1. Part of Speech, Meaning, and Example Sentences
- Part of Speech: numeral (cardinal)
- Meaning: “setenta” = seventy (70)
- Example Sentences
2. Number Origin
- Spanish-based loanword (from Spanish setenta).
- The native Bisaya form for 70 is kapitoan.
3. Cebuano- vs Spanish-Based Numbers
- Native series (e.g., kapitoan = 70, kapitoan ug usa = 71) appears in formal counting, folk songs, and some rural speech.
- Spanish series (setenta, setenta uno, setenta dos …) dominates in
- money, prices, and wages
- dates, page numbers, and time expressions
- everyday urban conversation and media
- Mixing the two systems inside one number is avoided (say setenta dos, not kapitoan ug dos).
4. Detailed Usage Notes
- Colloquial spellings “sitenta / setinta” occur, but “setenta” is the formal Cebuano orthography.
- With countable nouns, insert the classifier ka: setenta ka tawo.
- For time, place ug/og after the hour: alas diyes ug setenta (10:70 → 11:10), usually only in joking contexts.
- Can stand alone as a short answer: “Setenta.”
5. Five Common Pitfalls
- Using Spanish spelling setenta without adapting pronunciation to Cebuano.
- Mixing native and Spanish forms (kapitoan ug singko ✗).
- Wrong stress (se tén-ta, not se-ten-tá).
- Dropping ka before a noun (setenta libro ✗ → setenta ka libro ✓).
- Forgetting to give the unit when talking about money (setenta ✗ → setenta pesos ✓).
6. Common Collocations
- setenta pesos — seventy pesos
- setenta ka minuto — seventy minutes
- setenta anyos — seventy years old
- setenta ka adlaw — seventy days
- setenta ka piraso — seventy pieces
7. Common Mistakes to Watch For
- Misspelling as sitenta or setinta in formal writing.
- Adding mga before the numeral (mga setenta ka …).
- Forgetting ug in time expressions (alas onse setenta ✗).
- Saying setenta lima for 75 instead of setenta singko.
- Using Arabic numerals inside Cebuano syntax in formal text (70 ka minuto).
8. Five Frequent Conversational Phrases
- Setenta tanan. — It is seventy in total.
- Na-late ko ug setenta ka minuto. — I was seventy minutes late.
- Setenta ra gyod! — Make it just seventy!
- Setenta ang akong edad. — I am seventy years old.
- Quota kay setenta ka buok. — The quota is seventy pieces.
9. Five Simple Everyday Conversation Exchanges
- A: Pila ang pamasahe? — How much is the fare?
B: Setenta pesos ra. — Only seventy pesos. - A: Tag-pila ning mansanas? — How much are these apples?
B: Setenta pesos ang kilo. — Seventy pesos per kilo. - A: Unsa kadugay ang presentasyon? — How long is the presentation?
B: *Mga setenta ka minuto. — About seventy minutes. - A: Pila kabuok bisita? — How many guests are there?
B: *Naay setenta ka bisita. — There are seventy guests. - A: Unsang oras nagsugod ang salida? — What time did the show start?
B: Alas nuwebe ug setenta. — At 9:70 (jokingly meaning 10:10).
10. Multiple-Choice Dialogue Questions
Q1. Pila ang imong allowance? — How much is your allowance?
A. Setenta pesos akong allowance.
B. Allowance akong setenta pesos.
C. Pesos allowance setenta akong.
Q2. Pila ka adlaw ang seminar? — How many days is the seminar?
A. Setenta ka adlaw.
B. Ka adlaw setenta.
C. Setenta adlaw ka.
Q3. Unsa kadugay ang biyahe? — How long is the trip?
A. Ka minuto setenta ang biyahe.
B. Setenta ka minuto ang biyahe.
C. Ang biyahe setenta ka minuto ang.
Q4. Pila kabuok estudyante sa klase? — How many students are in the class?
A. Estudyante setenta ka naa.
B. Naa setenta ka estudyante ka.
C. Setenta ka estudyante naa.
Q5. Unsang oras ka miabot? — What time did you arrive?
A. Alas dos ug setenta ko miabot.
B. Miabot ko setenta alas dos ug.
C. Ko miabot setenta ug alas dos.
Answer Key
- Q1 – A — Correct order: numeral + pesos + possessive phrase.
- Q2 – B — Proper counting pattern: numeral follows “ka adlaw” when the order is reversed for emphasis (accepted but less common); still shows variation.
- Q3 – B — Correct sequence: numeral + ka + minutes + topic noun.
- Q4 – C — Numeral phrase precedes existential naa.
- Q5 – A — Standard time format “Alas [hour] ug [minutes].”
