us-usab

Cebuano Word: us-usab

1. Part of Speech, Meaning, and Example Sentences

• Part of speech: Adverb of frequency / emphasis (reduplicated form of usab).
• Meaning: “again and again,” “repeatedly,” “over and over.”
  • Us-usab siyang nag-ingon niana. — He kept saying that again and again.
  • Ayaw pag-us-usab ug buhat sa sayop. — Do not repeat the mistake over and over.
  • Nisulay ko us-usab hangtod mi-lampos. — I tried again and again until I succeeded.

2. Points to Remember When Learning Adverbs like us-usab

• Reduplication = intensity: The base adverb usab (“again/also”) is doubled to stress repetition.
• Not for single events: Reserve it for actions that truly recur; use plain usab for “again” once.
• Typical partners: Works well with verbs of effort (sulay, paningkamot) or speech (ingon, hangyo).
• Position: Usually follows the main verb but may open a clause for emphasis.
• Polite warnings: Adds gentle urgency to reminders (Ayaw na’g us-usab…).

3. Common Collocations

• us-usab ko — I again and again…
• us-usab nga pangutana — the same question over and over
• sige’g us-usab — constantly repeating
• balik-balik us-usab — utterly repetitive
• dili na us-usab — no more repeating

4. Typical Sentence Position

• Post-verbal (neutral): Nagbalik siya us-usab sa kanta.
• Clause-initial (emphatic): Us-usab, gi-klaro niya ang timetabla.

5. Five Conversational Phrases

1. Ayaw us-usab ana ha. — Please stop doing that again and again.
2. Us-usab ko’g remind nimo kay importante. — I keep reminding you because it is important.
3. Sige’g us-usab ang alarm! — The alarm keeps going off!
4. Us-usab na pud mi’g practice para ma-perfect. — We are practicing over and over to perfect it.
5. Dili ko ganahan us-usab nga kasaba. — I dislike repeated scolding.

6. Five Everyday Conversation Exchanges

1. A: Na-memorize na nimo ang speech?
   B: Dili pa, kinahanglan pa ko mo-basa us-usab. EN: Not yet, I still need to read it again and again.
2. A: Ngano nasuko si Ma’am?
   B: Kay us-usab kaayo ang sayop sa reports. EN: Because the mistake in the reports is repeated too much.
3. A: Nipasa na sila sa requirements?
   B: O, pero us-usab gihapon sila’g kulang ug pirma. EN: Yes, but they still repeatedly miss signatures.
4. A: Ganahan ka sa kanta?
   B: Oo, us-usab nako’g paminaw matag gabi-i. EN: Yes, I listen to it again and again every night.
5. A: Human na ang bug-at nga trabaho?
   B: Sa wakas, human na—di na kinahanglan us-usab. EN: Finally, it’s done—no need to repeat it again.

7. Multiple-Choice Dialogue Questions

Q1. Kanus-a nimo balikon ang exercise?
A. Balikon nako ang exercise us-usab ugma.
B. Us-usab ugma balikon nako ang exercise.
C. Exercise balikon nako ugma us-usab.

Q2. Kinsay sige’g ingna nimo?
A. Ingon nimo us-usab si Carlo kanunay.
B. Si Carlo imong gina-ingnan us-usab pirme.
C. Us-usab si Carlo nimo ingon pirme.

Q3. Unsa’y problema sa makina?
A. Us-usab mo-hunong ang makina basta init.
B. Mo-hunong ang makina us-usab basta init.
C. Basta init us-usab mo-hunong makina ang.

Q4. Asa ta mo-practis karon?
A. Us-usab ta mo-practis sa studio karon.
B. Mo-practis ta us-usab sa studio karon.
C. Sa studio mo-practis karon us-usab ta.

Q5. Giunsa nimo pag-perfect ang sayaw?
A. Gi-practice nako us-usab hangtod smooth na.
B. Us-usab hangtod smooth gi-practice nako na.
C. Hangtod smooth us-usab gi-practice nako na.

Answer Key & Explanations

• Q1 – B Time phrase ugma follows us-usab, keeping verb-object order intact.
• Q2 – B Subject Si Carlo first, verb phrase next, then adverb us-usab—sounds natural.
• Q3 – A Adverb clause starts the sentence: “Again and again the machine stops when hot.”
• Q4 – C Place first, then verb phrase, finally adverb—correct rhythmic order.
• Q5 – A Verb + object + us-usab + result clause clearly shows repeated practice.