pait

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

• Part of speech: adjective (can also serve adverbially)
• Core meaning: “bitter,” “acrid,” literally for taste or figuratively for painful experiences.

Sample sentences

1. Pait ang kapí kung walay gatas. – Coffee is bitter without milk.
2. Pait kaayo ang iyang kasinatian niadtong panahona. – Her experience back then was very bitter.
3. Pait nga pulotan ang ampalaya—but lami kung lutuan sakto. – Bitter melon is a bitter appetizer, yet tasty if cooked right.
4. Napait ang pamuot sa publiko human sa iskandalo. – The public felt bitter after the scandal.

2 Linking endings and derivational forms

• Linkers
  • -ng before a consonant: pait-ng tsaa – bitter tea.
  • nga before a vowel / emphasis: pait nga gamot – bitter herb.
• Degree & intensity
  • mas pait – more bitter.
  • pinakapait – most bitter.
  • pait-pait – slightly bitter.
  • pait kaayo / pait gyud – very bitter.
• Exclamatory & abstracts
  • Kapait oy! – How bitter!
  • kapaitan – bitterness.
  • pagkapait – the state of being bitter.
• Verb forms
  • mupait / nipait / nagpait – to turn bitter.
  • papaíta! / papaíton – make something taste bitter.

3 Typical position in a sentence

1. Predicate: Ang tsaa pait. – The tea is bitter.
2. Modifier with linker: pait nga tsaa.
3. Complement after emphasis: Mao ni ang pait nga tinuod. – This is the bitter truth.

4 Common collocations

• pait nga kape – bitter coffee
• pait nga kamunggay – bitter leafy greens
• pait nga kasinatian – bitter experience
• pait nga pagkaminsahe – bitter message
• pait nga damgo – bitter dream

5 How it’s used in detail

“Pait” first signals a sharp, disagreeable flavor (pait nga tsokolate – dark chocolate) but also conveys emotional pain or disappointment (pait nga kapalaran – bitter fate). When placed directly before a noun, pair it with a linker; drop the linker in predicate position. Use mas / pinaka- for comparison, and reduplication (pait-pait) to soften intensity. Verb forms mark the process of becoming bitter—whether literal spoilage or figurative resentment (mipait ang iyang kasing-kasing).

6 Common mistakes

• Forgetting the linker (✗ pait kape → ✓ pait-ng kape).
• Writing pait mas instead of mas pait.
• Splitting pinaka (✗ pinaka pait → ✓ pinakapait).
• Using pait to mean “salty” (alat is salty).
• Your spell-checker might change pait to paint—watch out!

7 Five casual phrases

1. Kapait sa tinuod, pero kinahanglan dawaton. – The truth is bitter, but we must accept it.
2. Mas pait ning tableya kung pure cacao. – This tablea is more bitter when it’s pure cacao.
3. Pinakapait gyud ni nga leksiyon sa akong kinabuhi. – This is truly the bitterest lesson in my life.
4. Pait-pait ra ang timpla; sakto ra sa kape lovers. – The blend is a bit bitter—just right for coffee lovers.
5. Mupait ra ang sabaw kung pasobraan nimo og dahon. – The broth will get bitter if you add too many leaves.

8 Five mini-dialogues

1. Q: Pait ba ang ampalaya fries? – Are the bitter-melon fries bitter?
   A: Oo, pait gyud—but healthy daw. – Yes, really bitter, but they say healthy.
2. Q: Ngano mas pait man ni nga tsaa? – Why is this tea more bitter?
   A: Mas pait kay dugay gihumol. – More bitter because it was steeped longer.
3. Q: Asa ang pinakapait nga kape sa café? – Which coffee is the most bitter in the café?
   A: Ang dark roast blend pinakapait. – The dark-roast blend is the bitterest.
4. Q: Pait-pait na ba ang dagway sa panahon? – Does the weather look a bit grim?
   A: Oo, basin mo-uwan unya. – Yes, it might rain later.
5. Q: Unsaon nato pagpapaít pa gamay sa sauce? – How do we make the sauce a bit bitter?
   A: Idugang og cocoa powder gamay. – Add a little cocoa powder.

9 Multiple-choice practice

Q1. Pait ba ang imong tsaa?
A. Pait kaayo ang akong tsaa.
B. Tsaa pait kaayo ang akong.
C. Pait tsaa kaayo ang akong.

Q2. Asa ang mas pait, ang dark chocolate o milk chocolate?
A. Mas pait ang dark chocolate kaysa milk chocolate.
B. Dark chocolate kaysa milk chocolate ang mas pait.
C. Mas pait kaysa dark chocolate ang milk chocolate.

Q3. Pinakapait ba kini nga herbal drink sa tindahan?
A. Kini pinakapait herbal drink sa tindahan.
B. Pinakapait kini nga herbal drink sa tindahan.
C. Herbal drink kini pinakapait sa tindahan.

Q4. Ngano pait ra ang imong dagway karon?
A. Pait ra akong dagway kay gi-buwagan ko.
B. Dagway pait ra akong kay gi-buwagan ko.
C. Gi-buwagan ko dagway pait ra akong kay.

Q5. Kinsa’y naay pait-pait nga recipe para salad?
A. Si Lana naay pait-pait nga recipe.
B. Naay si Lana pait-pait recipe.
C. Recipe pait-pait naay si Lana.

Answer key & quick explanations

• Q1 – A Correct predicate order pait kaayo before subject. B & C jumble article placement.
• Q2 – C Pattern “Mas pait kaysa X ang Y.” Options A & B mislocate comparative elements.
• Q3 – B Pinakapait directly precedes kini plus linker; A & C mis-order demonstrative or noun.
• Q4 – A Predicate then reason clause; B & C scramble subject-predicate flow.
• Q5 – A Standard “naay + subject + description.” B & C disrupt the structure.