Traveling around Cebu? 🚕
This lesson will teach you how to ride a taxi in Cebu using simple and useful Cebuano (Bisaya) expressions. You’ll learn how to:
✅ Tell the driver your destination (Asa ka?)
✅ Ask which route to take (Asa ta agi?)
✅ Handle money situations, like asking for change (Sinsilyo imong kwarta?)
✅ Practice a complete taxi conversation in Cebuano with English translation
With dialogues, vocabulary, and a short comprehension quiz, this video is perfect for travelers, beginners, and anyone who wants to practice Cebuano in real-life situations.
VOCABULARY
Directions: Listen and repeat after your teacher.
agi (moagi)
Meaning (EN): to pass by; to pass through; to go via
Part of speech: verb (root agi; actor-focus moagi/niagi/nag-agi). Related nouns: pag-agi (passing), agianan (path/way to pass through)
Usage & nuance:
- Route/stop-by: moagi ko sa ~ = “I’ll pass by/through ~.”
- Past/ongoing: niagi (passed), nag-agi (is/was passing).
- Locative/potential: (di)li maagian = “(not) passable,” agianan = “a passage/path.”
- For “by means of/through (a method),” Cebuano prefers pinaagi sa (“via/by means of”).
Example sentences (with translations):
- Moagi ko sa imong balay ugma. — I’ll pass by your house tomorrow.
- Niagi mi sa tulay kay taas ang baha sa pikas dalan. — We went through the bridge because the flood was high on the other road.
- Dili maagian ang kalsada karon; naa pay roadwork. — The road isn’t passable now; there’s still roadwork.
sinsilyo
Meaning (EN): small change; coins; loose change
Part of speech: noun
Usage & nuance:
- Refers to money in coins/small denominations, e.g., for fares or vending machines.
- Contrast with sukli = the change returned to you after paying.
- You may also hear barya (Tagalog); in Cebuano, sinsilyo is standard.
- Common patterns: walay sinsilyo (no small change), naakay sinsilyo? (do you have change?), pang-sinsilyo (coins kept for making change).
Example sentences (with translations):
- Wala koy sinsilyo para sa pamasahe. — I don’t have small change for the fare.
- Naakay sinsilyo? Tagai ko’g duha ka piso, palihog. — Do you have coins? Please give me two pesos.
- Mangayo ko’g sinsilyo sa cashier aron mabayran ang parking. — I’ll ask the cashier for small change so I can pay for parking.
naa
Meaning (EN): there is/are; to have; to be (at/in a place)
Part of speech: existential verb/particle; locative predicate
Usage & nuance:
- Existence: naa + (’y) + noun → “there is/are …” (Naay problema. “There is a problem.”)
- Possession: naa + pronoun + (’y) + noun → “(someone) has …” (Naa kay uyab? “Do you have a partner?”)
- Location: naa + subject + sa + place → “(someone/something) is at …” (Naa siya sa opisina.)
- Colloquial contractions: naay / naa’y (= naa + ay/y).
- Negative: wala (“there is none / don’t have”).
- More formal near-synonym: adunay/aduna.
Example sentences (with translations):
- Naa koy sinsilyo para sa plete. — I have small change for the fare.
- Naa ba kay uyab karon? — Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend now?
- Naa siya sa balay karon buntag. — He/She is at home this morning.
lang
Meaning (EN): only; just; merely; (softener) please/for now
Part of speech: enclitic particle/adverb (sentence-softener)
Usage & nuance:
- Function: limits or downplays something (“just/only”) and often softens a request or deferral.
- Position: a second-position clitic—it typically comes right after the first word of the clause: Unya lang sa…
- Common collocations: kadiyot lang (“just a moment”), unya lang (sa) (“later [please]”), diri lang (“just here”), sige lang / okey lang (“it’s fine/never mind”).
- vs. ra: ra is the native “only/just” limiter and is preferred in careful Cebuano (ako ra, dinhi ra). lang is also widely used (influenced by Filipino/Tagalog) and often adds a softer tone.
Example sentences (with translations):
- Unya lang sa, busy pa ko. — Later, please; I am still busy.
- Kadiyot lang, nag-andam pa ko. — Just a moment; I am still getting ready.
- Diri lang ko maghulat. — I will just wait here.
pila
Meaning (EN):
- how many; how much (quantity/amount)
- how much (price) — often tagpila “how much per unit?”
- (homonym) line/queue; to line up (pila n.; magpila/ nipila v.)
Part of speech: interrogative pronoun/determiner; adverb; (also) noun/verb (for the “queue” sense)
Usage & nuance:
- Quantity pattern: Pila ka + noun? → “How many ___?” (Pila ka litro? “How many liters?”)
- Possession/attributes: Pila (ang) imong … ? → “How much/how many is your … ?” (Pila imong edad? “How old are you?”)
- Price: Pila ni? “How much is this?” / Tagpila ni? “How much per item?” / Pila tanan? “How much in total?”
