kana

English Explanation of “kana”

1. Part of Speech & Core Meaning
   • Demonstrative (pronoun / determiner).
   • Means “that”—something nearer to the listener or a bit away from the speaker.
2. Contracted Form
   • The contracted form of “kana” is “na”.
3. Sentence Position
   • Determiner (before a noun): kana nga balay = “that house.”
   • Pronoun (after a verb or preposition): Gipalit ko kana = “I bought that.”
4. Common Phrases
   • kana nga adlaw – that day
   • kana nga tuig – that year
   • kana nga lugar – that place
   • Unsa man kana? – What is that?
5. Detailed Usage
   • Determiner + noun: Kana nga libro nindot. (“That book is nice.”)
   • Standalone pronoun: Tagai ko ana, dili kana (“Give me that one, not that.”).
   • With prepositions: Para kana kang Maria. (“That is for Maria.”)
   • Use kana for objects within the listener’s reach or visible but not close to you; use kini for “this,” kadto for “that over there.”
6. Common Mistakes
   • Mixing up kana (near listener) and kadto (far from both).
   • Forgetting nga when it modifies a noun (❌ kana balay → ✅ kana nga balay).
   • Wrong order when used as pronoun (❌ Kana gipalit ko → ✅ Gipalit ko kana).
7. Example Sentences
   1. Kana nga pelikula nindot kaayo.
   2. Gipalit nako kana sa merkado.
   3. Unsa man kana?
8. Parts-of-Speech Breakdown

Questions

Q1. Kana ba ang imong cellphone?
A. Akong cellphone kana ang.
B. Kana ang akong cellphone.
C. Ang kana akong cellphone.

Q2. Asa nato ibutang kana nga kahon?
A. Ibutang nato kana nga kahon sa lamesa.
B. Nato kana nga kahon sa lamesa ibutang.
C. Sa lamesa kana ibutang nato nga kahon.

Q3. Kanus-a nimo bayran kana nga utang?
A. Kana ugma bayran nimo nga utang.
B. Nimo bayran ugma kana nga utang.
C. Bayran nimo kana nga utang ugma.

Q4. Ngano wala pa nimo nahuman kana nga report?
A. Wala pa nako nahuman kana nga report kay bisi ko.
B. Kana nahuman wala pa nako nga report kay bisi ko.
C. Wala pa kana nako nahuman nga report kay bisi ko.

Q5. Kana ba ang atong gamiton karon?
A. Atong kana gamiton karon.
B. Gamiton kana ang karon atong.
C. Kana ang atong gamiton karon.

Answer Key with Explanations

• Q1 – Correct choice: B
 - Why it is correct: Demonstrative “kana” comes first, followed by the marker “ang” and the noun phrase “akong cellphone,” which is the normal Cebuano order.
 - Why A is wrong: Starts with the possessive and strands “kana” at the end; the demonstrative and marker are separated.
 - Why C is wrong: Puts “ang” before “kana,” breaking the usual demonstrative-marker sequence.

• Q2 – Correct choice: A
 - Why it is correct: Verb “Ibutang” + actor “nato” + object “kana nga kahon” + place phrase forms a clear statement.
 - Why B is wrong: Places actor before the verb and leaves the verb last, so the clause feels scrambled.
 - Why C is wrong: Fronts the place phrase and splits “kana” from “kahon,” making the sentence awkward.

• Q3 – Correct choice: C
 - Why it is correct: Verb “Bayran” + actor “nimo” + object “kana nga utang” + time phrase “ugma” is the natural order.
 - Why A is wrong: Begins with “kana” and the time word “ugma,” leaving verb and actor far apart.
 - Why B is wrong: Inserts “ugma” between actor and demonstrative, so the object phrase is broken.

• Q4 – Correct choice: A
 - Why it is correct: Negative marker “Wala pa” + actor “nako” + verb “nahuman” + object “kana nga report” + reason. Everything stays in logical order.
 - Why B is wrong: Moves “kana” ahead of the verb but drops the negative marker’s proper place, creating confusion.
 - Why C is wrong: Puts “kana” before the actor, splitting the negative marker from the verb it modifies.

• Q5 – Correct choice: C
 - Why it is correct: Demonstrative “kana” + marker “ang” + verb phrase “atong gamiton karon” gives a smooth declarative answer.
 - Why A is wrong: Places possessive “atong” before “kana,” breaking the expected demonstrative-marker pattern.
 - Why B is wrong: Scrambles verb, demonstrative, marker, and time word so the sentence is hard to follow.