saisenta

1. Part of Speech, Meaning, and Example Sentences

• Part of Speech: numeral (cardinal)
• Meaning: “saisenta” = sixty (60)
• Example Sentences
  • Naay saisenta ka estudyante sa awditoryum. – There are sixty students in the auditorium.
  • Mopalit ko ug saisenta ka itlog ugma. – I will buy sixty eggs tomorrow.
  • Ang bayad kay saisenta pesos ra. – The fee is only sixty pesos.

2. Number Origin

• Spanish-based loanword (from Spanish sesenta).
• The native Bisaya form for 60 is kan-unum.

3. Cebuano- vs Spanish-Based Numbers

• Native series (e.g., kan-unum = 60, kan-unum ug usa = 61) appears in formal counting, folk songs, and in some rural speech.
• Spanish series (saisenta, saisenta uno, saisenta dos …) is dominant for:
  • money, prices, and wages
  • dates, page numbers, and time expressions
  • everyday urban conversation and media
• Speakers avoid mixing systems within one compound number (say saisenta dos, not kan-unum ug dos).

4. Detailed Usage Notes

• Colloquial spellings “sesenta / sesinta” occur, but “saisenta” is the formal Cebuano orthography.
• With countable nouns, insert the classifier ka: saisenta ka tawo.
• For clock time, place ug/og after the hour: alas dos ug saisenta (2:60 → 3:00, rarely used; more natural: alas dos ug singkwenta y nuebe).
• Can stand alone as a short answer: “Saisenta.”

5. Five Common Pitfalls

1. Using Spanish spelling sesenta in formal Cebuano writing.
2. Mixing native and Spanish forms in one number (kan-unum ug singko ✗).
3. Wrong stress (saí-sen-ta, not sai-sen-tá).
4. Dropping ka before a noun (saisenta libro ✗ → saisenta ka libro ✓).
5. Forgetting to state the unit in money (saisenta ✗ → saisenta pesos ✓).

6. Common Collocations

• saisenta pesos – sixty pesos
• saisenta ka minuto – sixty minutes
• saisenta anyos – sixty years old
• saisenta ka adlaw – sixty days
• saisenta ka piraso – sixty pieces

7. Common Mistakes to Watch For

• Misspelling as sesenta or saisenta’ (with apostrophe).
• Adding mga before the numeral (mga saisenta ka …).
• Omitting ug in time expressions (alas singko saisenta ✗).
• Saying saisenta lima for 65 instead of saisenta singko.
• Writing Arabic numerals in Cebuano syntax in formal prose (60 ka minuto).

8. Five Frequent Conversational Phrases

• Saisenta tanan. – It is sixty in total.
• Na-late ko ug saisenta ka minuto. – I was sixty minutes late.
• Saisenta ra gyod! – Make it just sixty!
• Saisenta ang akong edad. – I am sixty years old.
• Quota kay saisenta ka buok. – The quota is sixty pieces.

9. Five Simple Everyday Conversation Exchanges

1. A: Pila ang pamasahe? – How much is the fare?
   B: Saisenta pesos ra. – Only sixty pesos.
2. A: Tag-pila ning mansanas? – How much are these apples?
   B: Saisenta pesos ang kilo. – Sixty pesos per kilo.
3. A: Unsa kadugay ang leksiyon? – How long is the lesson?
   B: *Mga saisenta ka minuto. – About sixty minutes.
4. A: Pila kabuok bisita? – How many guests are there?
   B: *Naay saisenta ka bisita. – There are sixty guests.
5. A: Unsang oras nagsugod ang salida? – What time did the show start?
   B: Alas nueve ug saisenta. – At 9:60 (i.e., 10:00) – a joking way to say “exactly on the hour.”

10. Multiple-Choice Dialogue Questions

Q1. Pila ang imong allowance? – How much is your allowance?
A. Pesos allowance saisenta akong.
B. Saisenta pesos akong allowance.
C. Allowance akong saisenta pesos.

Q2. Pila ka adlaw ang workshop? – How many days is the workshop?
A. Saisenta ka adlaw.
B. Ka adlaw saisenta.
C. Saisenta adlaw ka.

Q3. Unsa kadugay ang biyahe? – How long is the trip?
A. Ang biyahe saisenta ka minuto ang.
B. Saisenta ka minuto ang biyahe.
C. Ka minuto saisenta ang biyahe.

Q4. Pila kabuok estudyante sa klase? – How many students are in the class?
A. Estudyante saisenta ka naa.
B. Saisenta ka estudyante naa.
C. Naa saisenta ka estudyante ka.

Q5. Unsang oras ka miabot? – What time did you arrive?
A. Ko miabot saisenta ug alas dos.
B. Alas dos ug saisenta ko miabot.
C. Miabot ko saisenta alas dos ug.

Answer Key

• Q1 – B – Correct Cebuano order: numeral + pesos + possessive phrase.
• Q2 – A – Proper counting pattern: numeral + ka + noun.
• Q3 – B – Right sequence: numeral + ka + minutes + topic noun.
• Q4 – B – Numeral phrase precedes existential naa.
• Q5 – B – Standard time format “Alas [hour] ug [minutes].”