« Back to Glossary Index 1 Part of speech, core meaning, sentence position, and example sentences Part of speech Sentence-position rule katawa Mo-katawa ko kung makakita ko anang meme.
Cebuano sentence English translation Mo-katawa ko ug kusog kung makiliti ko. I will laugh hard if I get tickled. Nag-katawa sila sa komedya sa TV. They are laughing at the comedy on TV. Gi-kataw-an sa klase ang joke sa maestro . The teacher’s joke was laughed at by the class.
2 Verb derivations of katawa Form Voice & aspect Typical translation Sample sentence mag-katawa Actor focus, habitual / future “will routinely laugh” Mag-katawa mi kada reunion sa among barkada. — We always laugh at every friends’ reunion.mo-katawa Actor focus, non-past / imperative “will laugh; laugh!” Mo-katawa ta karon , ha. — Let’s laugh now, okay.nag-katawa Actor focus, progressive “is / was laughing” Nag-katawa ko pag-text nimo . — I was laughing when you texted.ni -katawa / mi-katawa Actor focus, completed past “laughed” Ni -katawa sila kagabii sa salida .gi-kataw-an Patient focus, completed past “was laughed at (by …)” Gi-kataw-an sa mga bata ang iyang sayaw . — His dance was laughed at by the kids.kataw-on (-on)Patient focus, future / imp. “to be laughed at / laugh at it” Kataw-on nato ang sayop ug mag-learn ta. — We’ll laugh at the mistake and learn.kataw-an / kataw-i (-an / -i)Beneficiary / locative focus “to laugh with / laugh at someone” Kataw-i siya para malingaw pud siya . — Laugh with him so he’ll enjoy too.
3 Common phrases katawa sa kalipay mag-katawa og kusog — laugh out loudwalay katawa — no laughter / very seriousgi-kataw-an sa tanan — laughed at by everyonekataw-on nga istorya — a story to be laughed at4 Detailed usage notes Actor-focus forms (mo-, nag-, ni -katawa ) highlight the person laughing; often followed by sa + cause: mo-katawa ko sa joke .Patient focus (gi-kataw-an, kataw-on ) puts the object of laughter as subject: gi-kataw-an ang bloopers .Beneficiary / locative focus (kataw-an / kataw-i ) stresses who is laughed with/at or the place: kataw-i siya “laugh with/at him.”Adverbs of intensity — og kusog (loudly), gamay hinay -hinay Noun sense — katawa makatakod ang iyang katawa — “her laughter is contagious.”Reduplication — katawa -katawa 5 Common mistakes & how to avoid them Mistake Issue Correct form Mo-katawa ako sa video. Actor clitic misplaced. Mo-katawa ko sa video. Gi-katawa ko ang acting. With gi- , actor must be genitive (ni / sa Gi-kataw-an ni Kataw-on ta siya ! Beneficiary/locative command needs kataw-i . Kataw-i siya ! Nag-katawa sa balay Missing actor pronoun or subject. Nag-katawa kami balay .
6 Short everyday conversations A: Ngano mo-katawa man ka?B: Nakita nako ang meme, kataw-an kaayo . — I saw a meme; it’s so funny.A: Nag-katawa ba sila sa presentasyon? — Were they laughing at the presentation?B: Oo, daghan man bloopers. — Yes, there were many bloopers.A: Kataw-i ko palihog sa akong joke, murag corny. — Please laugh at my joke; it seems corny.B: Sige, basta dili lang ko mapugos. — Okay, as long as I’m not forced.A: Ni -katawa ka sa speaker?B: Dili, ni -katawa ko sa akong kaugalingon kaboang. — No, I laughed at my own silliness.A: Mag-katawa ta og hinay kay naa sa library. — Let’s laugh quietly because we’re in the library.B: Sakto, hinay -hinay lang ta. — Right, let’s keep it down.« Back to Glossary Index 
