ngitngit

Below is a compact, table-free lesson for the Cebuano adjective “ngitngit.”
I’ve kept the answer-key letters randomised so that the correct option is not always “A.”

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

• Part of speech: adjective (also an adverb “in the dark”)
• Meaning: “dark,” “dim,” “gloomy,” either literal (lack of light) or figurative (grim mood).

Examples

1. Ngitngit ang kalsada kung gabii. – The road is dark at night.
2. Ngitngit kaayo ang langit; basin mo-ulan. – The sky is very dark; it might rain.
3. Nag-meeting sila sa ngitngit nga basement. – They met in the dim basement.
4. Ngitngit ang iyang panan-aw sa kinabuhi. – Her outlook on life is gloomy.

2 Linking endings & derivational patterns

• Linkers
  • nga (most natural): ngitngit nga kwarto – dark room.
  • -ng can appear colloquially: ngitngit-ng suok – dark corner.
• Degree / intensity
  • mas ngitngit – darker.
  • pinakangitngit – darkest.
  • ngitngit-ngit – rather dark.
  • ngitngit kaayo / ngitngit gyud – very dark / truly gloomy.
• Exclamatory & abstract forms
  • Kangitngit oy! – How dark!
  • kangitngit – darkness.
  • pagkangitngit – the state of being dark.
• Verb relatives
  • mangitngit / ningitngit / nagngitngit – to get dark.
  • pangitngi-a! / pangitngiton – darken something, dim the lights.

3 Typical sentence spots

1. Predicate: Ang eskinita ngitngit. – The alley is dark.
2. Modifier: ngitngit nga eskinita.
3. After an emphatic phrase: Mao ni ang ngitngit nga bahin sa estorya. – This is the dark part of the story.

4 Common collocations

• ngitngit nga dalan – dark street
• ngitngit nga suok – dim corner
• ngitngit nga hunahuna – gloomy thoughts
• ngitngit nga panganod – dark cloud
• ngitngit nga sinina – dark clothes

5 How it’s used in detail

“Ngitngit” covers any absence of light and, by extension, a gloomy mood.
Use a linker when it comes before a noun and none when it follows it.
Comparatives (mas ngitngit) and superlatives (pinakangitngit) follow regular Cebuano patterns. Reduplication (ngitngit-ngit) weakens the force to “somewhat dark.” Verb forms like mangitngit express the action of darkening.

6 Frequent errors

• Dropping the linker: ✗ ngitngit kwarto → ✓ ngitngit nga kwarto.
• Saying ngitngit mas instead of mas ngitngit.
• Splitting pinaka away from the root: ✗ pinaka ngitngit → ✓ pinakangitngit.
• Using ngitngit for “dirty” (use hugaw).
• Misspelling as “ngit-ngit” (no hyphen in the root).

7 Five useful everyday phrases

1. Kangitngit sa kuryente kung brown-out! – Power outages are so dark!
2. Mas ngitngit diri kung walay bintana. – It’s darker here if there’s no window.
3. Pinakangitngit gyud ni nga parte sa kweba. – This is truly the darkest part of the cave.
4. Ngitngit-ngit ra ang panganod; basin ulan lang gamay. – The clouds look a bit dark; maybe just light rain.
5. Pangitngi-a gamay ang screen kay sakit sa mata. – Dim the screen a bit; it hurts the eyes.

8 Five short conversations

1. Q: Ngitngit ba ang dalan pa-uli? – Is the road home dark?
   A: Oo, ngitngit kaayo kay walay poste sa suga. – Yes, very dark; there are no streetlamps.
2. Q: Ngano mas ngitngit man ang litrato? – Why is the photo darker?
   A: Mas ngitngit kay gipa-ubos ang exposure. – Darker because the exposure was lowered.
3. Q: Asa ang pinakangitngit nga bahin sa parke? – Where is the darkest area in the park?
   A: Duol sa dakong kahoy, gamay ra’g lampara. – Near the big tree; there are only a few lamps.
4. Q: Ngitngit-ngit na ba ang kalangitan? – Is the sky somewhat dark now?
   A: Oo, murag mo-uwan na. – Yes, looks like it will rain.
5. Q: Unsaon nato pag-ngitngit sa ambience? – How do we darken the ambience?
   A: Pawnga ang uban suga ug gamiti’g kandila. – Turn off some lights and use candles.

9 Multiple-choice dialogue practice

Q1. Ngitngit ba ang hallway?
A. Ngitngit hallway kaayo ang.
B. Ngitngit kaayo ang hallway.
C. Hallway ngitngit kaayo ang.

Q2. Asa ang mas ngitngit, ang silid A o silid B?
A. Mas ngitngit kaysa silid A ang silid B.
B. Silid A kaysa silid B ang mas ngitngit.
C. Mas ngitngit ang silid A kaysa silid B.

Q3. Pinakangitngit ba kini nga dapit sa syudad?
A. Pinakangitngit kini nga dapit sa syudad.
B. Kini pinakangitngit nga dapit sa syudad.
C. Dapit kini pinakangitngit sa syudad.

Q4. Ngano ngitngit ra imong panan-aw?
A. Ngitngit ra akong panan-aw kay kapoy ko.
B. Akong panan-aw ngitngit ra kay ko kapoy.
C. Kapoy ko panan-aw ngitngit ra akong kay.

Q5. Kinsa’y naay ngitngit-ngit nga kwarto sa balay?
A. Naay si Lito ngitngit-ngit kwarto.
B. Si Lito naay ngitngit-ngit nga kwarto.
C. Kwarto ngitngit-ngit naay si Lito.

Answer key

• Q1 – B → Correct Cebuano word order: predicate ngitngit kaayo + subject. A & C scramble articles and positions.
• Q2 – A → Pattern “Mas ngitngit kaysa X ang Y” is also acceptable; the others mis-place comparative parts.
• Q3 – B → Demonstrative kini comes first, followed by pinakangitngit and the linker. A & C mis-order or drop linker.
• Q4 – A → Predicate first, then reason clause; B & C jumble subject-predicate sequence.
• Q5 – B → Standard “naay + subject + description.” A & C break the structure.