mubo

1. Part of speech, core meaning, basic usage, and sample sentences

Part of speech: adjective
Core meaning: “short,” “low,” or “brief”—describes limited vertical height (mubo nga pader “low wall”), physical length (mubo nga tudlo “short finger”), or figurative duration/extent (mubo nga panahon “brief time”).

Example sentences

• Mubo ang bakod sa atubangan. – The front fence is low.
• Nagsulat siya og mubo nga mensahe. – He wrote a short message.
• Mubo ra ang imong buhok karon. – Your hair is rather short now.
• Namubo ang presyo tungod sa diskwento. – The price decreased because of the discount.

2. Linkers and derivational morphology for “mubo”

Linkers that connect the adjective to a following noun

• -ng → mubo’ng istorya – “short story” (next word starts with a consonant).
• nga → mubo nga oras – “brief time” (next word starts with a vowel or when clarity is preferred).

Common degree markers, intensifiers, and related forms

• mas mubo – “shorter / lower.”
• pinakamubo – “shortest / lowest.”
• mubo-mubo – “somewhat short.”
• mubo kaayo / mubo gyud – “very short / really low.”

Exclamatory and abstract nouns

• Kamubo nimo! – “How short you are!”
• kamubo-an – “shortness, lowness.”
• pagkamubo – “the state of being short.”

Verb derivatives

• mumubo / namubo / nagmubo – intransitive “to become shorter or lower” (future, past, present-progressive).
• pamubo-a (imperative) / pamubo-on (future patient-focus) – causative “to shorten / lower.”

3. Typical positions in a sentence

1. Predicate after the subject: Ang tulay mubo. – The bridge is short.
2. Modifier before a noun with linker: mubo’ng kaldero – short pot.
3. Complement after emphatic construction: Mao ni ang mubo nga bersiyon. – This is the short version.

4. Common collocations

• mubo nga bakod – low fence
• mubo nga tingog – low (soft) voice
• mubo nga teksto – short text
• mubo nga pasensya – little patience
• mubo nga tubo – low growth

5. Detailed notes on use

“Mubo” can refer to height (mubo nga poste), length (mubo nga pisi “short rope”), quantity or duration (mubo nga panahon “brief time”), and even status (mubo ang ranggo “low rank”). When modifying a noun directly, mubo must take a linker; as a predicate adjective it stands alone. Comparative (mas mubo) and superlative (pinakamubo) follow the standard Cebuano pattern, and reduplication (mubo-mubo) softens intensity. Verb forms let you describe something decreasing in length, height, or amount (nagmubo ang tubig “the water level dropped”).

6. Common mistakes to avoid

• Dropping the linker before a noun (✗ mubo bakod → ✓ mubo’ng bakod).
• Placing mas after the adjective (✗ mubo mas → ✓ mas mubo).
• Separating pinaka from the root (✗ pinaka mubo → ✓ pinakamubo).
• Omitting the hyphen in reduplication (✗ mubomubo → ✓ mubo-mubo).
• Using mubo for “young” (age); prefer bata or batan-on when talking about age rather than height.

7. Five everyday conversational phrases

1. Mubo ra ko’g panahon, paspasa ta. – I have only a short time, let’s hurry.
2. Pwede mubo lang nga biyahe? – Can we take just a short trip?
3. Mas mubo ang bayad kung early-bird ka. – The fee is lower if you’re an early-bird.
4. Kamubo sa imong tingog, palihog kusga gamay. – Your voice is too low; please speak up a bit.
5. Pinakamubo gyud ni nga linya sa libro. – This is indeed the shortest line in the book.

8. Five short conversation exchanges

1. Q: Mubo ba ang imong buhok karon? – Is your hair short now?
   A: Oo, mubo kaayo kay bag-o ra ko nagpa-gunting. – Yes, it’s very short because I just had a haircut.
2. Q: Ngano mas mubo ang presyo sa merkado? – Why is the market price lower?
   A: Mas mubo kay daghan ang supply karon. – It’s lower because supply is abundant now.
3. Q: Asa ko makakita og mubo nga video sa leksiyon? – Where can I find a short video of the lesson?
   A: Tan-awa sa opisyal nga website; naay mubo nga clip didto. – Check the official website; there’s a short clip there.
4. Q: Mubo ra ba ang agi dinhi? – Is the handwriting here small?
   A: Mubo-mubo ra pero klaro gihapon. – It’s fairly small but still clear.
5. Q: Unsaon nimo pag-mubo sa gasto? – How will you cut down expenses?
   A: Pamubo-on nako ang konsumo sa kuryente. – I will reduce electricity consumption.

9. Multiple-choice dialogue questions

Q1. Mubo ba ang imong mesa?
A. Oo, mubo kaayo ang akong mesa.
B. Oo, mesa mubo kaayo akong ang.
C. Oo, mubo mesa kaayo ang akong.

Q2. Asa ang mas mubo, ang libro o ang notebook?
A. Mas mubo ang libro kaysa notebook.
B. Libro kaysa notebook ang mas mubo.
C. Mas mubo kaysa libro ang notebook.

Q3. Pinakamubo ba kini nga estorya imong nadungog?
A. Oo, pinakamubo kini nga estorya akong nadungog.
B. Oo, kini pinakamubo nadungog akong estorya.
C. Oo, nadungog kini akong nga pinakamubo estorya.

Q4. Ngano mubo ra imong mensahe?
A. Mubo ra ang akong mensahe kay nag-dali ko.
B. Ang akong mensahe mubo ra kay ko nag-dali.
C. Nag-dali ko mensahe mubo ra akong ang.

Q5. Kinsa’y naay mubo-mubo nga buhok sa opisina?
A. Si Carlo naay mubo-mubo nga buhok.
B. Naay si Carlo mubo-mubo buhok.
C. Buhok mubo-mubo naay si Carlo.

Answer key with brief explanations

• Q1 – A is correct. Predicate mubo kaayo precedes the subject. B and C jumble articles and order.
• Q2 – A is correct. Follows the pattern “Mas mubo ang X kaysa Y.” B and C misplace comparative elements.
• Q3 – A is correct. Pinakamubo precedes kini and the clause is orderly; B and C mis-order demonstrative and verb.
• Q4 – A is correct. Predicate first, then reason clause. B and C scramble ang phrase and cause.
• Q5 – A is correct. “Naay + subject + description” is complete; B and C break the sequence.