kita

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1 Part of speech, core meaning, sentence position, and example sentences

  • Part of speech
    • Verb (root): kita — “to see, spot, find, meet (visually)”
    • Common noun (rare): kita — “sighting, view”
    Note: kita can also be the inclusive pronoun “we/our,” but this entry treats kita only as the verb “to see.”
  • Sentence-position rule
    A conjugated kita form usually begins the predicate and any clitic actor-pronoun follows it: Mo-kita ko nimo unya.
    I’ll see you later.
  • Example sentences Cebuano sentence English translation Mo-kita ko sa buwan ugma sa gabii. I will see the moon tomorrow night. Nag-kita sila sa daplin sa dagat karon. They are seeing (meeting) each other at the seaside now. Gi-kitaan sa tigulang ang sayop sa report. The error in the report was spotted by the elder.

2 Verb derivations of kita

FormVoice & aspectTypical translationSample sentence
mag-kitaActor focus, habitual / future“will (habitually) meet / see”Mag-kita sila sa plaza kada Domingo. — They meet in the plaza every Sunday.
mo-kitaActor focus, non-past / imperative“will see; see!”Mo-kita ta karon, ha. — Let’s see (each other) now, okay.
nag-kitaActor focus, progressive“is / was seeing”Nag-kita ko pag-dungaw nimo sa bintana. — I was seeing you when you peeked from the window.
ni-kita / mi-kitaActor focus, completed past“saw / met”Ni-kita siya sa kilid-dalan kagahapon. — He saw (met) her by the roadside yesterday.
gi-kitaPatient focus, completed past“was seen (by …)”Gi-kita sa guwardiya ang hulagway sa CCTV. — The image was seen by the guard on CCTV.
kita-on (-on)Patient focus, future / imp.“to be seen / see it”Kita-on nato ang resulta inig human sa exam. — We will see the results after the exam.
kita-an / kit-i (-an / -i)Locative / beneficiary focus“to look at / look for someone”Kit-i ko palihog og maayo kung naa ba’g mali. — Please look carefully for me if there’s any mistake.

3 Common phrases

  • kita sa salida — watch a movie
  • mag-kita og balik — see each other again
  • walay kita — nothing seen / no meeting
  • gi-kita sa tanan — seen by everyone
  • kita-on nga ebidensiya — evidence to be seen

4 Detailed usage notes

  1. Actor-focus use — mo-/nag-/ni-kita puts the seer or meeting parties as subject: nag-kita mi sa café.
  2. Patient-focus — gi-kita, kita-on emphasize what was/will be seen: gi-kita ang shooting star.
  3. Locative / beneficiary focus — kita-an / kit-i specify where or for whom the seeing is done: kit-i ko sa error.
  4. Object markers — Use sa for definite object (mo-kita ko sa artista), og/ug for indefinite (nag-kita siya og signal).
  5. Avoid confusion with pronoun — When kita = “we (inclusive),” stress or position differs: Kita mo-adto (“We will go”). As a verb, kita is preceded by conjugation prefix.
  6. Reduplication — kita-kita may imply casual peeking around or random sightings.

5 Common mistakes & how to avoid them

MistakeIssueCorrect form
Mo-kita ako nimo.Clitic pronoun mis-placed.Mo-kita ko nimo.
Gi-kita ko ang error.gi- requires actor in genitive form (ni / sa).Gi-kita ni ko ang error.
Kita-on ta siya!Beneficiary/locative command needs kit-i.Kit-i siya!
Nag-kita sa parkeMissing actor pronoun or subject.Nag-kita sila sa parke.

6 Short everyday conversations

  1. A: Mo-kita ka ug stars unya? — Will you watch the stars later?
    B: Oo, mo-kita ko kung klaro ang langit. — Yes, if the sky is clear.
  2. A: Nag-kita ba mo sa imong batchmates? — Are you seeing your batchmates?
    B: Nag-kita mi kada tuig sa reunion. — We meet every year at the reunion.
  3. A: Kit-i palihog kung na-leave ko’g note sa lamesa. — Please check if I left a note on the table.
    B: Sige, ako tan-awon karon. — Sure, I’ll look now.
  4. A: Ni-kita ka sa latest episode? — Did you see the latest episode?
    B: Wala pa, kay busy kaayo ko. — Not yet; I’ve been very busy.
  5. A: Mag-kita ta og balik ugma? — Shall we see each other again tomorrow?
    B: Sakto, alas-tres sa café ha. — Right, three o’clock at the café, okay.
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