sobra

Cebuano Word: sobra

1 Part of Speech, Meaning, and Example Sentences

• Part of speech: adverb (degree) & adjective/noun (excess)
• Adverb meaning: too much; overly; excessively

Example sentences (adverb use)

• Sobra ka taas ang presyo. — The price is too high.
• Sobra siya kaon og tam-is. — He eats too many sweets.
• Ayaw’g sobra pag-inom kape. — Do not drink too much coffee.

(As an adjective/noun, sobra can mean “excess” or “surplus”: “Naay sobra nga papel.” — “There is extra paper.”)

2 Learning Points for sobra as an Adverb

1. Intensity marker — stronger than kaayo; implies going beyond what is acceptable.
2. Typical placement — directly before the adjective/adverb or after the verb it modifies: “Init sobra karon.”
3. Negative mitigation — pair with dili to soften: “Dili sobra lisod.” (It is not too difficult.)
4. Common pair — sobra ka + adjective: “sobra ka gamay” (too small).
5. Avoid redundancy — do not stack with other degree words (“sobra kaayo” sounds repetitive).

3 Common Collocations

• sobra ka + adj — too … (e.g., sobra ka dako)
• sobra ra — just too much / merely excessive
• sobra ang + noun — the … is excessive (e.g., sobra ang ingay)
• dili sobra — not too …
• masobraan (verb) — to overdo / exceed

4 Typical Sentence Position

• Before adjective/adverb: “Sobra ka paspas iyang dagan.”
• After verb: “Nikaon sobra siya kagabii.”

5 Five Frequently Used Conversational Phrases

1. “Sobra ra ni, daghan kaayo.” — This is too much, far too many.
2. “Sobra ka init sa gawas.” — It is excessively hot outside.
3. “Nag-trabaho ko sobra sa oras.” — I worked overtime.
4. “Dili ko ganahan kung sobra ka siga ang suga.” — I don’t like it when the light is too bright.
5. “Sobra ni para nako—kuha lang og gamay.” — This is too much for me—just take a little.

6 Five Everyday Conversation Exchanges

1. A: Nakulang ang asukal?
   B: Di, sobra pa gani.
   A: Are we lacking sugar?
   B: No, we even have too much.
2. A: Unsa’y problema sa report?
   B: Sobra ka taas ang introduction, pwede gamiton half nalang.
   A: What’s the issue with the report?
   B: The introduction is too long; maybe use only half.
3. A: Gi-unsa nimo paghimo sa chili sauce?
   B: Sobraon lang nako gamay ang sili para kusog ang hang.
   A: How did you make the chili sauce?
   B: I just added a bit too much chili so it’s really spicy.
4. A: Ganahan ka sa volume?
   B: Sobra ra ka kusog—hunonga gamay.
   A: Do you like the volume?
   B: It’s too loud—turn it down a bit.
5. A: Napa kay tasks?
   B: Sobra pa kaayo; basin ma-overtime ko.
   A: Do you still have tasks?
   B: Far too many; I might have to work overtime.

7 Multiple-Choice Dialogue Questions

Q1. Sobra ba ka barato ang presyo?
A. Sobra ka barato ang presyo.
B. Ang presyo sobra ka barato.
C. Barato ka sobra ang presyo.

Q2. Nikaon ba siya sobra kagabii?
A. Nikaon sobra siya kagabii.
B. Sobra siya nikaon kagabii.
C. Siya kagabii sobra nikaon.

Q3. Dili ba sobra ang asin sa sabaw?
A. Dili sobra ang asin sa sabaw.
B. Ang asin sa sabaw dili sobra.
C. Sabaw sa asin sobra dili ang.

Q4. Sobra ra ba ang homework para sa usa ka adlaw?
A. Homework sobra ra para sa usa ka adlaw.
B. Para sa usa ka adlaw sobra ra ang homework.
C. Sobra ra ang homework para sa usa ka adlaw.

Q5. Sobra bang kusog ang hangin karon buntag?
A. Kusog sobra bang ang hangin karon buntag.
B. Sobra bang ang hangin kusog karon buntag.
C. Sobra bang kusog ang hangin karon buntag.

Answer Key