karon-karon

Cebuano Word: “karon-karon”

1. Part of Speech, Meaning, and Example Sentences

• Part of speech: adverb of near time
• Meaning: “in a moment / shortly / just a little while ago” — refers to a very near future or immediate past moment, much shorter than unya (“later today”)
• Synonyms: dayon-dayon (“right away”), dali ra (“soon”), bag-ohay lang (“just now”)

Example sentences

• Karon-karon muabot si Mama. – “Mom will arrive in a moment.”
• Na-text ko nimo karon-karon lang. – “I texted you just a moment ago.”
• Ayaw kabalaka; makumpleto na ni karon-karon. – “Don’t worry; this will be finished shortly.”

2. Learning Tips for Time Expressions

• Micro-time marker: karon-karon is much shorter than unya or ugma and is used for events minutes away or minutes past.
• Aspect harmony: Combine with completed aspect (bag-ohay lang karon-karon) for “just now,” or with future marker (mu- verbs) for “in a bit.”
• Placement rule: Put it before the verb group or after the subject; sentence-initial position gives emphasis.
• Not for fixed schedules: Do not pair it with clock times—use sa alas dos instead.
• Spoken nuance: Reduplication adds immediacy; saying only karon may sound more general.

3. Common Collocations

• karon-karon lang – just a moment ago
• karon-karon ra – only a moment
• karon-karon pa – a moment from now
• bag-ohay pa karon-karon – only a short while ago
• karoon-karon mu- + verb – will … very soon

4. Typical Sentence Position

• After the subject (neutral): Siya karon-karon motawag nimo.
• Sentence-initial (emphatic): Karon-karon, motawag siya nimo.
• Less common sentence-final (contrast): Motawag siya nimo karon-karon.

5. Five Everyday Conversational Phrases

• Karon-karon ra ko nitawag nimo. – “I just called you a moment ago.”
• Karon-karon pa ko mo-leave sa balay. – “I’ll leave the house in a minute.”
• Palihug hulat; karon-karon ra ni mahuman. – “Please wait; this will finish shortly.”
• Na-update ba ang app? Karon-karon ra. – “Has the app updated? Just now.”
• Karon-karon mu-chat ko balik nimo. – “I’ll message you again in a bit.”

6. Five Short Dialogue Exchanges

1. A: Asa na ka?
   B: Padulong na; abot ko karon-karon.
   – “A: Where are you? B: On my way; I’ll arrive in a moment.”
2. A: Nalimot ko sa password.
   B: Ok ra, karon-karon nako i-reset.
   – “A: I forgot the password. B: It’s okay, I’ll reset it shortly.”
3. A: Nag-ulan ba diha?
   B: Karon-karon lang mi-undang ang ulan.
   – “A: Is it raining there? B: The rain just stopped a moment ago.”
4. A: Pwede ko nimo matabangan?
   B: Oo, karon-karon ra ko mahuman sa report.
   – “A: Can you help me? B: Yes, I’ll finish the report in a bit.”
5. A: Karon-karon pa ka nag-kaon?
   B: Oo, bag-ohay ra ko ni-pamahaw.
   – “A: Did you just eat now? B: Yes, I only had breakfast moments ago.”

7. Multiple-Choice Dialogue Questions

(One answer per set is correctly ordered; correct letters vary.)

Q1. Karon-karon ba ka mo-text?
A. Mo-text ko karon-karon nimo.
B. Karon-karon mo-text ko nimo.
C. Nimo mo-text ko karon-karon.

Q2. Unsa’y buhaton nimo karon-karon?
A. Karon-karon buhaton nako ang laundry.
B. Bu haton nako karon-karon ang laundry.
C. Bu haton karon-karon nako ang laundry.

Q3. Kinsa’y imong tawagan karon-karon?
A. Tawagan nako karon-karon si Ana.
B. Si Ana tawagan karon-karon nako.
C. Karon-karon si Ana tawagan nako.

Q4. Mahuman ba nimo ang task karon-karon?
A. Mahuman nako karon-karon ang task.
B. Task mahuman nako karon-karon ang.
C. Karon-karon mahuman task nako ang.

Q5. Ganahan ba siya mo-kape karon-karon?
A. Mo-kape siya ganahan karon-karon.
B. Ganahan siya mo-kape karon-karon.
C. Karon-karon ganahan siya mo-kape.

Answer Key (with brief explanations)

• Q1 → A – Verb + subject + object + adverb is smooth; B splits subject-verb, C mis-orders object.
• Q2 → C – Adverb between verb and actor is fine; A front-loads adverb awkwardly; B breaks verb.
• Q3 → A – Object-focus verb → actor → object → adverb; others misplace elements.
• Q4 → A – Verb group then actor then object then adverb; B/C scramble object and verb group.
• Q5 → C – Emphatic adverb first, then subject + predicate; A/B insert adverb incorrectly.