panahon

Cebuano Word: panahon
(noun — two core senses: 1) “time, season, period” 2) “weather, climate” depending on context)

1 Part of Speech, Meaning, Usage, and Example Sentences

• Part of speech: noun
• Meanings:
  1. Time / season – any span or point in time (panahon sa bakasyon “vacation period”).
  2. Weather / climate – the state of the atmosphere (init ang panahon “the weather is hot”).

Example sentences

• Wala koy panahon karon sa salida. – I have no time for a movie now.
• Nindot ang panahon karong buntag. – The weather is nice this morning.
• Sa panahon sa ting-ulan, magdala ta ug payong. – During the rainy season, we bring umbrellas.

2 Singular & Plural Forms

• Singular: panahon – one time / the weather
• Plural: mga panahon – different times / various weathers or seasons (used mainly in literary style)

3 Where You Use panahon in a Sentence

• Subject: Ang panahon mausab-usab karong semanaha. – The weather is changeable this week.
• Object: Gikinahanglan ko og panahon para mohuna-huna. – I need time to think.
• Prepositional phrase: Sa panahon sa fiesta, daghan bisita. – During fiesta time, many visitors come.

4 Common Collocations

• maayong panahon – good weather
• taas nga panahon – a long time
• ting-ulan nga panahon – rainy season
• walay igong panahon – not enough time
• panahon sa gubat – time of war

5 Detailed Usage Notes

• Context decides meaning:
  • With adjectives for weather (nindot, init, ulan-on) → “weather.”
  • With length or schedule words (taas, gamay, walay, igong) → “time.”
• Idioms:
  • Wala sa panahon – untimely / out of season.
  • Panahon-panahon ra – “seasons change” / luck turns.
• Often drops the article: Naa ba kay panahon? – “Do you have time?”

6 Common Mistakes

1. Thinking panahon always means weather; check context.
2. Adding English “-s” (panahons) for plural – use mga panahon.
3. Putting adjectives after the noun (✗ panahon nindot) – should be nindot nga panahon.

7 Five Conversational Phrases

1. Na-ay ka bay panahon karon hapon? – Do you have time this afternoon?
2. Init kaayo ang panahon, mag-inom tag tubig. – The weather is very hot; let’s drink water.
3. Dili ko makaduaw, puno akong panahon sa trabaho. – I can’t visit; my time is full of work.
4. Kung bati ang panahon, balhin ta sa sulod. – If the weather is bad, let’s move indoors.
5. Mag-uban ta puhon kung mo-luag imong panahon. – Let’s hang out later when your time frees up.

8 Five Short Conversation Exchanges

1. A: Unsa man ang panahon didto sa Baguio?
   B: Bugnaw gihapon bisan ting-init. A: How’s the weather there in Baguio?
   B: Still cool even though it’s summer.
2. A: Naa kay panahon mag-kape karong gabi-i?
   B: Mura’g dili, naa pa koy report buhaton. A: Do you have time for coffee tonight?
   B: I don’t think so; I still have a report to finish.
3. A: Kanus-a ang pinakalisod nga panahon sa imong kinabuhi?
   B: Panahon sa pandemya kay nawad-an kog trabaho. A: When was the hardest time in your life?
   B: During the pandemic because I lost my job.
4. A: Maayo ba ang panahon para mag-hike ugma?
   B: Mura’g uwan-on, siguro i-postpone nato. A: Is the weather good for hiking tomorrow?
   B: Looks rainy; maybe we should postpone.
5. A: Kapila ka mag-exercise sa usa ka semana kung naa kay panahon?
   B: Tulo ka beses, buntag ra kasagaran. A: How many times do you exercise in a week when you have time?
   B: Three times, mostly in the morning.

9 Multiple-Choice Questions Using panahon

Q1. Unsa’y nahitabo sa panahon kagahapon?
A. Nahugaw ang panahon kagahapon sa kusog nga hangin.
B. Panahon kagahapon nahugaw ang sa kusog nga hangin.
C. Ang nahitabo panahon kagahapon hangin kusog nahugaw ang.

Q2. Asa ka manguy-og kung walay panahon sa gawas?
A. Manguy-og ko sa gym kung walay panahon sa gawas.
B. Kung walay panahon sa gawas manguy-og ko sa gym.
C. Gym ko manguy-og kung walay panahon sa gawas.

Q3. Giunsa nimo pag-manage ang imong panahon sa trabaho?
A. Pag-manage giunsa nimo ang trabaho imong panahon?
B. Giunsa nimo ang pag-manage sa imong panahon sa trabaho?
C. Trabaho giunsa nimo pag-manage sa imong panahon ang?

Q4. Pila ka adlaw kutob mo-ulan ingon ani nga panahon?
A. Mo-ulan pila ka adlaw kutob ingon ani nga panahon?
B. Pila ka adlaw kutob mo-ulan ingon ani nga panahon?
C. Ing-ani nga panahon pila ka adlaw mo-ulan kutob?

Q5. Ganahan ka og luag nga panahon sa weekend?
A. Ganahan ka og luag nga panahon sa weekend.
B. Og luag panahon sa weekend ganahan ka.
C. Ka ganahan og luag nga panahon sa weekend.

Answer Key

Q1 – correct answer: A

• Correct order: subject ang panahon is implied; sentence starts with verb phrase Nahugaw ang panahon kagahapon (“the weather was bad yesterday”) and ends with the reason.
• B & C mix up weather, time, and reason, so they read awkwardly.

Q2 – correct answer: B

• Starting with the condition clause (Kung walay panahon… meaning “If the weather is bad / if there’s no time outside”) and following with the main clause is natural.
• A repeats the place clause at the end; C detaches subject and verb, breaking flow.

Q3 – correct answer: B

• After Giunsa nimo (“How did you”), the verbal-noun phrase ang pag-manage sa imong panahon sa trabaho comes next—standard Cebuano structure.
• A & C omit articles or rearrange objects, so grammar fails.

Q4 – correct answer: C

• Begins with descriptive phrase Ing-ani nga panahon (“weather like this”), then the question word order pila ka adlaw … mo-ulan (“how many days will it keep raining”).
• A & B place question word or verb first in ways that confuse the predicate, sounding odd.

Q5 – correct answer: A

• Predicate Ganahan ka og plus adjective-noun luag nga panahon (“free time”) followed by sa weekend is the normal modifier-noun order.
• B & C scatter pronoun, adjective, and noun, so native speakers find them clumsy.