▸ 1. Part of Speech & Meaning
• Part of speech: numeral / determiner
• Meaning: “five thousand (5 000)”
Lima ka libo ka estudyante ang mitambong sa opening.
→ Five thousand students attended the opening.
Nag-order sila og lima ka libo ka pan de sal.
→ They ordered five thousand bread rolls.
Lima ka libo ra ko ka minuto nag-hulat.
→ I waited only five thousand minutes.
▸ 2. Cebuano or Spanish?
- Native form (Cebuano): lima ka libo
- Spanish-based form: singko mil (cinco mil)
▸ 3. Native vs Spanish Numbers
| Use-case | lima ka libo | singko mil |
|---|---|---|
| Counting people / things | ✓ | — |
| Money totals, phone digits | — | ✓ |
| Ordinal reference | ika-lima ka libo (5000ᵗʰ) | Spanish ordinals almost never used |
▸ 4. Practical Pattern
lima ka libo ka + Noun
Lima ka libo ka tiket among gipalit.
- Shortcut phrases: lima ka libo ra (only 5 000) | lima ka libo pa (5 000 more)
- Frequency: Lima ka libo ka beses siya mi-praktis sa tuig.
- Ordinal: ika-lima ka libo = 5000ᵗʰ
▸ 5. Five Common Pitfalls
- Forgetting ka: ✗ lima ka libo mansanas
- Double plural: ✗ lima ka libo ka mga tawo
- Mixing singko mil inside an otherwise native sentence
- Reversing order: ✗ mansanas lima ka libo ka
- Using cardinal when ordinal is needed (ika-lima ka libo, not lima ka libo when ranking)
▸ 6. Useful Collocations
- lima ka libo ka piraso / pesos / tawo
- lima ka libo ra — only 5 000
- lima ka libo pa — 5 000 more
- ika-lima ka libo — 5000ᵗʰ
- sa lima ka libo ka adlaw — in 5 000 days
▸ 7. Learner Alerts
- Phone numbers and peso amounts are normally read singko mil or English “five-thousand.”
- Pronounce /LÍ-ma ka LI-bo/ (stress on LÍ and LI).
- Avoid Tagalog limang-libo in Cebuano settings.
- For rough counts use mga or hapit (e.g., hapit lima ka libo = “almost 5 000”).
▸ 8. Handy Conversational Phrases
- Lima ka libo ra mi kabuok karon. — “Only five-thousand of us now.”
- Pwede ko mangayo og lima ka libo pa ka kutsara? — “May I have five-thousand more spoons?”
- Lima ka libo na lang ang nahibilin. — “Only five-thousand are left.”
- Magkita ta mga lima ka libo ka oras gikan karon. — “Let’s meet about five-thousand hours from now.”
- Lima ka libo ka beses nako gisulayan—nakaya ra gyud! — “I tried five-thousand times and finally did it!”
▸ 9. Five Short Dialogues (Cebuano ⇄ English)
| # | Cebuano Q | Cebuano A | English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tag-pila ang lima ka libo ka mangga? | Napulo ka libo ra tanan. | “How much for 5 000 mangoes?” — “Just ₱10 000 in all.” |
| 2 | Lima ka libo ba ka adlaw ka mag-bakasyon? | Dili, tulo-ka-libo ra. | “Will you vacation for 5 000 days?” — “No, only 3 000.” |
| 3 | Naa kay lima ka libo ka tiket? | Wala, upat-ka-libo ug siyam-napulo ra nabilin. | “Do you have 5 000 tickets?” — “No, only 4 090 left.” |
| 4 | Lima ka libo na ka tuig ta nag-kaila? | Mga upat-ka-libo pa lang siguro. | “Have we known each other 5 000 years?” — “More like 4 000.” |
| 5 | Mopalit ta og lima ka libo ka botelya? | Daghan ra; duha-ka-libo lang usa. | “Shall we buy 5 000 bottles?” — “Too many; 2 000 first.” |
▸ 10. Multiple-Choice Dialogue Questions
All answers contain lima ka libo. Choose the one sentence that has correct Cebuano word order.
Q1. Lima ka libo ba ka libro imong gipalit?
A. Gipalit ko lima ka libo ka libro.
B. Libro lima ka libo ka akong gipalit.
C. Lima ka libo ka libro akong gipalit.
Q2. Lima ka libo ba mo ka adlaw mag-puyo dinhi?
A. Dinhi lima ka libo ka adlaw mo mag-puyo.
B. Mag-puyo dinhi mo lima ka libo ka adlaw.
C. Mo mag-puyo dinhi lima ka libo ka adlaw.
Q3. Lima ka libo ba ka bata ang nag-dula sa gawas?
A. Lima ka libo ka bata nag-dula sa gawas.
B. Sa gawas nag-dula lima ka libo ka bata.
C. Nag-dula lima ka libo ka bata sa gawas.
Q4. Lima ka libo ba ta ka botelya ang paliton?
A. Paliton ta lima ka libo ka botelya.
B. Botelya lima ka libo ka paliton ta.
C. Ta lima ka libo ka botelya paliton.
Q5. Lima ka libo ba sila ka beses ni-adto didto?
A. Didto sila lima ka libo ka beses ni-adto.
B. Lima ka libo ka beses sila didto ni-adto.
C. Ni-adto sila didto lima ka libo ka beses.
▸ Answer Key & Explanations
- Q1 → A – Verb gipalit ko then object; numeral phrase right before noun.
- Q2 → C – Helper mo + verb, place, numeral sequence is most natural.
- Q3 → A – Subject phrase first; others move adverbial in awkward slots.
- Q4 → A – Imperative Paliton ta followed by full object is correct order.
- Q5 → C – Frequency phrase fits smoothly at clause end; A/B invert components.
