lima

Cebuano word: lima — “five”

1 · Part of speech, meaning, and example sentences

• Part of speech: numeral / determiner (cardinal)
• Meaning: the quantity 5

Example sentences

• Lima ka estudyante ang nakapasar sa eksámen. – Five students passed the exam.
• Nag-order ko og lima ka pan. – I ordered five pieces of bread.
• Lima ra ko ka minuto nag-hulat. – I waited only five minutes.

2 · Cebuano or Spanish?

• lima – native Cebuano form
• singko / sinko – Spanish-based form for “five”

3 · When to use Cebuano- vs Spanish-based numbers

• Counting ordinary objects and people: lima (lima ka tawo).
• Clock time: Spanish set dominates (alas singko = 5 o’clock).
• Money, formal measurements, phone numbers: usually singko or English “five.”
• Ordinals below 100: native root with ika- → ika-lima (“fifth”).
• Fixed idioms and casual speech: strongly favors lima.

4 · How lima is used

• Core pattern: lima ka + noun – Lima ka tiket ang among gipalit.
• Set phrases without ka: lima ra (only five), lima pa (five more).
• Frequency adverb: Lima ka beses siya nag-praktis sa usa ka semana.
• Ordinal: ika-lima (the fifth).
• Always placed directly before ka and the noun.

5 · Five common pitfalls

• Dropping the classifier (✗ lima mansanas → ✓ lima ka mansanas).
• Doubling plural markers (✗ lima ka mga tawo).
• Mixing singko into a native-number sentence.
• Putting lima after the noun (✗ mansanas lima ka).
• Using lima where an ordinal is needed (✗ sa lima adlaw → ✓ sa ika-lima ka adlaw).

6 · Common collocations

• lima ka + noun – five …
• lima ra – only five
• lima pa – five more
• ika-lima – the fifth
• sa lima ka bulan – in five months

7 · Typical learner mistakes to watch for

• Reading the digit “5” in phone numbers as lima instead of singko.
• Stress error: pronounce /LI-ma/ (light first syllable), not “lee-MÁ.”
• Forgetting the linker in rapid speech (lima’g for lima og).
• Borrowing Tagalog syntax (Limang libro …) in Cebuano sentences.
• Over-using lima when softer quantifiers (mga, hapit) would sound more natural.

8 · Five handy conversational phrases

• Lima ra mi kabuok karon. – There are only five of us now.
• Pwede ko mangayo og lima pa ka kutsara? – May I have five more spoons?
• Lima na lang ang nahibilin. – Only five are left.
• Magkita ta mga lima ka oras gikan karon. – Let’s meet about five hours from now.
• Lima ka beses nako gisulayan, nakaya ra gyud! – I tried five times and finally did it!

9 · Five short dialogue exchanges

1. A: Tag-pila ang lima ka saging?
   B: Báyinti-singko pesos ra ang lima.
   – “How much are five bananas?” – “Just twenty-five pesos for the five.”
2. A: Lima ba ka adlaw ka mag-bakasyon?
   B: Oo, lima ra ko ka adlaw libre.
   – “Are you on vacation for five days?” – “Yes, I’m free for only five days.”
3. A: Naa kay lima ka tiket?
   B: Wala, upat ra ang nabilin.
   – “Do you have five tickets?” – “No, only four are left.”
4. A: Lima na ka tuig sukad ta nag-ila, noh?
   B: Sakto, lima ka tuig na gyud.
   – “It’s been five years since we met, right?” – “Correct, five years indeed.”
5. A: Mopalit ta og lima ka botelya?
   B: Sige, lima ka botelya igo na.
   – “Shall we buy five bottles?” – “Sure, five bottles are enough.”

10 · Multiple-choice dialogue questions

Q1. Lima ba ka libro imong gipalit?
A. Gipalit lima ka ko libro.
B. Lima ka libro akong gipalit.
C. Libro lima ka akong gipalit.

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

Q3. Lima ba ka bata ang nag-dula sa gawas?
A. Nag-dula lima ka bata sa gawas.
B. Gawas nag-dula ang lima ka bata.
C. Ang lima ka bata nag-dula sa gawas.

Q4. Lima ba ta ka botelya ang paliton?
A. Ta lima ka botelya paliton.
B. Paliton ta lima ka botelya.
C. Botelya lima ka paliton ta.

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

Answer key

• Q1 – Correct: B
  Keeps lima ka libro before the subject pronoun and verb. A and C scramble word order.
• Q2 – Correct: A
  Verb + place + subject + numeral phrase is natural. B and C misplace the subject or time phrase.
• Q3 – Correct: C
  Fronted subject phrase Ang lima ka bata followed by the verb is idiomatic. A and B misplace adverbials.
• Q4 – Correct: B
  Imperative structure: verb + pronoun + object. A and C separate verb from object or misplace the pronoun.
• Q5 – Correct: A
  Frequency phrase logically sits at the end. B and C invert components, making the sentence awkward.