English – “na” (shortened form of kana)
Part of speech & meaning
• Colloquial demonstrative – pronoun or determiner
• Core sense: “that / there (near you)”; a clipped version of kana (“that near the listener”)
Contracted form
• na (or apostrophized ’na) is already the contraction; full form is kana.
Typical sentence position
• Determiner: na nga + noun na nga balay = “that house”
• Pronoun/adverb: after a verb or preposition Gipalit ko na = “I bought that”
• Often merges with preceding word in fast talk: ’na.
Common collocations
- na nga adlaw – that day
- na lang – just that / only there
- ari ’na – come over there (your side)
- unsa man na? – what is that?
Detailed usage
• Very common in casual speech, texting, lyrics.
• Functionally identical to kana but sounds lighter/faster.
• Use it only for things at or near the listener; for distant items choose kadto / didto.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting the linker nga before a noun (❌ na balay → ✔ na nga balay).
- Using na for an object near the speaker (use ni/kini instead).
- Over-using na in formal writing; editors prefer kana.
Example sentences and POS breakdown
Cebuano sentence | English meaning | Parts of speech |
---|---|---|
Na nga bulak humot kaayo. | That flower (near you) smells very good. | na (DEM) that • nga (LINK) • bulak (N) flower • humot (ADJ) fragrant • kaayo (ADV) very |
Gipalit nako na sa merkado. | I bought that at the market. | gipalit (V) bought • nako (PR) I • na (DEM) that • sa (PREP) at • merkado (N) market |
Unsa man na? | What is that? | unsa (WH) what • man (PART) tone • na (DEM) that |
品詞と意味
• 口語の指示詞(代名詞・限定詞)
• 「それ/そちら」(聞き手の近く)を素早く言う省略形
文中での位置
• na nga + 名詞:na nga balay=「その家」
• 動詞+na:Gipalit ko na=「私はそれを買った」
• 会話では前語にくっ付いて ’na と表記されることも。
よく使うフレーズ
使い方の詳細
• チャットや日常会話で頻出。機能は kana と同じだが軽い響き。
• 聞き手のそばにある物・場所限定で使う。遠く離れた物には kadto / didto を使用。
間違えやすい点
日常例文と品詞分解
セブアノ語 | 日本語訳 | 品詞分解 |
---|---|---|
Na nga bulak humot kaayo. | その花はとても良い香りがする。 | na(指示)それ • nga(連結) • bulak(名)花 • humot(形)香りが良い • kaayo(副)とても |
Gipalit nako na sa merkado. | 私はそれを市場で買った。 | gipalit(動)買った • nako(代)私が • na(指示)それ • sa(前)〜で • merkado(名)市場 |
Unsa man na? | それは何? | unsa(疑問)何 • man(助)語気 • na(指示)それ |
まとめ
na はカジュアルな「それ/そちら」。名詞前では na nga, 動詞後では単独で使う。フォーマルには kana を用い、話し手側や遠方の物とは使い分ける。