sila

Pronunciation, Part of Speech, Usage, and Example

• Part of Speech: Personal pronoun, third-person plural (“they/them”)
• Usage: Refers to a group of people other than the speaker and listener; can function as subject or object
• Example: Sila moadto sa parti ugma.
  (“They will go to the party tomorrow.”)

Contracted Form

• The enclitic (post-verb) form is the same sila; there is no shorter variant. It simply attaches after the verb:
  • Moadto sila ugma.

Position in the Sentence

• Separate pronoun: Placed before the verb.
  • Sila moadto…
• Enclitic: Attached immediately after the verb.
  • Moadto sila…

Common Collocations

• sila ra — “just them”
• sila lang — “only them”
• Kinsa sila? — “Who are they?”
• Gihatagan sila og… — “They were given…”
• Asa sila? — “Where are they?”

Usage

• Exclusive reference: Only people outside the conversation (“they”), never including speaker or addressee.
• Actor-focus verbs: When sila is the doer, use mo-/nag- verb forms (e.g., moabot sila, nagsulat sila).
• Object usage: As the object of a verb, sila still follows the verb: Gihatagan sila og libro. – They were given a book or Tudloi sila og Bisaya. – Teach them Bisaya.
• Formality: Both separate and enclitic forms are neutral and common in everyday speech.

Common Mistakes

• Confusing singular vs. plural: Mixing up siya (“he/she/it”) with sila (“they”).
• Wrong clitic usage: Attaching sila to non-verb words or omitting it when needed.
• Verb-focus mismatch: Using object-focus verbs (gihatagan, gipa-…) when you mean to highlight sila as the actor.
• Overlooking case: Remember that kanila/nila are the indirect (genitive) forms when saying “to them,” and kanila/nila for oblique (“with them,” “at them”).

Examples

1. Sila moadto sa parti ugma.
   (“They will go to the party tomorrow.”)
2. Gihatagan sila og regalo sa bata.
   (“They were given a gift by the child.”)
3. Nakita nako sila ganina.
   (“I saw them earlier.”)
4. Mouban sila namo kung moabot sila og sayo.
   (“They’ll join us if they arrive early.”)
5. Asa sila karon?
   (“Where are they now?”)

1. Parts-of-Speech Breakdown
   1. Sila moadto sa parti ugma.
      • Sila: pronoun (3rd person plural)
      • moadto: verb (actor-focus, future)
      • sa: preposition
      • parti: noun
      • ugma: adverb (tomorrow)
   2. Gihatagan sila og regalo sa bata.
      • Gihatagan: verb (object-focus, past)
      • sila: pronoun (3rd person plural)
      • og: object marker
      • regalo: noun (gift)
      • sa: preposition
      • bata: noun (child)
   3. Nakita nako sila ganina.
      • Nakita: verb (past tense, object-focused; kita – root verb) (saw/was seen)
      • nako: pronoun (object-pronoun)
      • sila: pronoun (subject/focus)
      • ganina: adverb (earlier)
   4. Mouban sila namo kung moabot sila og sayo.
      • Mouban: verb (actor-focus, future)
      • sila: pronoun (subject/focus)
      • namo: enclitic pronoun (1st person plural object)
      • kung: conjunction (if)
      • moabot: verb (actor-focus, future)
      • sila: enclitic pronoun (3rd person plural subject)
      • og: objective article
      • sayo: adverb (early)
   5. Asa sila karon?
      • Asa: interrogative adverb (where)
      • sila: pronoun (3rd person plural)
      • karon: adverb (now)

Practice

Insert sila in the appropriate position in each sentence below.

1. molakaw na sa eskuylahan.
2. Mitan-aw sa salida.
3. Nagluto ug sud-an.
4. ganahan mokaon sa gawas.

Answers and Explanations

1. Sila molakaw na sa eskuylahan.
   Placing sila at the beginning marks “they” as the subject who are going to school.
2. Mitan-aw sila sa salida.
   Inserting sila immediately after the verb shows “they” as the ones who watched the movie.
3. Nagluto sila ug sud-an.
   Using sila after the verb indicates “they” cooked a dish.
4. Sila ganahan mokaon sa gawas.
   Putting sila at the start signals that “they” want to eat outside.

Question

What part of speech is the Cebuano word “sila”?

Choices
A. Verb
B. Noun
C. Adjective
D. Pronoun

Correct Answer
D. Pronoun

Explanation
“Sila” is a third-person plural pronoun in Cebuano, meaning “they.” It refers to multiple people who are neither the speaker nor the listener.

[Question 2]

What is the function of a pronoun in a sentence?

