1 Part of speech, core meaning, and example sentences
- Part of speech
- Core meaning
- Used for doing arithmetic (manual or with a calculator), totaling expenses, or settling a bill
- Example sentences
- Mo-kwenta ko sa imong bayranan pagkahuman mokaon. → I will compute your bill after you finish eating.
- Nag-kwenta sila sa income sa tindahan karon buntag. → They are tallying the store’s income this morning.
- Gi-kwentahan sa accountant ang kompanya og buhis. → The company’s taxes were calculated by the accountant.
2 Verb derivations of kwenta
| Form | Voice & aspect | English gloss | Sample sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| mag-kwenta | Actor focus, habitual / future | “will usually do computations” | Mag-kwenta siya sa sales report kada semana. |
| mo-kwenta | Actor focus, non-past / imperative | “will compute; compute!” | Mo-kwenta ta karon, ha. |
| nag-kwenta | Actor focus, progressive | “is / was computing” | Nag-kwenta ko pag-text nimo. |
| ni-kwenta / mi-kwenta | Actor focus, completed past | “computed” | Ni-kwenta sila sa gastos kagahapon. |
| gi-kwentahan | Patient focus, completed past | “was computed / billed by …” | Gi-kwentahan sa cashier ang kustomer. |
| kwentahon (-on) | Patient focus, future / imp. | “to be computed / add it up” | Kwentahon nato ang puntos unya. |
| kwentahi / kwentahan (-i / -an) | Locative / beneficiary | “to compute for / at” | Kwentahi ko palihog sa bayad sa kuryente. |
3 Where you place it in a sentence
- Actor focus: Mo-kwenta ko ug resibo sa opisina.
- Patient focus: Gi-kwentahan ang proyekto sa auditor.
- Beneficiary / locative: Kwentahi sila sa balance kung naa na ang resibo.
4 Common collocations
- walay kwenta — worthless; of no value
- kwenta sa resibo — total on the receipt
- mag-kwenta og utang — calculate debts
- gi-kwentahan sa bangko — billed / tallied by the bank
- kwentahon nga kantidad — amount to be totaled
5 Detailed usage notes
- Arithmetic & billing – Most frequent for adding purchases in markets, cafés, utility bills, or doing spreadsheet totals.
- Idiomatic “worthless” – walay kwenta literally “no calculation,” widely used to mean useless or valueless.
- Numeric vs. non-numeric – Can extend figuratively: kwenta sa kinabuhi (“take stock of life”), but always implies evaluation or value.
- Object markers – Use ug/og for an indefinite sum (mo-kwenta ko og total). Use sa for a specific bill (nag-kwenta siya sa kuryente).
- Beneficiary suffixes – -i / -an indicate whom the computation is for: kwentahi ko sa sukli (“figure out my change”).
6 Common mistakes & things to watch for
| Mistake | Issue | Correction |
|---|---|---|
| Mo-kwenta ako sa bill. | The clitic pronoun should follow the verb. | Mo-kwenta ko sa bill. |
| Gi-kwenta ko ang presyo. | gi- form needs a genitive actor (ni / sa). | Gi-kwentahan ni ko ang presyo. |
| Kwentahon ta siya! | Beneficiary command should be kwentahi. | Kwentahi siya! |
| Nag-kwenta sa tax | Missing subject. | Nag-kwenta ang accountant sa tax. |
7 Conversational phrases
- “Kwentaha ko beh.” — “Please total it for me.”
- “Pila’y kwenta tanan?” — “How much is the total?”
- “Walay kwenta ang storya.” — “The story is worthless / pointless.”
- “Ni-kwenta na diay ka sa budget?” — “Oh, you already computed the budget?”
- “Mag-kwenta usa ta aron klaro.” — “Let’s compute first so it’s clear.”
8 Short everyday conversations
- A: Mo-kwenta ka sa atong gasto karon? — Will you compute our expenses now?
B: Oo, kuhaon sa nako ang resibo. — Yes, I’ll get the receipts first. - A: Nag-kwenta pa ba ang cashier? — Is the cashier still adding things up?
B: Oo, daghan man ta’g gi-order. — Yes, we ordered a lot. - A: Kwentahi ko palihog sa sukli. — Please figure out my change.
B: Sige, kuwang pa ka’g lima. — Sure, you’re short by five. - A: Ni-kwenta diay ka sa grades nimo? — You already totaled your grades?
B: Oo, pasang-awa ra gyud ko. — Yes, I barely passed. - A: Mag-kwenta ta sa puntos sa dula. — Shall we tally the game points?
B: Sakto, aron hibaw-an nato kinsa daog. — Right, so we’ll know who won.
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