karong buntag

Cebuano Word: “karong buntag”

1. Part of Speech & Meaning (+ Example Sentences)

• Part of speech: temporal adverbial phrase
• Meaning: “this morning” – refers to the morning of today.

Example sentences

• Karong buntag molarga mi sa Cebu. – “We will leave for Cebu this morning.”
• Wala pa ko maka-kaon karong buntag. – “I have not eaten yet this morning.”
• Nag-ulan pag-ayo karong buntag. – “It rained heavily this morning.”

2. Key Points When Learning Time-Related Vocabulary

• Time phrases normally stand before the main verb or at the very start of the clause.
• Formula “karong + part-of-day” (buntag, udto, hapon, gabii) always points to the current day; no preposition is added.
• Do not confuse karon (“now”) with karong (“this” + time unit).
• In very formal writing you may meet karong buntaga (enclitic -a), but spoken Cebuano prefers karong buntag.
• Pronounce the two words separately; avoid blending them into one long syllable.

3. Common Collocations

• karong buntag – this morning
• karong udto – this noon
• karong hapon – this afternoon
• karong gabii – this evening / tonight
• karong semanaha – this week (less common; more formal: niining semanaha)

4. Typical Position in a Sentence

• Sentence-initial (most common): Karong buntag mopalit kita og prutas.
• After the verb: Mopalit ko karong buntag og prutas.
• Rarely final, usually for contrast or emphasis: Mopalit ko og prutas karong buntag.

5. Frequently Used Conversational Phrases

• Karong buntag, asa ka moadto? – “Where are you going this morning?”
• Na-human na nimo karong buntag? – “Did you finish it this morning?”
• Daghan kog buhaton karong buntag. – “I have many tasks this morning.”
• Libre ka ba karong buntag? – “Are you free this morning?”
• Mag-kita ta karong buntag sa kapehan. – “Let us meet at the café this morning.”

6. Short Dialogue Exchanges (Cebuano + English)

1. A: Karong buntag, moulan kaha?
   B: Murag dili; nindot ang panahon karong buntag.
   – “A: Will it rain this morning? B: It seems not; the weather is nice this morning.”
2. A: Naka-exercise ka ba karong buntag?
   B: Oo, nag-jogging ko karong buntag.
   – “A: Did you exercise this morning? B: Yes, I jogged.”
3. A: Unsa imong plano karong buntag?
   B: Mag-luto ko og pan-desay karong buntag.
   – “A: What’s your plan this morning? B: I’ll bake bread.”
4. A: Mang-utana ko karong buntag sa maestro.
   B: Sige, kuyogan tika karong buntag.
   – “A: I’ll ask the teacher this morning. B: All right, I’ll go with you.”
5. A: Naka-adto ba ka sa opisina karong buntag?
   B: Wala; mag-trabaho ra ko sa balay karong buntag.
   – “A: Did you go to the office this morning? B: No, I’m just working at home.”

Part 1. Questions with Answer Choices

Q1. Asa ka moadto karong buntag?
A. Moadto ko sa merkado karong buntag.
B. Karong buntag sa merkado ko moadto.
C. Ko moadto karong buntag sa merkado.

Q2. Unsa imong buhaton karong buntag?
A. Mag-andam ko sa pamahaw karong buntag.
B. Karong buntag mag-andam pamahaw ko sa.
C. Mag-andam karong buntag ko pamahaw sa.

Q3. Kinsa imong tawagan karong buntag?
A. Tawagan nako si Maria karong buntag.
B. Nako si Maria karong buntag tawagan.
C. Karong buntag tawagan si Maria nako.

Q4. Naka-kaon na ka ba karong buntag?
A. Wala pa ko naka-kaon karong buntag.
B. Pa naka-kaon wala ko karong buntag.
C. Karong buntag wala naka-kaon pa ko.

Q5. Ganahan ba siya mopahuway karong buntag?
A. Ganahan siya mopahuway karong buntag.
B. Mopahuway ganahan karong buntag siya.
C. Siya ganahan karong buntag mopahuway.

Part 2. Answer Key and Explanations

• Q1 → A – Correct order is Verb + Subject + Object/Place + Time phrase.
• Q2 → A – The verb Mag-andam is followed by the subject ko; time phrase comes last.
• Q3 → A – Object-focused verb Tawagan keeps nako (actor) right after; time phrase ends.
• Q4 → A – Negative marker wala pa precedes the actor ko; time phrase follows the verb.
• Q5 → A – Question particle ba stays after the verb ganahan; affirmative answer mirrors the same order: subject → verb → infinitive → time phrase.