sayaw

Cebuano Word: sayaw
(noun – “dance,” “dancing,” or a single choreographed piece; verb root -sayaw = “to dance”)

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

• Part of speech: noun
• Meaning: a rhythmic movement of the body, usually to music, done for joy, ritual, exercise, or performance.

Example sentences

1. Lingaw kaayo ang sayaw sa fiesta kagabii. – The dance at last night’s fiesta was great fun.
2. Nag-tuon sila sa tradisyonal nga sayaw sa eskuylahan. – They are studying a traditional dance at school.
3. Ang sayaw naghimo og kusog nga impresyon sa mga bisita. – The dance made a strong impression on the guests.

2 – Singular & Plural Forms

• Singular: sayaw – one dance / a dancing activity
• Plural: mga sayaw – several dances

3 – Typical Use in a Sentence

• Subject: Ang sayaw nagpakita sa kultura sa lugar. – The dance shows the place’s culture.
• Object: Gipili nila ang sayaw para sa talent show. – They chose the dance for the talent show.
• Prepositional phrase: Aduna’y leksiyon bahin sa sayaw sa gym. – There is a lesson about dance in the gym.

4 – Common Collocations

• tradisyonal nga sayaw – traditional dance
• bag-ong sayaw – new dance
• sayaw sa kasal – wedding dance
• grupo sa sayaw – dance group
• koreograpo sa sayaw – dance choreographer

5 – Detailed Usage Notes

• Works for folk, modern, street, or interpretive dance.
• Verb phrases: mag-sayaw “to dance,” nagsayaw “is dancing,” gisayawan “was danced.”
• When talking about a rehearsal, pair with praktis: mag-praktis sa sayaw.
• Adjectives precede the noun with nga: maayong sayaw – a good dance.

6 – Common Mistakes

1. Using English plural (sayaws) instead of mga sayaw.
2. Putting the adjective after the noun (✗ sayaw bag-o → ✓ bag-ong sayaw).
3. Confusing sayaw (dance) with kanta (song).

7 – Five Everyday Conversational Phrases

1. Ganahan ka mo-apil sa sayaw unya? – Do you want to join the dance later?
2. Unsa’y imong paboritong estilo sa sayaw? – What is your favorite dance style?
3. Ayaw kalimti ang costume para sa sayaw. – Don’t forget the costume for the dance.
4. Nindot kaayo ang live nga sayaw sa pasilidad. – The live dance at the venue is very nice.
5. Mag-praktis ta sa sayaw ugma buntag. – Let’s practice the dance tomorrow morning.

8 – Five Simple Conversation Exchanges

1. A: Nakadungog ka nga adunay bagong sayaw sa TikTok? – Have you heard there’s a new dance on TikTok?
   B: Oo, trending kaayo. – Yes, it’s very trending.
2. A: Asa ta mag-praktis sa sayaw? – Where shall we rehearse the dance?
   B: Sa multi-purpose hall ra. – Just in the multi-purpose hall.
3. A: Lisod ba ang footwork sa sayaw? – Is the dance footwork difficult?
   B: Dili, basta magsige kag praktis. – No, as long as you keep practicing.
4. A: Kinsa’y nag-koreograpo sa atong sayaw? – Who choreographed our dance?
   B: Si Coach Liza ang nag-arrange sa steps. – Coach Liza arranged the steps.
5. A: Kanus-a ipakita ang final nga sayaw? – When will the final dance be shown?
   B: Sa closing program sa Sabado. – At the closing program on Saturday.

9 – Multiple-Choice Questions

Q1. Unsa’y nahitabo sa inyong sayaw kagabii?
A. Nahuman na ang among sayaw kagabii.
B. Sayaw kagabii nahuman na ang among.
C. Ang nahitabo sayaw among kagabii nahuman na.

Q2. Asa ka mag-praktis og sayaw kada adlaw?
A. Mag-praktis ko og sayaw sa sala.
B. Sa sala mag-praktis ko og sayaw.
C. Sayaw mag-praktis ko sa sala og.

Q3. Giunsa nimo pag-koreograpo ang sayaw?
A. Giunsa nimo ang pag-koreograpo sa sayaw?
B. Pag-koreograpo giunsa nimo sayaw ang?
C. Sayaw giunsa pag-koreograpo nimo ang?

Q4. Pila ka minuto ang gikinahanglan sa usa ka sayaw?
A. Pila ka minuto ang gikinahanglan sa usa ka sayaw?
B. Ang gikinahanglan pila ka minuto usa ka sayaw?
C. Usa ka sayaw pila ka minuto ang gikinahanglan?

Q5. Ganahan ka og bag-ong cultural sayaw?
A. Ganahan ka og bag-ong cultural sayaw.
B. Og sayaw cultural bag-ong ganahan ka.
C. Ka ganahan og cultural bag-ong sayaw.

Answer Key & Simple Explanations

Q1 – Correct answer: A
Why A is correct: Begins with the verb phrase Nahuman na (“already finished”), followed by the subject ang among sayaw, then the time phrase kagabii – the usual Cebuano order.
Why B & C are wrong: They jumble the verb, subject, and time elements so the sentence sounds awkward.

Q2 – Correct answer: A
Why A is correct: Standard sequence is verb (Mag-praktis ko) → object → location phrase.
Why B is wrong: Front-loading the place is possible, but without a pause it feels marked; still, the bigger error comes in Q3.
Why C is wrong: Splits verb and object and misplaces og, producing an ungrammatical construction.

Q3 – Correct answer: A
Why A is correct: After Giunsa nimo (“How did you”), the verbal noun phrase ang pag-koreograpo sa sayaw follows smoothly.
Why B & C are wrong: They drop or misplace ang and separate the object from its marker, breaking Cebuano grammar.

Q4 – Correct answer: A
Why A is correct: Cebuano “how many” questions begin with Pila ka minuto, then subject ang gikinahanglan, then the descriptive phrase.
Why B & C are wrong: Both invert the required question-word order, so native speakers would find them unnatural.

Q5 – Correct answer: A
Why A is correct: Predicate Ganahan ka og is directly followed by the adjective-noun unit bag-ong cultural sayaw.
Why B & C are wrong: They scatter the adjective, noun, and pronoun, violating the usual modifier-noun sequence and sounding clumsy.