1 Part of speech, core meaning, sentence position, and example sentences
- Part of speech
- Typical predicate order
The conjugated verb leads the predicate, and any short actor pronoun follows it: Mo-kuha ko ug tubig karon.
“I will get water now.” - Example sentences (bullet list; English translations and full parts-of-speech breakdown)
2 Principal verb derivations
| Form | Focus & aspect | Standard translation | Sample sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| mag-kuha | Actor focus, habitual / future | “be (regularly) taking” | Mag-kuha sila ug klase kada Lunes. – They take classes every Monday. |
| mo-kuha | Actor focus, non-past / imperative | “will take; take!” | Mo-kuha ta sa order karon. – Let’s take the order now. |
| nag-kuha | Actor focus, progressive / recent past | “is / was taking” | Nag-kuha siya sa dokumento sa opisina. – She is getting the document at the office. |
| mi-kuha / ni-kuha | Actor focus, completed past | “took” | Ni-kuha ko ug pahulay kagahapon. – I took a break yesterday. |
| gi-kuha | Patient focus, completed past | “was taken / gotten (by …)” | Gi-kuha sa inspektor ang sample. – The sample was taken by the inspector. |
| kuhaon (-on) | Patient focus, future / imperative | “to be taken / take it” | Kuhaon nato ang basura karong hapon. – We will take the trash this afternoon. |
| kuhaan (-an) | Locative / addressee focus | “to take from / take for” | Kuhae og asukal ang tasa. – Take sugar for the cup. |
3 Common phrases
- kuha ug litrato — take a photo
- kuha og tubig — fetch water
- kuhaan og dugo — draw blood from
- mag-kuha og break — take a break
- gi-kuha sa pulis — seized by the police
4 Detailed usage notes
- Actor focus in daily speech — Forms like mo-kuha and nag-kuha are the default when the doer is central.
- Object markers — Use ug/og before indefinite things retrieved (kuha og papel); use sa before definite ones (kuha sa papel nga gisugo).
- Locative / source focus (-an) — kuhaan highlights where or from whom something is taken: kuhaan og dugo ang pasyente — “draw blood from the patient.”
- Reduplication — kuha-kuha can imply random picking or casual snapshots.
- Imperatives — kuhaa! (patient focus “take it!”) and kuhai! (locative “take from!”) are the common command forms.
5 Common mistakes and things to watch out for
| Mistake | Issue | Correct form |
|---|---|---|
| Mo-kuha ako ug kwarta. | Actor clitic mis-positioned. | Mo-kuha ko ug kwarta. |
| Gi-kuha ko ang file. | With gi-, the actor must be genitive (ni / sa). | Gi-kuha ni ko ang file. |
| Kuhaon ta siya! | Wrong imperative suffix for locative/addressee focus. | Kuhai siya! |
6 Short everyday conversations (with English translations)
- A: Asa ka mo-kuha ug kape? – Where will you get coffee?
B: Kuhaon nako sa vending machine. – I’ll get it from the vending machine. - A: Nag-kuha ba ka og pictures? – Are you taking pictures?
B: Oo, para sa project nato. – Yes, for our project. - A: Kuhaa ko palihog ug tubig. – Please fetch me some water.
B: Sige, kuhaon nako dayon. – Sure, I’ll get it right away. - A: Nganong wala ka ni-kuha sa resibo? – Why didn’t you take the receipt?
B: Nakalimot ko, kuhaon nako balik unya. – I forgot, I’ll get it later. - A: Mag-kuha ta og break human sa duha ka oras? – Shall we take a break after two hours?
B: Sige, kuhaan nato og snack sad. – Okay, let’s grab a snack too.
