1 Part of speech, core meaning, and example sentences
| Role | Cebuano | English |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (root) | sugod — “to start, begin, commence” | |
| Common noun | sugod — “start, beginning” |
Predicate order – The conjugated form leads the predicate; clitic actor-pronoun follows:
Mo-sugod ko sa report karong hapon.
I’ll start the report this afternoon.
Example sentences
- Mo-sugod ko ug klase alas-otso. — I will begin class at eight.
- Nag-sugod sila sa meeting samtang nag-ulan. — They are starting the meeting while it’s raining.
- Gi-sugdan sa kontraktor ang proyekto sa Lunes. — The contractor started the project on Monday.
2 Verb derivations of sugod
| Form | Voice & aspect | Typical translation | Sample sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| mag-sugod | Actor-focus, habitual / future | “will usually start” | Mag-sugod siya ug trabaho kada alas-nuebe. |
| mo-sugod | Actor-focus, non-past / imperative | “will start; start!” | Mo-sugod ta karon, ha. |
| nag-sugod | Actor-focus, progressive | “is / was starting” | Nag-sugod ko pag-chat nimo. |
| ni-sugod / mi-sugod | Actor-focus, completed past | “started” | Ni-sugod sila sa laro kagahapon. |
| gi-sugdan | Patient-focus, completed past | “was begun (by …)” | Gi-sugdan sa chef ang pagluto sa sopa. |
| sugdon (-on) | Patient-focus, future / imp. | “to be started / start it” | Sugdon nato ang presentation unya. |
| sugdán / sugdi (-an / -i) | Locative / beneficiary | “to start for someone / start at” | Sugdi ko palihog sa intro part. |
3 Where it fits in a sentence
- Actor focus: Mo-sugod ko ug review karon.
- Patient focus: Gi-sugdan ang project sa team lead.
- Locative / beneficiary: Sugdi siya sa basics una.
4 Common collocations
- sugod sa klase — start of class
- mag-sugod og trabaho — begin work
- walay sugod — no beginning / nothing started
- gi-sugdan sa gobyerno — initiated by the government
- sugdon nga lakang — first step to start
5 Detailed usage notes
- Time marker – Often followed by specific time: mo-sugod ko alas-syete.
- Project / activity kickoff – Used for events, tasks, shows, games.
- Noun form – Maayo ang sugod sa negosyo. (“The business had a good start.”)
- Figurative sense – Can mark life stages (sugod sa pag-eskwela “start of schooling”).
- Reduplication – sugod-sugod implies tentative or trial start.
6 Common mistakes & things to watch out for
| Error | Why wrong | Correct |
|---|---|---|
| Mo-sugod ako ug duty. | Clitic pronoun misplaced. | Mo-sugod ko ug duty. |
| Gi-sugod ko ang meeting. | gi- needs genitive actor (ni / sa). | Gi-sugdan ni ko ang meeting. |
| Sugdon ta siya! | Needs sugdi for beneficiary command. | Sugdi siya! |
| Nag-sugod sa trabaho | Missing subject. | Nag-sugod kami sa trabaho. |
7 Conversational phrases
- “Sugod na ta!” — “Let’s start now!”
- “Unsa’y oras magsugod?” — “What time will it begin?”
- “Ni-sugod na sila ug dula.” — “They’ve already started playing.”
- “Ayaw pa sugdi; kulang pa ang tawo.” — “Don’t start yet; we’re still missing people.”
- “Nindot ang imong pagsugod.” — “You had a good start.”
8 Short everyday conversations
- A: Mo-sugod ka karon sa gym? — Are you starting at the gym now?
B: Oo, aron makalikay ko sa daghan tawo. — Yes, so I can avoid the crowd. - A: Nig-sugod na ba ang movie? — Has the movie begun?
B: Wala pa, trailers pa man. — Not yet, it’s still trailers. - A: Sugdi ko palihog sa accounting report. — Please start the accounting report for me.
B: Sige, sugdan nako karon dayon. — Sure, I’ll start it right away. - A: Nag-sugod na sila sa meeting bisan ulahi ta? — Did they start the meeting even though we’re late?
B: Oo, gipadagan na nila para dili malangan. — Yes, they started so it wouldn’t be delayed. - A: Mag-sugod ta og savings plan karong tuig? — Shall we start a savings plan this year?
B: Sakto, mas maayo nga sayo magsugod. — Right, it’s better to start early.
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