siyam

Cebuano word: siyam — “nine”

1. Part of speech, meaning, and example sentences

• Part of speech: numeral / determiner (cardinal)
• Meaning: the quantity 9

Example sentences

• Siyam ka estudyante ang nakadawat og medalya. – Nine students received medals.
• Nag-order ko og siyam ka puto. – I ordered nine rice cakes.
• Siyam ra ko ka minuto nang-huwat. – I waited only nine minutes.

2. Cebuano or Spanish?

• siyam – native Cebuano form
• nwebe (occasionally spelled nuebe) – Spanish-based form for “nine”

3. When native vs Spanish numbers are used

1. Counting everyday objects / people: use siyam (siyam ka tawo).
2. Clock time: Spanish set dominates (alas nwebe = 9 o’clock).
3. Money, formal measures, phone digits: typically nwebe or English “nine.”
4. Ordinals below 100: native root with ika- → ika-siyam (“ninth”).
5. Casual speech & idioms: strongly favors siyam.

4. Detailed notes on using siyam

• Basic pattern: siyam ka + noun → Siyam ka tiket ang among gipalit.
• Fixed phrases without ka: siyam ra (“only nine”), siyam pa (“nine more”).
• Frequency adverb: Siyam ka beses siya nag-praktis matag semana. – He practises nine times a week.
• Ordinal: ika-siyam – the ninth.
• Position rule: numeral sits directly before ka and the noun.

5. Five common pitfalls

1. Omitting the classifier (✗ siyam mansanas → ✓ siyam ka mansanas).
2. Doubling plural markers (✗ siyam ka mga tawo).
3. Mixing nwebe inside an otherwise native-number sentence.
4. Placing siyam after the noun (✗ mansanas siyam ka).
5. Using siyam when an ordinal is needed (✗ sa siyam adlaw → ✓ sa ika-siyam ka adlaw).

6. Common collocations

• siyam ka + noun – nine …
• siyam ra – only nine
• siyam pa – nine more
• ika-siyam – the ninth
• sa siyam ka bulan – in nine months

7. Typical learner mistakes / things to watch out for

• Saying siyam for the digit “9” in phone numbers (speakers prefer nwebe or English “nine”).
• Stress slip: pronounce /SI-yam/ with light first syllable, not “see-YÁM.”
• Forgetting the linker in rapid speech (siyam’g for siyam og).
• Borrowing Tagalog pattern (Siyam na libro …) inside Cebuano sentences.
• Over-using siyam where vaguer quantifiers (mga, hapit) sound more natural.

8. Five handy conversational phrases

• Siyam ra mi kabuok karon. – There are only nine of us now.
• Pwede ko mangayo og siyam pa ka kutsara? – May I have nine more spoons?
• Siyam na lang ang nahibilin. – Only nine remain.
• Magkita ta mga siyam ka oras gikan karon. – Let’s meet about nine hours from now.
• Siyam ka beses nako gisulayan, nakaya ra gyud! – I tried nine times and finally did it!

9. Five short dialogue exchanges

1. A: Tag-pila ang siyam ka saging?
   B: Kwarenta-y-bente pesos ra ang siyam.
   – “How much are nine bananas?” – “Just forty-eight pesos for the nine.”
2. A: Siyam ba ka adlaw ka mag-bakasyon?
   B: Oo, siyam ra ko ka adlaw libre.
   – “Are you on vacation for nine days?” – “Yes, I’m free for only nine days.”
3. A: Naa kay siyam ka tiket?
   B: Wala, walo ra ang nabilin.
   – “Do you have nine tickets?” – “No, only eight are left.”
4. A: Siyam na ka tuig sukad ta nagkaila, noh?
   B: Sakto, siyam ka tuig na gyud.
   – “It’s been nine years since we met, right?” – “Correct, nine years indeed.”
5. A: Mopalit ta og siyam ka botelya?
   B: Sige, siyam ka botelya igo na.
   – “Shall we buy nine bottles?” – “Sure, nine bottles are enough.”

10. Multiple-choice dialogue questions

Q1. Siyam ba ka libro imong gipalit?
A. Siyam ka libro akong gipalit.
B. Libro siyam ka akong gipalit.
C. Gipalit ko siyam ka libro.

Q2. Siyam ba mo ka adlaw mag-puyo dinhi?
A. Mag-puyo dinhi mo siyam ka adlaw.
B. Dinhi siyam ka adlaw mo mag-puyo.
C. Mo mag-puyo dinhi siyam ka adlaw.

Q3. Siyam ba ka bata ang nag-dula sa gawas?
A. Ang siyam ka bata nag-dula sa gawas.
B. Sa gawas nag-dula siyam ka bata.
C. Nag-dula siyam ka bata sa gawas.

Q4. Siyam ba ta ka botelya ang paliton?
A. Paliton ta siyam ka botelya.
B. Botelya siyam ka paliton ta.
C. Ta siyam ka botelya paliton.

Q5. Siyam ba sila ka beses ni-adto didto?
A. Didto sila siyam ka beses ni-adto.
B. Ni-adto sila didto siyam ka beses.
C. Siyam ka beses sila didto ni-adto.

Answer Key

• Q1 – A Keeps the numeral phrase siyam ka libro directly before the subject and verb. Options B & C scramble word order.
• Q2 – C Pattern verb cluster + place + subject + numeral is natural; A & B misplace elements.
• Q3 – A Fronted subject Ang siyam ka bata before the verb is idiomatic; B & C move adverbials awkwardly.
• Q4 – A Imperative structure: verb + pronoun + object; B & C separate verb from object or misplace pronoun.
• Q5 – B Frequency phrase siyam ka beses at sentence end flows smoothly; A & C invert components unnaturally.