kaniadto

Cebuano word: “kaniadto”
(kah-nee-AD-to) – an adverb that means *“formerly / long ago / in the past.”

1. Part of speech, meaning, and example sentences

• Part of speech: adverb of past time
• Meaning: refers to a period long ago or some time back, often contrasted with the present.
• Example sentences
  1. Kaniadto gamay pa kaayo ning lungsora. – “Long ago this town was very small.”
  2. Kaniadto, nagtrabaho ko isip titser. – “Formerly, I worked as a teacher.”
  3. Dili pa ing-ani ka-hamugaway ang biyahe kaniadto. – “Travel was not this comfortable in the past.”

2. Tips for learning time-related adverbs

• Timeline anchors: kaniadto (distant past) ← kagahapon (yesterday) ← karon (now) → unya (later today) → ugma (tomorrow).
• Placement: Usually sits before the verb group or at the very start of the clause for storytelling.
• Punctuation cue: When used sentence-initially, follow it with a comma for clarity in writing.
• Aspect pairing: Often occurs with past-tense verbs (mi-, ni-, nag-) or stative descriptions.
• Contrast marker: Combine with apan karon (“but now”) to highlight change: Kaniadto pobre ra sila, apan karon dato na.

3. Common collocations

• kaniadto pa – since long ago
• kaniadto ra – only in the past
• kaniadto nga panahon – in former times
• kaniadto nga balay – the old house
• kaniadto, apan karon… – formerly, but now…

4. Typical position in a sentence

1. Sentence-initial (storytelling): Kaniadto, walay kuryente sa baryo.
2. After the subject (neutral): Ang baryo kaniadto walay kuryente.
3. Rarely sentence-final (contrast): Walay kuryente ang baryo kaniadto.

5. Five frequently used conversational phrases

• Kaniadto pa ko nimo kaila. – “I have known you since long ago.”
• Unsa may hitsura sa lugar kaniadto? – “What did the place look like in the past?”
• Daghan na kaayong kausaban kumpara kaniadto. – “There are many changes compared with before.”
• Kaniadto ra ko ka-adto sa Manila. – “I went to Manila only in the past (not recently).”
• Mas lisod ang komunikasyon kaniadto. – “Communication was harder in earlier times.”

6. Five short dialogue exchanges (Cebuano → English)

1. A: Naka-bisita ka na ba sa museo?
   B: Oo, kaniadto pa ko nakasuway didto.
   – “A: Have you visited the museum? B: Yes, I went there long ago.”
2. A: Unsay paborito nimo nga dulaan kaniadto?
   B: Patintero jud, kanunay namo dulaon sa kalsada.
   – “A: What was your favorite game before? B: Definitely patintero; we always played it in the street.”
3. A: Na-unsa man ang kalsada kaniadto?
   B: Lapok pirmi kay wala pay simento.
   – “A: How was the road in the past? B: It was always muddy because it was not paved.”
4. A: Tinood ba nga barato ra ang prutas kaniadto?
   B: Tinood, tag-piso pa ang saging.
   – “A: Is it true fruit was cheap long ago? B: Yes, bananas were just one peso.”
5. A: Giunsa nimo pag-tuon kaniadto nga walay internet?
   B: Gamit ra ko’g libro ug librarya.
   – “A: How did you study before without internet? B: I used only books and the library.”

7. Multiple-choice dialogue questions

(Three choices each; exactly one is correct. Letter of the correct answer changes every time.)

Q1. Kaniadto ba ka nag-puyo sa siyudad?
A. Kaniadto nag-puyo ko sa siyudad.
B. Sa siyudad kaniadto nag-puyo ko.
C. Nag-puyo ko kaniadto sa siyudad.

Q2. Unsa imong paboritong pagkaon kaniadto?
A. Kaniadto paborito nako ang bibingka.
B. Paborito nako kaniadto ang bibingka.
C. Ang bibingka paborito kaniadto nako.

Q3. Kinsa imong maestro kaniadto sa high school?
A. Si Ma’am Cruz kaniadto akong maestro.
B. Kaniadto si Ma’am Cruz akong maestro.
C. Akong maestro kaniadto si Ma’am Cruz.

Q4. Giunsa nimo pag-biyahe kaniadto?
A. Kaniadto nag-sakay ko’g barko pirmi.
B. Nag-sakay kaniadto ko’g barko pirmi.
C. Pirmi ko kaniadto nag-sakay barko.

Q5. Ganahan ba ka sa musika kaniadto?
A. Ganahan ko kaniadto sa klasikal nga musika.
B. Kaniadto ganahan ko sa klasikal nga musika.
C. Sa klasikal nga musika kaniadto ganahan ko.

Answer key and simple explanations