sakay

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1 Part of speech, core meaning, sentence position, and example sentences

  • Part of speech
    • Verb (root): sakay — “to ride, board, get on (a vehicle or animal)”
    • Common noun: sakay — “a ride; passenger load”
  • Sentence-position rule
    A conjugated sakay form normally begins the predicate, with any clitic actor-pronoun placed immediately after it:

Mo-sakay ko sa bus padulong Cebu.
I’ll ride the bus to Cebu.

  • Example sentences
Cebuano sentenceEnglish translation
Mo-sakay ko ug jeep ugma buntag.I will board a jeepney tomorrow morning.
Nag-sakay sila sa tren karon.They are riding the train now.
Gi-sakyan sa bata ang kabayo sa pista.The horse was ridden by the child at the fiesta.

2 Verb derivations of sakay

FormVoice & aspectTypical translationSample sentence
mag-sakayActor focus, habitual / future“will regularly ride”Mag-sakay sila ug ferry kada semana. — They ride a ferry every week.
mo-sakayActor focus, non-past / imperative“will ride; ride!”Mo-sakay ta karon, ha. — Let’s get on now, okay.
nag-sakayActor focus, progressive / recent past“is / was riding”Nag-sakay ko pag-text nimo. — I was on board when you texted.
ni-sakay / mi-sakayActor focus, completed past“rode / boarded”Ni-sakay siya ug taxi kagahapon. — She took a taxi yesterday.
gi-sakayPatient focus, completed past“was boarded / was ridden”Gi-sakay sa driver ang motorsiklo ngadto sa barko. — The motorcycle was loaded onto the ship by the driver.
sakyon (-on)Patient focus, future / imp.“to be ridden / board it”Sakyon nato ang last trip kung malangan. — We’ll take the last trip if we’re late.
sakyan / sakayi (-an / -i)Beneficiary / locative focus“to ride for someone / ride at”Sakayi ko palihog sa LRT. — Please ride the LRT for me.

3 Common phrases

  • sakay sa bus — ride the bus
  • mag-sakay og habal-habal — ride a motorcycle taxi
  • walay sakay — no passengers / empty vehicle
  • gi-sakyan sa turista — ridden by the tourist
  • sakyon nga eroplano — plane to be boarded

4 Detailed usage notes

  1. Actor-focus forms (mo-, nag-, ni-) foreground the rider; destinations follow with padulong or sa.
  2. Patient focus (gi-sakay, sakyon) highlights the vehicle or animal boarded or the cargo loaded.
  3. Locative / beneficiary focus (sakyan, sakayi) stresses where or for whom one rides: sakayi ko sa jeep “ride the jeep for me.”
  4. Object markers — Use ug/og for an indefinite ride (mo-sakay ko ug taxi), sa for definite (nag-sakay siya sa tren).
  5. Noun use — sakay for passenger count: puno na ang sakay “the load/passengers are full.”
  6. Reduplication — sakay-sakay may describe hopping from one ride to another (e.g., bar-hopping style commuting).

5 Common mistakes & how to avoid them

MistakeIssueCorrect form
Mo-sakay ako ug bus.Actor clitic misplaced.Mo-sakay ko ug bus.
Gi-sakay ko ang bisikleta.With gi-, actor must be genitive (ni / sa).Gi-sakay ni ko ang bisikleta.
Sakyon ta siya!Beneficiary/locative command needs sakayi.Sakayi siya!
Nag-sakay sa jeepMissing actor pronoun or subject.Nag-sakay ko sa jeep. / Nag-sakay ang pasahero sa jeep.

6 Five short everyday conversations

  1. A: Asa ka mo-sakay padulong opisina? — Where do you board to go to the office?
    B: Mo-sakay ko sa MRT sa North Station. — I catch the MRT at North Station.
  2. A: Nag-sakay pa ba sila sa bus karon? — Are they still on the bus now?
    B: Oo, trapik man gud. — Yes, traffic is heavy.
  3. A: Sakayi ko palihog og tricycle padulong terminal. — Please take a tricycle for me to the terminal.
    B: Sige, ako’y bahala. — Sure, I’ll handle it.
  4. A: Ni-sakay ka ug Grab kagabii? — Did you ride a Grab last night?
    B: Oo, tungod sa ulan. — Yes, because of the rain.
  5. A: Mag-sakay ta ug ferry ugma? — Shall we ride the ferry tomorrow?
    B: Sakto, aron malingaw ta sa tan-aw sa dagat. — Right, so we can enjoy the sea view.
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