1. Part of Speech, Meaning, and Example Sentences
- Part of speech: numeral (cardinal)
- Meaning: “tres syentos” = three hundred (300)
- Example sentences
- Naay tres syentos ka tawo sa konsiyerto. — There are three hundred people at the concert.
- Mopalit siya ug tres syentos ka itlog. — She will buy three hundred eggs.
- Ang bayad kay tres syentos pesos. — The fee is three hundred pesos.
2. Number Origin
- Spanish-based compound (from Spanish trescientos).
- Native Bisaya equivalent: tulo ka gatos (rare; heard in formal or traditional contexts).
3. Cebuano vs Spanish Number Series
- Native series (e.g., tulo ka gatos = 300; tulo ka gatos ug usa = 301) surfaces in folk literature and some rural speech.
- Spanish series (tres syentos, tres syentos uno …) dominates in prices, dates, pagination, time jokes, and daily urban talk.
- Keep to one system per number: ✓ tres syentos sais (306); ✗ tulo ka gatos ug sais (mixed).
4. Detailed Usage
- Formal spelling tres syentos; casual speech sometimes drops the second s (tre’ syentos).
- When counting nouns, add the classifier ka: tres syentos ka piraso.
- Playful “clock” jokes: alas otso ug tres syentos (8:300 → 13:00, obviously humorous).
- Often stands alone as a concise answer about amount: “Tres syentos.”
5. Five Common Pitfalls
- Using pure-Spanish trescientos in Cebuano text.
- Mixing native and Spanish roots in one phrase (tulo ka gatos ug singko ✗).
- Mis-stressing (correct trés syén-tos, not tres syen-tós).
- Dropping ka before a noun (tres syentos libro ✗ → tres syentos ka libro ✓).
- Forgetting the unit when quoting prices (tres syentos ✗ → tres syentos pesos ✓).
6. Common Collocations
- tres syentos pesos — 300 pesos
- tres syentos ka minuto — 300 minutes
- tres syentos ka adlaw — 300 days
- tres syentos anyos — 300 years old (hyperbolic)
- tres syentos ka piraso — 300 pieces
7. Common Mistakes to Watch For
- Misspelling (trisyentos, tresyentos).
- Adding mga before the numeral (mga tres syentos ka …).
- Forgetting ug in playful time phrases (alas nuwebe tres syentos ✗).
- Saying syentos tres for 300 (needs the “tres”).
- Writing “300 ka …” in formal prose without the word form.
8. Five Frequent Conversational Phrases
• Tres syentos tanan. — The total is 300.
• Na-late ko ug tres syentos ka minuto. — I was 300 minutes late.
• Tres syentos ra gyod! — Make it just 300!
• Tres syentos ang budget. — The budget is 300.
• Quota kay tres syentos ka buok. — The quota is 300 pieces.
9. Five Everyday Conversation Exchanges
- A: Pila ang pamasahe? — How much is the fare?
B: Tres syentos pesos ra. — Only 300 pesos. - A: Tag-pila ning ubas? — How much are these grapes?
B: Tres syentos pesos ang kilo. — 300 pesos per kilo. - A: Unsa kadugay ang lecture? — How long is the lecture?
B: Mga tres syentos ka minuto. — About 300 minutes. - A: Pila kabuok bisita? — How many guests?
B: Naay tres syentos ka bisita. — There are 300 guests. - A: Unsang oras nagsugod ang salida? — What time did the show start?
B: Alas siyete ug tres syentos (joking). — At 7 : 300 (clearly a joke).
10. Multiple-Choice Dialogue Questions
Q1. Pila ang imong allowance karon? — How much is your allowance now?
A. Pesos allowance tres syentos akong.
B. Tres syentos pesos akong allowance.
C. Allowance akong tres syentos pesos.
Q2. Pila ka adlaw ang training? — How many days is the training?
A. Tres syentos ka adlaw.
B. Ka adlaw tres syentos.
C. Tres syentos adlaw ka.
Q3. Unsa kadugay ang biyahe? — How long is the trip?
A. Ka minuto tres syentos ang biyahe.
B. Ang biyahe tres syentos ka minuto ang.
C. Tres syentos ka minuto ang biyahe.
Q4. Pila kabuok estudyante sa klase? — How many students are in the class?
A. Estudyante tres syentos ka naa.
B. Tres syentos ka estudyante naa.
C. Naa tres syentos ka estudyante ka.
Q5. Unsang oras ka miabot? — What time did you arrive?
A. Ko miabot tres syentos ug alas dos.
B. Alas dos ug tres syentos ko miabot.
C. Miabot ko tres syentos alas dos ug.
Answer Key
- Q1 – B — Correct order: numeral + pesos + “akong allowance.”
- Q2 – A — Standard pattern: numeral + ka + noun.
- Q3 – C — Proper sequence: numeral + ka + minutes + topic noun.
- Q4 – B — Numeral phrase comes before existential naa.
- Q5 – B — Cebuano time format “Alas [hour] ug [minutes].”
