nato

日本語の説明は英語の後にあります。

1. Part of Speech & Basic Usage

• Part of Speech: First-person plural inclusive pronoun (object/possessive form)
• Meaning: “us” or “our” when the group includes both the speaker and the listener
• Function: Marks who performs or receives an action (after verbs) or whose when showing possession (after prepositions)

2. Contracted Form

• There is no standard contraction of nato in Cebuano.
• In very casual speech you might hear a slight vowel reduction (“n’to”), but this is informal and regional.

3. Sentence Position

• Always follows a verb or a preposition—never as the subject.
  • Correct (verb + nato): Gihatag nato ang libro. (“We gave the book.”)
  • Correct (prep + nato): Para nato kini. (“This is for us.”)
  • Incorrect: Nato gihatag ang libro.
  • Incorrect as subject: Nato nagluto. (should be Kita/kami ang nagluto.)

4. Common Phrases

• gihatag nato = we (inclusive) gave
• para nato = for us
• gikan nato = from us
• uban nato = (come) with us
• wala pa nato = we haven’t yet

5. Detailed Usage

1. As the agent (“we did it”)
   • Gihatag nato ang donasyon.
     (“We gave the donation.”)
2. As the recipient (“for us”)
   • Para nato kini nga proyekto.
     (“This project is for us.”)
3. As possessive (“our”)
   • Kuwarto nato karon.
     (“Our room now.”)
4. Distinguishing inclusive vs. exclusive
   • nato includes the person you’re speaking to
   • namo excludes the person you’re speaking to

6. Common Mistakes

• Mixing up “nato” (inclusive) with “namo” (exclusive)
  • Gihatag namo ang libro. → “We (but not you) gave the book.”
  • Gihatag nato ang libro. → “We (including you) gave the book.”
• Using as subject instead of object/pronoun after verb/prep
  • ❌ Nato nagtrabaho. → ✅ Kita/kami ang nagtrabaho.
• Word-order errors
  • ❌ Nato gihatag ang libro. → ✅ Gihatag nato ang libro.

7. Example Sentences

1. Gihatag nato ang regalo sa maestro.
2. Para nato ni nga panihapon.
3. Para nato ni.

8. Parts-of-Speech Breakdown

9. Multiple-Choice Dialogue Questions Using “nato”

Q1. Asa nato ibutang ang libro?
A. Nato ibutang ang libro sa estante.
B. Ibutang nato ang libro sa estante.
C. Estante sa ibutang nato ang libro.

Q2. Kanus-a nato sugdan ang miting?
A. miting alas nuwebe nato sugdan.
B. Sugdan ug alas nuwebe ang nato miting.
C. Sugdan nato ang miting ug alas nuwebe.

Q3. Unsa’y buhaton nato karon?
A. Lutoon nato ang panihapon karon.
B. Nato lutoon og karon panihapon.
C. Lutoon karon og nato panihapon.

Q4. Asa nato dad-on ang bisita ugma?
A. Siya dad-on nato ugma sa templo.
B. Dad-on siya nato sa templo ugma.
C. Dad-on nato siya sa templo ugma.

Q5. Unsa’y kinahanglan nato paliton sa tindahan?
A. Kinahanglan paliton ang bugas ug nato gatas.
B. Kinahanglan nato paliton ang bugas ug gatas.
C. Paliton nato kinahanglan ang bugas ug gatas.

Answer Key and Explanations

Q1 – Correct: B
• Why it is correct: The natural order is verb + actor pronoun (nato) + object + place.
• Why A is wrong: Starts with nato, leaving the verb without its actor; sounds clipped.
• Why C is wrong: Places nato after the noun it possesses; possessive pronouns normally follow the noun immediately without an intervening phrase.

Q2 – Correct: C
• Why it is correct: Verb + actor pronoun + object + time. Clear and grammatical.
• Why A is wrong: Puts time phrase inside the subject, breaking flow.
• Why B is wrong: Splits verb and actor with a time phrase; the sentence feels scrambled.

Q3 – Correct: A
• Why it is correct: Verb + actor pronoun + object + time. Standard declarative structure.
• Why B is wrong: Begins with nato before a verb, which Cebuano rarely allows.
• Why C is wrong: Inserts nato inside the object phrase, so the verb and actor are separated.

Q4 – Correct: C
• Why it is correct: Verb + actor pronoun + object + destination + time. Smooth order.
• Why A is wrong: Starts with the object then actor, creating an awkward inversion.
• Why B is wrong: Places nato after the object and before destination; disrupts verb–actor link.

Q5 – Correct: B
• Why it is correct: Modal (Kinahanglan) + actor pronoun + verb + objects. Logical and clear.
• Why A is wrong: Splits the object list, inserting nato incorrectly between nouns.
• Why C is wrong: Swaps modal and verb positions, making the clause hard to follow.