tulo

Cebuano word: tulo — “three”

1. Part of speech, meaning, and example sentences

• Part of speech: numeral / determiner (cardinal number)
• Core meaning: the quantity 3

Everyday examples

• Tulo ka estudyante ang naka-honor. – “Three students made the honor roll.”
• Nag-order ko og tulo ka puto. – “I ordered three rice cakes.”
• Tulo ra ko ka minuto nang-huwat. – “I waited only three minutes.”

2. Cebuano or Spanish?

• tulo – native Cebuano form
• tres – Spanish-based form for “three”

3. Native vs Spanish number usage

1. Counting objects, people, days: prefer tulo (tulo ka adlaw).
2. Clock time: Spanish dominates (alas tres = 3 o’clock).
3. Money amounts, measurements: often Spanish (tres mil pesos).
4. Telephone numbers & codes: Spanish or English digits; rarely native.
5. Ordinals (<100): native with ika- → ika-tulo (“third”).

4. How tulo is used in detail

• Typical pattern: tulo ka + noun Gipamalit nila ang tulo ka tiket. – “They bought the three tickets.”
• Without ka in fixed phrases:
  • tulo ra – only three
  • tulo pa – three more
• Adverb of frequency: Tulo ka beses siya nag-praktis sa usa ka semana. – “He practises three times a week.”
• Ordinal: ika-tulo – the third
• Position: directly before the classifier ka and noun.

5. Five common pitfalls

1. Leaving out ka (✗ tulo mansanas → ✓ tulo ka mansanas).
2. Doubling plural markers (✗ tulo ka mga tawo).
3. Switching mid-sentence to tres when native form fits context.
4. Placing tulo after the noun (✗ mansanas tulo ka).
5. Using tulo when an ordinal is required (✗ sa tulo adlaw → ✓ sa ika-tulo ka adlaw).

6. Common collocations

• tulo ka + noun – three …
• tulo ra – only three
• tulo pa – three more
• ika-tulo – the third
• sa tulo ka bulan – in three months

7. Frequent learner mistakes and cautions

• Reading the digit “3” aloud as tulo in phone numbers; natives usually say tres or English “three.”
• Stress shift: pronounce /TU-lo/ (light first syllable), not “too-LÓ.”
• Forgetting linker assimilation in rapid speech (spoken tulo’g for tulo og).
• Mixing Tagalog syntax (Tatlong libro…) with Cebuano word order.
• Over-using tulo when polite quantifiers (murag, hapit) would sound softer.

8. Five high-frequency conversational phrases

• Tulo ra mi kabuok karon. – “There are only three of us now.”
• Pwede ko mangayo og tulo pa ka kutsara? – “May I have three more spoons?”
• Tulo na lang ang nahabilin. – “Only three are left.”
• Magkita ta mga tulo ka oras gikan karon. – “Let’s meet about three hours from now.”
• Tulo ka beses ko nag-sulay, nakaya ra gyud! – “I tried three times and finally managed!”

9. Five simple dialogue exchanges

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

10. Multiple-choice dialogue questions

Q1. Tulo ba ka libro imong gipalit?
A. Imong gipalit tulo ka libro.
B. Tulo ka libro akong gipalit.
C. Libro tulo ka akong gipalit.

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

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

Q4. Tulo ba ta ka botelya ang paliton?
A. Paliton ta tulo ka botelya.
B. Ta tulo ka botelya paliton.
C. Botelya tulo ka paliton ta.

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

Answer key and brief explanations

• Q1 – Correct: B
  Tulo ka libro akong gipalit keeps numeral phrase before noun and follows the normal subject–verb order. A and C shuffle noun, pronoun, and numeral.
• Q2 – Correct: A
  Mag-puyo dinhi mo tulo ka adlaw follows verb + place + subject + numeral phrase. B and C mis-order subject or auxiliary.
• Q3 – Correct: B
  Fronted subject phrase Ang tulo ka bata before the verb is acceptable. A and C misplace adverbial or verb position.
• Q4 – Correct: A
  Imperative pattern: verb + pronoun + object. B and C break the verb–object connection.
• Q5 – Correct: C
  Frequency phrase tulo ka beses precedes place then verb, an acceptable variant. A and B split components or invert clause parts unnaturally.