laba | Let's talk in Bisaya with loved ones

Part of speech
- Verb (root): laba — “to wash laundry, launder clothes”
- Common noun: laba — “laundry, act of washing clothes”
Sentence-position rule
A conjugated laba form typically begins the predicate; any clitic actor-pronoun follows it: Mo-laba ko karong hapon.
I will wash clothes this afternoon.
Example sentences
- Mo-laba ko sa likod balay ugma sa buntag. — I will do the laundry in the backyard tomorrow morning.
  - Mo-laba – Verb, actor focus, future aspect
  - ko – Personal pronoun, first-person singular clitic (actor)
  - sa – Locative-marker particle
  - likod balay – Noun phrase “backyard” (location)
  - ugma sa buntag – Adverbial phrase “tomorrow morning”
- Nag-laba sila og duha ka basket kada Sabado. — They wash two baskets of clothes every Saturday.
  - Nag-laba – Verb, actor focus, progressive/habitual aspect
  - sila – Personal pronoun, third-person plural (actor)
  - og – Object-marker particle
  - duha ka basket – Numeral phrase (patient, indefinite)
  - kada Sabado – Adverbial phrase “every Saturday”
- Gi-labhan ni Ana ang mga uniporme sa eskuylahan kagahapon. — The school uniforms were washed by Ana yesterday.
  - Gi-labhan – Verb, patient focus, past aspect
  - ni Ana – Genitive phrase (actor)
  - ang mga uniporme sa eskuylahan – Noun phrase (patient)
  - kagahapon – Adverb “yesterday”

Form	Voice & aspect	Typical translation	Sample sentence
mag-laba	Actor focus, habitual / future	“will be washing; usually wash”	Mag-laba sila og sapatos matag Domingo. — They wash shoes every Sunday.
mo-laba	Actor focus, non-past / imperative	“will wash; wash!”	Mo-laba ta karon aron mahuman dayon. — Let’s wash now so we’ll finish early.
nag-laba	Actor focus, progressive / recent past	“is / was washing”	Nag-laba siya pag-text nimo. — She was washing when you texted.
mi-laba / ni-laba	Actor focus, completed past	“washed”	Ni-laba ko sa ilog kaniadto. — I used to wash clothes in the river.
gi-laba	Patient focus, completed past	“was washed (by …)”	Gi-laba sa labandera ang habol. — The blanket was washed by the laundress.
lab-on (-on)	Patient focus, future / imperative	“to be washed / wash it”	Lab-on nato ang mga kurtina inig weekend. — We’ll wash the curtains this weekend.
lab-ahan (-an)	Locative / beneficiary focus	“to wash for / wash at”	Lab-ahi ko palihog sa washing machine. — Please wash mine in the washing machine.

Actor-focus everyday use — mo-/nag-/ni-laba emphasize the person doing the laundry.
Patient focus — gi-laba, lab-on foreground the items being washed.
Locative / beneficiary focus — lab-ahan / lab-ahi highlights where or for whom the washing is done.
As a noun — laba can mean “laundry”: daghan pa kog laba — “I still have a lot of laundry.”
Reduplication — laba-laba sometimes implies light rinsing or quick washing of a few items.

Mistake	Why it’s wrong	Correct form
Mo-laba ako og T-shirt.	Actor clitic misplaced.	Mo-laba ko og T-shirt.
Gi-laba ko ang pantalon.	With gi-, actor must be genitive (ni / sa).	Gi-laba ni ko ang pantalon.
Lab-on ta siya!	Beneficiary/locative command needs lab-ahi.	Lab-ahi siya!

A: Unsa imong laba-on karon? — What will you wash today?
B: Mo-laba ko sa bedsheets. — I’ll wash the bedsheets.
A: Nag-laba pa ba si Mama? — Is Mom still washing?
B: Oo, hapit na siya mahuman. — Yes, she’s almost done.
A: Lab-ahi ko palihog sa akong uniform. — Please wash my uniform for me.
B: Sige, apilon nako sa akoa. — Sure, I’ll include it with mine.
A: Nganong ni-laba ka gabii? — Why did you wash clothes last night?
B: Para walay hasol karong buntag. — So it wouldn’t be a hassle this morning.
A: Mag-laba ta og daghan ugma? — Shall we wash a lot tomorrow?
B: Oo, kay init man ang panahon. — Yes, because the weather is hot.