lami

1. Part of speech, meaning, usage, and example sentences

Part of speech: adjective
Core meaning: “tasty,” “delicious,” “flavorful,” sometimes extended to “pleasant” or “enjoyable.”

Examples

• Lami kaayo ang tinola nga imong niluto. – The chicken soup you cooked is very tasty.
• Lami ang humot sa bag-ong kape. – The aroma of freshly brewed coffee is delicious.
• Nindot ang view ug lami pa gyud ang pagkaon. – The view is great and the food is even tastier.
• Kung lami ang atmospera, malingaw ang tanang bisita. – If the atmosphere is pleasant, all guests will enjoy.

2. Linkers and derivational forms

• Linkers
  • -ng before a consonant: laming tinapay – tasty bread.
  • nga before a vowel or for emphasis: lami nga sabaw – delicious soup.
• Degree and intensity
  • mas lami – tastier / better.
  • pinakalami – tastiest / best.
  • lami-lami – rather tasty.
  • lami kaayo / lami gyud – very delicious / truly flavorful.
• Exclamatory & abstract nouns
  • Kalami ani! – How delicious this is!
  • kalami – tastiness, delight.
  • pagkalami – the state or quality of being delicious.
• Progressive notion
  • nag-ka-lami – getting tastier (Nag-ka-lami ang sabaw samtang nag-simmer. – The broth becomes tastier as it simmers.)

3. Typical sentence positions

1. Predicate adjective: Ang tsokolate lami. – The chocolate is tasty.
2. Modifier with linker: laming tsokolate – delicious chocolate.
3. Complement after emphasis: Mao ni ang lami nga putahi. – This is the delicious dish.

4. Common collocations

• lami kaayo – extremely tasty
• lami nga sud-an – delicious viand
• lami nga baho – pleasant smell
• lami nga paminawon – nice to hear
• mas lami pa – even tastier

5. Detailed usage notes

“Lami” primarily judges flavor but extends to any pleasurable sensation—sound (lami nga musiká), smell (lami nga baho), or even experience (lami nga tulog – good sleep). When the adjective comes right before a noun, attach a linker; when it follows the noun as predicate, no linker is needed. Comparative and superlative follow mas and pinaka-. Reduplication (lami-lami) means “fairly tasty.” The exclamation Kalami! is common when tasting good food.

6. Common mistakes to watch for

• Leaving out the linker (✗ lami kape → ✓ laming kape).
• Putting mas after the adjective (✗ lami mas → ✓ mas lami).
• Splitting pinaka from the root (✗ pinaka lami → ✓ pinakalami).
• Using lami for visual beauty—prefer nindot or gwapa/gwapo for appearance.
• Misspelling as “lame” or “lammi.”

7. Five frequently used conversational phrases

1. Kalami sa imong luto! – Your cooking is so delicious!
2. Mas lami kung init pa ang tinapay. – Bread is tastier when still warm.
3. Pinakalami gyud ni nga lechon sa syudad. – This is truly the best roast pig in town.
4. Lami kaayo ang pagkahimo sa kape diri. – The coffee here is extremely good.
5. Lami-lami ra ang pagkaon sa karinderya, pero barato. – The food at the eatery is fairly tasty, yet cheap.

8. Five simple everyday conversation exchanges

1. Q: Lami ba ang sinigang sa restaurant? – Is the sinigang tasty at the restaurant?
   A: Oo, lami kaayo; tamang-tama ang aslom. – Yes, very tasty; the sourness is just right.
2. Q: Ngano mas lami man ni nga brand sa tsokolate? – Why is this chocolate brand tastier?
   A: Mas lami kay mas daghan og kakaw. – Tastier because it has more cocoa.
3. Q: Asa ang pinakalami nga karne sa merkado? – Where is the tastiest meat in the market?
   A: Sa stall ni Aling Rosa; presko pirmi. – At Aling Rosa’s stall; always fresh.
4. Q: Lami-lami na ba ang sabaw human sa usa ka oras? – Is the broth quite tasty after an hour?
   A: Oo, nag-ka-lami samtang nag-slow cook. – Yes, it keeps getting tastier while slow-cooking.
5. Q: Unsaon nato pag-lami pa gyud sa sarsa? – How can we make the sauce even tastier?
   A: Dugangi og gamay nga kalamunggay ug asin. – Add a bit of moringa and salt.

9. Multiple-choice dialogue questions

Q1. Lami ba ang imong giluto?
A. Oo, lami kaayo ang akong giluto.
B. Oo, giluto lami kaayo akong ang.
C. Oo, lami giluto kaayo ang akong.

Q2. Asa ang mas lami, ang puto o ang bibingka?
A. Mas lami ang puto kaysa bibingka.
B. Puto kaysa bibingka ang mas lami.
C. Mas lami kaysa puto ang bibingka.

Q3. Pinakalami ba kini nga dessert sa menu?
A. Oo, pinakalami kini nga dessert sa menu.
B. Oo, kini pinakalami dessert sa menu.
C. Oo, dessert kini pinakalami sa menu.

Q4. Ngano lami ra imong pahulay bisan busy ka?
A. Lami ra ko matulog kay nakaschedule ko og break.
B. Ko lami ra matulog kay nakaschedule break ko.
C. Nakaschedule ko break lami ra ko matulog kay.

Q5. Kinsa’y naay lami-lami nga recipe para sa adobo?
A. Si Mark naay lami-lami nga recipe.
B. Naay si Mark lami-lami recipe.
C. Recipe lami-lami naay si Mark.

Answer key with brief explanations

• Q1 → A is correct. Predicate lami kaayo precedes the subject; B and C scramble word order.
• Q2 → A is correct. Pattern “Mas lami ang X kaysa Y.” B and C misplace comparative elements.
• Q3 → A is correct. Pinakalami directly precedes kini; B and C mis-order demonstrative and noun.
• Q4 → A is correct. Predicate first, then reason; B and C break the sequence.
• Q5 → A is correct. “Naay + subject + description” is intact; B and C disrupt the structure.