Choices
A. To express actions or states
B. To describe the meaning of a noun in detail
C. To connect clauses
D. To replace a noun

Correct Answer
D. To replace a noun

Explanation
A pronoun is used in place of a noun to refer to people, things, or places already known or mentioned, avoiding unnecessary repetition.

[Question 3]

What role does a noun play in a sentence?

Choices
A. It connects clauses like a conjunction
B. It expresses actions or states
C. It functions as a subject or object
D. It expresses emotion like an interjection

Correct Answer
C. It functions as a subject or object

Explanation
A noun names a person, place, thing, or concept and serves as the subject, object, complement, or possessive reference in a sentence.

[Question 4]

Choose two correct statements about the Cebuano word “sila” from the following five options.

Choices
A. It is a third-person plural pronoun
B. It means “they”
C. It is a third-person singular pronoun
D. It is an inclusive first-person plural pronoun
E. It is commonly used as a verb

Correct Answers
A. It is a third-person plural pronoun
B. It means “they”

Explanation
“Sila” refers to multiple third persons (“they”) in Cebuano. It is distinct from singular “siya” and from first-person forms like “kami” or “kita.”

Additional Question

Which option is the correct response?

Q1: Sila ba ang magluto sa panihapon?

Q2: Sila ba ang naglimpyo sa kwarto ganina buntag?

Q3: Sila ba ang moadto sa mall unya?

Q4: Sila ba ang nagtan-aw og TV karon?

Q5: Sila ba ang magdala sa mga libro ugma?

Answer

Question1: Sila ba ang magluto sa panihapon?
“Are they the ones who will cook dinner?”

Correct: Sila ang magluto sa panihapon.

• Why it is correct
  • Focus pattern: Actor-focus answers follow Focused NP + ang + predicate.
  • Word order: Sila (third-person plural pronoun) is the focused actor, placed before ang. The verb phrase magluto sa panihapon (“cook dinner”) comes afterward.
• Why the other two are wrong
  • Magluto sila panihapon ang. – ang is stranded at sentence end and marks no noun; the object (panihapon) is wedged between subject and focus marker.
  • Ang sila magluto panihapon. – ang sila is acceptable, but the object panihapon is moved before any preposition, and the verb is not followed by its object marker sa, making the clause incomplete.

Question2: Sila ba ang naglimpyo sa kwarto ganinang buntag?
“Were they the ones who cleaned the room earlier this morning?”

Correct: Sila ang naglimpyo sa kwarto ganinang buntag.

• Why it is correct
  • Focus order remains: sila + ang + verb + object + time.
  • The verb naglimpyo (“cleaned”) is immediately followed by location/object phrase sa kwarto and the time phrase ganinang buntag (“earlier this morning”).
• Why the others are wrong
  • Ang sila ganinang buntag naglimpyo sa kwarto. – ang marks sila, but then a time phrase jumps in before the verb, splitting the focus sequence.
  • Naglimpyo kwarto sila sa ganinang buntag ang. – Object appears before ang, ang is stranded at the end, and sa is misplaced.

Question3: Sila ba ang moadto sa mall unya?
“Will they go to the mall later?”

Correct: Sila ang moadto sa mall unya.

• Why it is correct
  • Sila ang introduces the focused group.
  • Verb moadto (“will go”) is followed by location sa mall and the time adverb unya (“later”), respecting verb–location–time order.
• Why the others are wrong
  • Moadto sila ang unya sa mall. – ang wrongly marks the adverb unya; location and time are scrambled.
  • Sa mall sila ang moadto unya. – The location sa mall is fronted, breaking the required sequence Focused NP + ang + verb.

Question4: Sila ba ang nagtan-aw og TV karon?
“Are they watching TV now?”

Correct: Sila ang nagtan-aw og TV karon.

• Why it is correct
  • Focused NP sila precedes ang.
  • Verb nagtan-aw (“are watching”) is followed by indefinite object marker og + TV, then the time adverb karon (“now”).
• Why the others are wrong
  • Nagtan-aw karon sila og TV ang. – The time adverb jumps inside the verb-pronoun slot, and ang is left at the end.
  • Og TV sila nagtan-aw karon ang. – Object phrase og TV is incorrectly fronted; ang again is stranded.

Question5: Sila ba ang magdala sa mga libro ugma?
“Will they bring the books tomorrow?”

Correct: Sila ang magdala sa mga libro ugma.

• Why it is correct
  • Sila + ang correctly presents the focused subject.
  • Verb magdala (“will bring”) → definite object sa mga libro → time ugma (“tomorrow”), yielding natural actor-focus order.
• Why the others are wrong
  • Mga libro sila ugma ang magdala. – Object phrase is fronted; ang does not directly mark sila; verb is pushed to the end.
  • Magdala sila sa ugma mga libro ang. – Time phrase ugma splits sa from its object; ang resides at sentence end without marking a noun.