unom

Cebuano word: unom — “six”

1. Part of speech, meaning, and example sentences

• Part of speech: numeral / determiner (cardinal)
• Meaning: the quantity 6

Example sentences

• Unom ka estudyante ang misulod sa finals. – Six students entered the finals.
• Nag-order ko og unom ka puto. – I ordered six rice cakes.
• Unom ra ko ka minuto nang-huwat. – I waited only six minutes.

2. Cebuano or Spanish?

• unom – native Cebuano form
• sais (from Spanish seis) – Spanish-based form for “six”

3. Native vs Spanish number usage

• Object and people counts: use unom (unom ka tawo).
• Clock time: Spanish dominates (alas sais = 6 o’clock).
• Money, measurements, phone numbers: usually sais or English “six.”
• Ordinals (< 100): native with ika- → ika-unom (“sixth”).
• Fixed idioms / casual chat: strongly favors unom.

4. How unom is used

• Standard pattern: unom ka + noun → Unom ka tiket ang among gipalit.
• Set phrases without ka: unom ra (“only six”), unom pa (“six more”).
• Frequency adverb: Unom ka beses siya nag-praktis sa usa ka semana. – He practises six times a week.
• Ordinal: ika-unom – the sixth.
• Position: always just before the classifier ka and the noun.

5. Five common pitfalls

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

6. Common collocations

• unom ka + noun – six …
• unom ra – only six
• unom pa – six more
• ika-unom – the sixth
• sa unom ka bulan – in six months

7. Typical learner mistakes and cautions

• Reading the digit “6” in phone numbers as unom instead of sais.
• Stress error: pronounce /U-nom/ (light first syllable), not “oo-NÓM.”
• Forgetting the linker in rapid speech (unom’g for unom og).
• Borrowing Tagalog structure (Anim na libro …) in Cebuano sentences.
• Over-using unom when approximate quantifiers (mga, hapit) would sound more natural.

8. Five handy conversational phrases

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

9. Five short dialogue exchanges

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

10. Multiple-choice dialogue questions

Q1. Unom ba ka libro imong gipalit?
A. Unom ka libro akong gipalit.
B. Libro unom ka akong gipalit.
C. Gipalit ko unom ka libro.

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

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

Q4. Unom ba ta ka botelya ang paliton?
A. Paliton ta unom ka botelya.
B. Ta unom ka botelya paliton.
C. Botelya unom ka paliton ta.

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

Answer key

• Q1 – Correct: A
  Unom ka libro akong gipalit keeps the numeral phrase immediately before the noun, followed by the verb; B and C scramble noun order.
• Q2 – Correct: A
  Verb + place + subject + numeral phrase is idiomatic. B misplaces the subject; C splits the numeral from the noun and adds an extra verb.
• Q3 – Correct: C
  Fronted subject phrase Ang unom ka bata before the verb is natural. A and B move adverbials around, creating awkward order.
• Q4 – Correct: A
  Imperative structure: verb + pronoun + object. B and C separate the verb from its object or misplace the pronoun.
• Q5 – Correct: A
  Frequency phrase at the end reads smoothly. B and C invert elements, making the sentence sound disjointed.