Cebuano Word Focus: “o”
1 Part of Speech & Meaning
- Part of Speech: Conjunction
- Core Meaning: “or” — links two (or more) alternatives of equal weight.
Example sentences
- Gusto ka’g kape o tsaa? — “Do you want coffee or tea?”
- Adto ta karon o ugma? — “Shall we go now or tomorrow?”
- Siya ba o ako ang motubag? — “Will he or I answer?”
2 Key Points When Learning Cebuano Conjunctions
- No comma is needed before o; spacing is enough.
- Mutual exclusivity: o usually presents a real choice; adding “both” (pareho) with o is illogical.
- Avoid double connectors: don’t follow o with another conjunction like ug (“and”).
- Spelling variants: o (standard) vs. o’ (gossip-style contractions) are rare—stick to plain o.
- Parallel structure: keep the linked items in the same grammatical category.
3 Common Collocations with “o”
- Verb + o + verb: mobasa o maminaw (“read or listen”)
- Noun + o + noun: isul-ob nga jacket o coat (“wear a jacket or coat”)
- Phrase + o + phrase: sa buntag o sa hapon (“in the morning or in the afternoon”)
- Fixed question tag: …o dili? — “…or not?” (e.g., Moadto ka o dili?)
4 Typical Position in a Sentence
O appears between the two alternatives it coordinates. It never stands at the very beginning or end of a sentence.
5 Five Conversational Phrases
- Pwede karon o unya? — “Is now or later okay?”
- Tinapay o bugas imong gusto? — “Bread or rice do you prefer?”
- Kontaktahi ko sa tawag o text. — “Reach me by call or text.”
- Mubiyahe ka sakay bus o tren? — “Will you travel by bus or train?”
- Mopalit ba ka o dili? — “Are you buying or not?”
6 Five Simple Everyday Conversation Exchanges
Dialogue 1
- A: Mokaon ta pizza o pasta karon gabii?
- B: Mas gusto ko pizza karon gabii.
A: “Shall we eat pizza or pasta tonight?”
B: “I prefer pizza tonight.”
Dialogue 2
- A: Mo-apply ka online o personal?
- B: Mo-apply ko online kay paspas.
“Will you apply online or in person?” – “I’ll apply online because it’s faster.”
Dialogue 3
- A: Naa ba kay cash o card ra?
- B: Card ra ang naa nako.
“Do you have cash or only a card?” – “I only have a card.”
Dialogue 4
- A: Mupauli ka karon o ugma sa buntag?
- B: Ugma sa buntag ko mupauli.
“Are you going home now or tomorrow morning?” – “I’m going home tomorrow morning.”
Dialogue 5
- A: Nitan-aw ka sine o konsiyerto kagabii?
- B: Nitan-aw ko konsiyerto kagabii.
“Did you watch a movie or a concert last night?” – “I watched a concert last night.”
7 Multiple-Choice Dialogue Questions
Q1. Gusto ka ba’g kape o tsaa?
A. Ko’g gusto tsaa kape o.
B. Gusto ko’g kape o tsaa.
C. Kape tsaa o gusto ko’g.
Q2. Mo-adto ta karon o ugma?
A. Mo-adto ta ugma o sunod semana.
B. Ugma o ta mo-adto sunod semana.
C. Sunod semana mo-adto o ta ugma.
Q3. Nipalit ba siya libro o magasin?
A. Libro nipalit o siya magasin.
B. Nipalit libro o siya magasin.
C. Nipalit siya libro o magasin.
Q4. Mag-exercise ka sa balay o sa gym?
A. Mag-exercise ko sa gym o sa balay.
B. Sa balay ko sa gym exercise o mag.
C. Gym o sa exercise ko balay mag.
Q5. Mokontak ka pinaagi tawag o text?
A. Pinaagi text o tawag mokontak ko pinaagi.
B. Mokontak ko pinaagi text o tawag.
C. Mokontak tawag ko o pinaagi text.
Answer Key & Explanations
- Q1: B – standard “Gusto ko’g [item 1] o [item 2]” word order.
- Q2: A – correct declarative sentence; verb-subject first, two options joined by o.
- Q3: C – keeps “Nipalit siya [item 1] o [item 2]” structure; others scramble elements.
- Q4: A – sentence starts with verb, followed by prepositional phrases linked with o.
- Q5: B – proper order: verb-subject + adverbial phrase containing both alternatives with o.
