hawa

1 Part of speech, core meaning, sentence position, and example sentences

• Part of speech
  • Verb (root): hawa — “to leave, vacate, get out of the way, resign”
  • Common noun (less common): hawa — “vacancy; cleared space”
• Sentence-position rule 
  A conjugated form of hawa normally begins the predicate, followed by any clitic actor-pronoun:

Mo-hawa ko sa opisina alas singko.
I will leave the office at five.

• Example sentences (bullet list; English translation and full part-of-speech breakdown)
  • Mo-hawa ko sa kuwarto, kon gusto nimo makatulog. — I will leave the room if you want to sleep.
    • Mo-hawa – Verb, actor focus, future aspect
    • ko – Personal pronoun, first-person singular clitic (actor)
    • sa – Locative-marker particle
    • kuwarto – Common noun (location)
    • kon – Subordinating conjunction “if”
    • gusto – Verb functioning as adjective “want”
    • nimo – Personal pronoun, second-person singular genitive (experiencer)
    • makatulog – Verb in infinitive form “to sleep”
  • Nag-hawa sila sa dalan kay naay ambulansya. — They are clearing the road because an ambulance is coming.
    • Nag-hawa – Verb, actor focus, progressive aspect
    • sila – Personal pronoun, third-person plural (actor)
    • sa – Locative-marker particle
    • dalan – Common noun (location)
    • kay – Subordinating conjunction “because”
    • naay – Existential verb “there is”
    • ambulansya – Common noun (subject of existential clause)
  • Gi-hawa sa kumpanya ang empleyado tungod sa paglapas sa polisiya. — The employee was dismissed by the company for violating policy.
    • Gi-hawa – Verb, patient focus, past aspect
    • sa – Genitive/agent marker (institution)
    • kumpanya – Common noun (actor)
    • ang – Subject-marker particle
    • empleyado – Common noun (patient)
    • tungod – Preposition “because of”
    • sa – Locative-marker particle
    • paglapas – Verbal noun “violation”
    • sa – Linker particle
    • polisiya – Common noun

2 Principal verb derivations and where they appear in a clause

3 Common phrases

• hawa sa dalan — clear the road
• mo-hawa sa trabaho — resign from work
• haw-on ang lamesa — clear the table
• nag-hawa ang mga tawo — people are moving aside
• gi-hawa sa pulis — evicted/removed by the police

4 Detailed usage notes

• Primary senses – hawa covers (a) voluntarily leaving a place, (b) moving aside to give way, and (c) forcing someone out (patient focus).
• Actor-focus vs. patient-focus – Use actor-focus (mo-hawa, nag-hawa) when the leaver is important; use patient-focus (gi-hawa, haw-on) when highlighting what or who is being removed.
• Locative focus – haw-an (imperatives haw-a! / haw-i!) targets the place or beneficiary: haw-a ang sala! “Clear the living room!”
• Colloquial register – Hawa! alone is a blunt command meaning “Move!” or “Get out of the way!”
• Alternate meaning – In employment, mo-hawa can mean “to resign / quit.”

5 Common mistakes and key points to watch out for

6 Five short everyday conversations

1. A: Unsa oras ka mo-hawa sa opisina? — What time will you leave the office?
   B: Mo-hawa ko alas sais. — I’ll leave at six o’clock.
2. A: Nag-hawa ba na sila sa dalan? — Are they moving off the road?
   B: Oo, kay muagi ang bombero. — Yes, because the fire truck will pass.
3. A: Haw-i ko palihog sa lingkuranan. — Please clear a seat for me.
   B: Sige, ako ning haw-on karon. — Sure, I’ll clear it now.
4. A: Nganong ni-hawa ka sa imong trabaho? — Why did you quit your job?
   B: Mas gusto ko mag-negosyo. — I prefer to run a business.
5. A: Makaya ba nato nga haw-on ang kwarto sa usa ka oras? — Can we clear the room in an hour?
   B: Oo, kung magtinabangay ta. — Yes, if we work together.