Cebuano phrase: “pila ka minutos”
(pee-LA kah mee-NOO-tos)
1. Part of speech, meaning, and example sentences
| Part of speech | quantifying phrase / interrogative phrase |
| Core meanings | a. Interrogative: “how many minutes …?” b. Non-question: “a few minutes / several minutes.” |
| Example sentences | 1️⃣ Pila ka minutos ang biyahe? – “How many minutes is the trip?”2️⃣ Hulat sa pila ka minutos; hapit na ko. – “Wait for a few minutes; I’m almost there.”3️⃣ Natulog ko pila ka minutos human kaon. – “I slept for several minutes after eating.” |
2. Study tips for day- & time words
- Flexible role – add question particle ba for polite questions: “Pila ka minutos ba?”
- With events – place it before the activity: pila ka minutos mag-exercise.
- Answers usually give a number + ka minutos: “Napulo ka minutos.”
- In writing, keep the ka: pila ka minutos, not pila minutos.
- Combine with larger spans for clarity: pila ka minutos o pila ka oras? (“minutes or hours?”).
3. Common collocations
- pila ka minutos pa – how many minutes more / still a few minutes
- pila ka minutos lang – just a few minutes
- pila ka minutos nga paghulat – a wait of several minutes
- pila ka minutos diha-diha – only a few minutes right away
- pila ka minutos gikan karon – a few minutes from now
4. Typical sentence positions
- Question-initial Pila ka minutos mo-abot ang bus?
- Pre-verbal quantifier Mag-break ta pila ka minutos.
- Object of preposition Sulod pila ka minutos, magsugod ang klase.
5. Five handy conversational phrases
- Pila ka minutos pa ta mag-hulat? – “How many more minutes will we wait?”
- Hatagi ko pila ka minutos para mahuman. – “Give me a few minutes to finish.”
- Makapahulay ta pila ka minutos una mosugod. – “Let’s rest a few minutes before starting.”
- Dili molapas pila ka minutos ang meeting. – “The meeting won’t exceed a few minutes.”
- Ablihan ang pultahan human pila ka minutos. – “The door will open after a few minutes.”
6. Five short dialogue exchanges
| # | Cebuano dialogue | English translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A: Pila ka minutos ka na-abot kagahapon? B: Mga lima ka minutos ra ko na-late. | “A: How many minutes were you late yesterday? B: Just about five minutes.” |
| 2 | A: Hapit na; pila ka minutos nalang. B: Sige, andam na ko. | “A: Almost there; just a few minutes more. B: Okay, I’m ready.” |
| 3 | A: Pila ka minutos nimo gi-luto ang pancit? B: Napulo ka minutos ra, dali ra lutoon. | “A: How many minutes did you cook the pancit? B: Only ten minutes; it cooks fast.” |
| 4 | A: Pwede ba ko manghulam pila ka minutos sa imong laptop? B: Oo, gamita lang sa. | “A: May I borrow your laptop for a few minutes? B: Yes, go ahead.” |
| 5 | A: Gikapoy ko sa pag-hulat. B: Pasensya, humanon ni sila pila ka minutos. | “A: I’m tired of waiting. B: Sorry, they’ll finish in a few minutes.” |
7. Multiple-choice dialogue questions
(One sentence per set is correctly ordered; the correct letter changes each time.)
Q1
Pila ka minutos ka mag-exercise matag buntag?
A. Mag-exercise ko pila ka minutos matag buntag.
B. Pila ka minutos matag buntag mag-exercise ko.
C. Matag buntag ko mag-exercise pila ka minutos.
Q2
Pila ka minutos ba sila mag-break?
A. Mag-break sila pila ka minutos ba.
B. Pila ka minutos ba sila mag-break.
C. Ba pila ka minutos sila mag-break.
Q3
Pila ka minutos pa ang biyahe padulong airport?
A. Pa pila ka minutos ang biyahe padulong airport.
B. Padulong airport pa pila ka minutos ang biyahe.
C. Pila ka minutos pa ang biyahe padulong airport.
Q4
Pila ka minutos nimo i-init ang pagkaon?
A. I-init nako ang pagkaon pila ka minutos.
B. Pila ka minutos ang pagkaon i-init nako.
C. Ang pagkaon pila ka minutos i-init nako.
Q5
Pila ka minutos pa ta mag-hulat sa bus?
A. Pila ka minutos pa ta mag-hulat sa bus.
B. Mag-hulat pa ta pila ka minutos sa bus.
C. Sa bus pa ta mag-hulat pila ka minutos.
Answer key & brief reasons
| Q | Correct | Why it is correct (simple English) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | Verb + subject + phrase + time; flows naturally. |
| 2 | B | Question particle ba right after interrogative word; normal Cebuano syntax. |
| 3 | C | Question word first, then auxiliary pa + subject complement. |
| 4 | A | Verb ➜ actor ➜ object ➜ quantifier; clear action order. |
| 5 | B | Verb phrase before location; adverbial span follows verb cleanly. |
