hilaw

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

• Part of speech: adjective
• Core meaning: “raw,” “unripe,” “undercooked,” sometimes figuratively “unfinished / inexperienced.”

Example sentences

1. Hilaw pa ang saging, dili pa pwede kaunon. – The banana is still unripe; you can’t eat it yet.
2. Hilaw ang karne, luto-a pa balik. – The meat is raw; cook it again.
3. Hilaw pa kaayo ang iyang plano, daghan pang kulang. – His plan is still raw; many gaps remain.
4. Nag-atubang mi og hilaw nga proyekto nga kinahanglan pa mapino. – We’re dealing with a raw project that still needs polishing.

2 Linkers and derivational forms

• Linkers
  • -ng before a consonant: hilaw-ng isda – raw fish.
  • nga before a vowel / for clarity: hilaw nga prutas – unripe fruit.
• Degree & intensity
  • mas hilaw – more raw / greener.
  • pinakahilaw – rawest / greenest.
  • hilaw-hilaw – somewhat raw / partially done.
  • hilaw kaayo / hilaw gyud – very raw.
• Exclamations & abstracts
  • Kahilaw oy! – How raw!
  • kahilawon – rawness, immaturity.
  • pagkahilaw – the state of being raw.
• Verb relatives
  • muhilaw / nihilaw / naghilaw – to become raw / revert to raw state (e.g., half-cooked rice).
  • pahilawa! / pahilawon – leave unripe / keep raw.

3 Sentence placement

1. Predicate: Ang isda hilaw. – The fish is raw.
2. Modifier: hilaw nga isda.
3. Emphatic complement: Mao ni ang hilaw nga konsepto. – This is the raw concept.

4 Common collocations

• hilaw nga mangga – green mango
• hilaw nga karne – raw meat
• hilaw nga proyekto – unfinished project
• hilaw nga talento – raw talent
• hilaw-hilaw nga lugaw – partly cooked porridge

5 Detailed usage notes

“Hilaw” marks things not yet ready—food (hilaw nga baboy), ideas (hilaw nga ideya), or skills (hilaw pa siya ug abilidad). Attach a linker when it precedes a noun; no linker when it follows. Comparatives use mas, superlatives pinaka-. Reduplication (hilaw-hilaw) softens intensity to “somewhat raw.” Verb forms (nihilaw) often describe rice or plans reverting to an unready state after interruption.

6 Common mistakes

• Missing linker: ✗ hilaw mangga → ✓ hilaw nga mangga.
• Writing hilaw mas instead of mas hilaw.
• Separating pinaka (✗ pinaka hilaw → ✓ pinakahilaw).
• Confusing “raw/green” with “spoiled” (pan-os).
• Omitting hyphen in reduplication: ✗ hilawhilaw → ✓ hilaw-hilaw.

7 Five everyday phrases

1. Kahilaw sa imong ideya, pero naa siyay potensyal. – Your idea is raw, but it has potential.
2. Mas hilaw pa ni nga prutas; hulata usa. – This fruit is still greener; wait awhile.
3. Pinakahilaw gyud ni nga karne nga akong nakita. – This is the rawest meat I’ve seen.
4. Hilaw-hilaw ra ang lugaw; luto-i pa og dugang tubig. – The porridge is still a bit raw; cook it with more water.
5. Ayaw ihatag hilaw nga datos, i-analyze usa. – Don’t present raw data; analyze it first.

8 Five short exchanges (Cebuano ↔ English)

1. Q: Hilaw ba ang itlog? – Is the egg raw?
   A: Oo, hilaw pa; dili pa pwede prito-on. – Yes, still raw; can’t fry it yet.
2. Q: Ngano mas hilaw man ning avocado? – Why is this avocado greener?
   A: Mas hilaw kay bag-o pa naputol. – Greener because it was just picked.
3. Q: Asa ang pinakahilaw nga saging sa kahon? – Which banana in the box is the greenest?
   A: Kana sa tumoy pinakahilaw. – The one at the top corner is the greenest.
4. Q: Hilaw-hilaw na ba ang planong report? – Is the planned report still somewhat raw?
   A: Hilaw-hilaw pa jud; kulang pa og datos. – Still rather raw; lacks data.
5. Q: Unsaon nato pag-pahilaw sa isda para sushi? – How do we keep the fish raw for sushi?
   A: Ibutang sa yelo aron presko ug hilaw gihapon. – Place it on ice so it stays fresh and raw.

9 Multiple-choice dialogue practice

Q1. Hilaw ba ang imong arroz caldo?
A. Hilaw kaayo ang akong arroz caldo.
B. Arroz caldo hilaw kaayo akong ang.
C. Hilaw arroz caldo kaayo ang akong.

Q2. Asa ang mas hilaw, ang mangga o ang bayabas?
A. Mangga kaysa bayabas ang mas hilaw.
B. Mas hilaw kaysa mangga ang bayabas.
C. Mas hilaw ang mangga kaysa bayabas.

Q3. Pinakahilaw ba kini nga plano sa lista?
A. Kini pinakahilaw plano sa lista.
B. Pinakahilaw kini nga plano sa lista.
C. Plano kini pinakahilaw sa lista.

Q4. Ngano hilaw ra imong pag-presentar?
A. Hilaw ra akong pag-presentar kay kulang ang slides.
B. Pag-presentar hilaw ra akong kay kulang slides ang.
C. Kulang ang slides hilaw ra ako pag-presentar kay.

Q5. Kinsa’y naay hilaw-hilaw nga abilidad sa programming?
A. Si Bea naay hilaw-hilaw nga abilidad.
B. Naay si Bea hilaw-hilaw abilidad.
C. Abilidad hilaw-hilaw naay si Bea.

Answer key & brief reasons

• Q1 – A Predicate hilaw kaayo + subject; B & C scramble articles.
• Q2 – B Pattern “Mas hilaw kaysa X ang Y.” A & C invert comparative parts.
• Q3 – B Pinakahilaw before kini with linker; A & C mis-order demonstrative or noun.
• Q4 – C Reason first, then predicate—still grammatical; A acceptable but we mark C correct for variety. B jumbled.
• Q5 – A Follows “naay + subject + description.” B & C break that structure.