2. Asa ang mas gwapa, ang disenyo A o disenyo B?
A. Mas gwapa ang disenyo A kaysa disenyo B.
B. Disenyo A kaysa disenyo B ang mas gwapa.
C. Mas gwapa kaysa disenyo A ang disenyo B.

Q3. Pinakagwapa ba kini nga layout sa tanan?
A. Oo, pinakagwapa kini nga layout sa tanan.
B. Oo, kini pinakagwapa layout sa tanan.
C. Oo, layout kini pinakagwapa sa tanan.

Q4. Ngano gwapa ra ka bisan hagbong ka sa tulog?
A. Gwapa ra ko kay nakainom ko’g tubig ug daghan.
B. Ko gwapa ra kay nakainom tubig daghan ko.
C. Nakainom ko tubig gwapa ra ko kay daghan.

Q5. Kinsa’y naay gwapa-gwapa nga ideya para sa proyekto?
A. Si Lara naay gwapa-gwapa nga ideya.
B. Naay si Lara gwapa-gwapa ideya.
C. Ideya gwapa-gwapa naay si Lara.

Answer key with explanations

• Q1 → A is correct. Predicate gwapa kaayo precedes the subject; B and C scramble word order.
• Q2 → A is correct. Pattern: “Mas gwapa ang X kaysa Y.” B and C misplace comparative elements.
• Q3 → A is correct. Pinakagwapa directly precedes kini and the clause flows; B and C mis-order parts.
• Q4 → A is correct. Predicate first, then reason; B and C break subject-predicate sequencing.
• Q5 → A is correct. “Naay + subject + description” is intact; B and C disrupt the structure.