kwatro

▸ 1. Part-of-Speech, Meaning & Sample Sentences

• Part of speech: numeral / determiner
• Meaning: “four (4)” — Spanish-derived form kwatro (also spelled cuatro).

Kwatro ang goals sa home team.          → The home team has four goals.

Palit kog kwatro ka tiket.              → I’ll buy four tickets.

Kwatro ra kabuok ang nahibilin.         → Only four are left.

▸ 2. Cebuano or Spanish?

• Spanish-based numeral: kwatro
• Native Cebuano counterpart: upat / upat ka

▸ 3. When Do Speakers Use kwatro vs upat?

▸ 4. Detailed Usage of kwatro

1. Digits aloud: otso-kwatro-tres (8-4-3).
2. Scoreboards: tres-kwatro (3-4).
3. Stand-alone answer: “Pila? — Kwatro.”
4. Decimals & math: uno punto kwatro (1.4).

▸ 5. Five Common Pitfalls

1. Writing kwatro ka (✗) — Spanish numerals never take ka.
2. Pronouncing /kwar-tro/ as /kwat-ro/ (stress on kwá-).
3. Using kwatro where casual Cebuano expects upat.
4. Mixing kwatro and upat in one compound number (e.g., singko-upat).
5. Adding plural marker mga: ✗ kwatro ka mga tawo.

▸ 6. Common Collocations

• kwatro-dos (4-2, game score)
• kwatro mil (4 000)
• numero kwatro (“number four,” 4th rank)
• kwatro por kwatro (4×4 vehicle)
• kwatro punto singko (4.5)

▸ 7. Learner Alerts

• Money & phone numbers usually use kwatro / English “four.”
• Daily counting with friends? Prefer upat.
• Avoid Tagalog apat when speaking Cebuano.

▸ 8. Handy Everyday Phrases

1. Kwatro ra ko kabuok anak. — “I have only four children.”
2. Numero kwatro siya sa listahan. — “He is number four on the list.”
3. Kwatro ang kailangan nimo? — “Do you need four?”
4. Kwatro pa lang ko ka tuig diri. — “I’ve been here just four years.”
5. Kwatro ka beses na ko nisulay. — “I’ve tried four times already.”

▸ 9. Five Mini-Dialogues

1
Q: Pila ka tiket imong gipalit—kwatro?
A: Oo, kwatro ra.
EN: “You bought how many tickets—four?” — “Yes, just four.”

2
Q: Kwatro ba ang score nila karon?
A: Dili, tulo pa lang.
EN: “Is their score four now?” — “No, only three so far.”

3
Q: Pwede ko mangayo og kwatro ka kopya?
A: Sige, ihatag nako.
EN: “May I have four copies?” — “Sure, I’ll give them.”

4
Q: Kwatro ka slot available?
A: Wala, duha na lang.
EN: “Are four slots available?” — “No, only two left.”

5
Q: Kwatro ra ka adlaw imong leave?
A: Oo, balik ko pagkahuman sa weekend.
EN: “Only four days of leave?” — “Yes, I’ll be back after the weekend.”

▸ 10. Multiple-Choice Dialogue Questions

Q1. Kwatro ba ka libro imong gipalit?
A. Kwatro ka libro akong gipalit.
B. Gipalit ko kwatro ka libro.
C. Libro kwatro ka akong gipalit.

Q2. Kwatro ba mo ka adlaw mag-puyo dinhi?
A. Mag-puyo dinhi mo kwatro ka adlaw.
B. Dinhi kwatro ka adlaw mo mag-puyo.
C. Mo mag-puyo dinhi kwatro ka adlaw.

Q3. Kwatro ba ka bata ang nag-dula sa gawas?
A. Kwatro ka bata nag-dula sa gawas.
B. Sa gawas nag-dula kwatro ka bata.
C. Nag-dula kwatro ka bata sa gawas.

Q4. Kwatro ba ta ka botelya ang paliton?
A. Paliton ta kwatro ka botelya.
B. Botelya kwatro ka paliton ta.
C. Ta kwatro ka botelya paliton.

Q5. Kwatro ba sila ka beses ni-adto didto?
A. Kwatro ka beses sila didto ni-adto.
B. Didto sila kwatro ka beses ni-adto.
C. Ni-adto sila didto kwatro ka beses.

▸ Answer Key

• Q1 – B Verb gipalit ko + object; numeral phrase before noun.
• Q2 – A Natural order: verb → place → subject → numeral.
• Q3 – A Subject phrase kwatro ka bata before verb; others reorder oddly.
• Q4 – A Imperative Paliton ta followed by full object is correct.
• Q5 – C Frequency phrase sounds best at sentence end; A/B invert parts.