日本語の説明は英語の後にあります
Part of speech
Personal pronoun, first-person singular, genitive/oblique case
(roughly “me” or “my” placed after the word it belongs to).
Sentence position
“Nako” never starts a sentence. It follows:
| Situation | Pattern | Example | English gloss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Possession | noun + nako | libro nako | my book |
| Indirect object | verb + nako | Ihatag nako ang libro. | Give the book to me. |
| After a preposition | prep + nako | para nako | for me |
Related / contracted forms
| Form | Case & use | Position | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ako | free nominative / oblique (“I / me / my”) | may stand first | Ako ang mag-luto. – I will cook. |
| ko | enclitic nominative / genitive | must follow a verb | Mopalit ko ug kape. – I will buy coffee. |
| nako | genitive / oblique free form | after verb, noun, or preposition | Ihatag nako. – Give it to me. |
Common phrases
- para nako – for me
- kay nako – to me / because of me
- alang nako – for me (formal)
- dili nako – not me / I do not
Detailed usage
- Showing ownership: put “nako” right after the noun.
- payong nako – my umbrella
- Receiving something: place it after the verb.
- After prepositions: use it with para, kay, sa, alang, etc.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Why it is wrong | How to fix |
|---|---|---|
| libro ako | “Ako” should not follow a noun in this role. | libro nako |
| Starting a sentence with nako | “Nako” is post-posed. | Use ako: Ako ang… |
| Mixing ko and nako | ko cannot stand alone; nako can. | Choose by position (see table above). |
Example sentences
| # | Cebuano sentence | Simple English | Parts of speech (key words) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ihatag nako ang libro, palihog. | Please give the book to me. | ihatag (V) / nako (PRON) / ang (ART) / libro (N) / palihog (INTJ) |
| 2 | Para nako, lami ang tinola. | For me, tinola tastes good. | para (PREP) / nako (PRON) / lami (ADJ) / ang (ART) / tinola (N) |
| 3 | Nasayop nako ang pagsulat sa adres. | I made a mistake writing the address. | nasayop (V-past) / nako (PRON) / ang (ART) / pagsulat (N-verbal) / sa (PREP) / adres (N) |
Question
Which option is the correct response?
Q1: Asa na ang kwarta?
(Where is the money now?)
Q2: Kinsa ang naghatag sa yawi?
(Who gave the key?)
Q3: Para kinsa ning mensahe?
(For whom is this message?)
Q4: Kinsa ang nagdala sa bag sa balay?
(Who brought the bag home?)
| Choice | Cebuano answer |
|---|---|
| A | Nako gidala ang bag sa balay. |
| B | Gidala ang bag nako sa balay. |
| C | Gidala nako ang bag sa balay. |
Q5: Kinsay nagsulat ani nga nota?
(Who wrote this note?)
| Choice | Cebuano answer |
|---|---|
| A | Gisulat nako kini nga nota. |
| B | Kini nga nota gisulat nako. |
| C | Nako gisulat kini nga nota. |
Answer
Q1 Correct: Naa nako ang kwarta.
- Why correct: naa (“is/are with”) is an existential verb; the oblique pronoun nako must come immediately after that verb, followed by ang + the item possessed (kwarta “money”).
- Why others are wrong: Both alternatives separate nako from the verb or place ang before the verb, violating the required naa + nako sequence.
Q2 Correct: Gihatag nako ang yawi.
- Why correct: In a patient-focus clause, the verb gihatag (“gave”) is first, the agent nako follows the verb, and the focused object ang yawi (“the key”) comes next.
- Why others are wrong: One version places ang before the pronoun (making ang mark nothing), and the other puts nako before the verb—both illegal positions for this clitic.
Q3 Correct: Para nako ning mensahe.
- Why correct: A preposition (para “for”) is directly followed by the oblique pronoun nako, then the demonstrative + noun (ning mensahe “this message”).
- Why others are wrong: They break the fixed “para + oblique pronoun” link or insert the noun between para and nako, resulting in an ungrammatical phrase.
Q4 Correct: Gidala nako ang bag sa balay.
- Why correct: The patient-focus verb gidala (“brought”) is followed by the agent nako, then the focused object ang bag and the location sa balay (“to the house”).
- Why others are wrong: One places nako before the verb, the other moves ang bag before nako—both violate the rule that the clitic agent immediately follows the verb in a patient-focus clause.
Q5 Correct: Gisulat nako kini nga nota.
- Why correct: Verb gisulat (“wrote”) + agent nako + object phrase (kini nga nota “this note”). This respects Cebuano patient-focus word order.
- Why others are wrong: One front-loads the object before the verb; the other starts with nako, leaving the verb without its required first-position slot—both moves break the core word-order template.
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