- Time spans: Pila ka oras/adlaw/tuig … ? “How many hours/days/years … ?”
- Limiter: pila ra = “only a few/just a little.”
- Related forms: kapila = “how many times,” ipalit etc. not necessary here.
Example sentences (with translations):
- Pila ni, palihog? — How much is this, please?
- Pila ka oras ang biyahe padulong sa Cebu City? — How many hours is the trip to Cebu City?
- Magpila ta sa counter; daghan og tawo karon. — Let us line up at the counter; there are many people today.
asa
Meaning (EN): where; to where; from where (with gikan)
Part of speech: interrogative pronoun/adverb
Usage & nuance:
- Core “where?” word for location, destination, or origin.
- Asa ka (karon)? = “Where are you (now)?”; Asa ka paingon? = “Where are you headed?”
- To ask origin, add gikan: Gikan asa ka? = “Where did you come from?”
- asa dapit ≈ “whereabouts”; asa na…? = “where is … now?”
- Related: hain sometimes means “which (one)” (choice among items) and is dialectal for “where” in some areas; in standard Cebuano, asa is the default for place.
Example sentences (with translations):
- Asa ka karon? — Where are you now?
- Asa ta magkita ugma? — Where shall we meet tomorrow?
- Gikan asa ka ganina? — Where did you come from earlier?
kadiyot (also: kadyot / kadiyut)
Meaning (EN): a moment; a short while; briefly; “just a sec”
Part of speech: noun (time measure); adverb; interjection (polite deferral)
Usage & nuance:
- Extremely common for soft, polite delays: kadiyot lang / kadiyot lang sa = “just a moment (please).”
- With verbs to mean “briefly/for a bit”: maghulat kog kadiyot (“I’ll wait a bit”), mukuyog ko kadiyot (“I’ll tag along for a moment”).
- You’ll also hear usa ka kadiyot (“one moment”).
- Close synonyms: kadiyot-kadiyot (reduplication, very brief); kadali (regional/Tagalog-influenced).
- Often paired with softeners lang/ra/sa to keep the tone gentle.
Example sentences (with translations):
- Kadiyot lang, palihog; humanaon sa nako ni. — Just a moment, please; let me finish this first.
- Maghulat kog kadiyot sa gawas. — I will wait outside for a bit.
- Kadiyot ra mi, mopalit lang ug gatas sa tindahan. — We’ll only be a moment; we’re just buying milk at the store.
FLASHCARDS
DIALOGUE PRACTICE
Directions: Listen and repeat after your teacher.
Driver: Maayong Buntag Ma’am.
Passenger: Maayong Buntag pud Kuya. Sa Ayala diay ko kuya.
Driver: Sige ma’am. Sa Happy Valley ta agi Ma’am?
Passenger: Sa Banawa lang kuya.
(If your bill is big, ask the driver if he has some change.)
Passenger: Kuya naa ra ka’y sinsilyo sa 500?
Driver: Naa ra Ma’am.
Passenger: Ah ok kuya.
Driver: Asa ka sa Ayala Ma’am? Sa Terraces o sa H&M dapit?
Passenger: Sa H&M lang ya.
(a while later, arriving at the destination)
Passenger: Pila kuya?
Driver: 250 Ma’am.
Passenger: Tara kuya o.
Driver: Kadyot sa Ma’am ha. …. Tara Ma’am o. Salamat.
Passenger: Salamat kuya.
English
Driver: Good morning, Ma’am.
Passenger: Good morning too, sir. I will go to Ayala.
Driver: Okay Ma’am. Which way should we go?
Passenger: Let’s just take the Banawa road.
(If your bill is big, ask the driver if he has some change.)
Passenger: Sir, do you have any change for 500?
Driver: Yes, I have Ma’am.
Passenger: Oh I see.
Driver: Which entrance should we go? At Terraces or at H&M?
Passenger: At H&M please.
(A while later, arriving at the destination)
Passenger: How much is it?
Driver: 250 Ma’am. (two hundred fifty pesos)
Passenger: Here it is, sir.
Driver: Wait for a moment Ma’am. …. Here it is. Thank you Ma’am.
Passenger: Thank you, Sir.
LESSON
In riding a taxi, you have to answer the following questions:
⚫ Asa ka?
Where are you going?
The driver always asks the passenger’s destination first. In some
scenario, the passenger tells his destination first before getting in
the taxi.
⚫ Asa ta agi (moagi) ?
Which way do we go?
In Cebu, there are short roads to avoid traffic and to get to the
destination easily. And, there are some passengers who prefer to
go to such road. That’s why the driver asks you this question.
⚫ Sinsilyo imong kwarta?
Is your money small amount?
Always remember that not all the time the drivers have change
for bigger bills especially in the morning. In that case, the driver
asks you about your money. On the other hand, the passengers
ask the driver first if he has change for bigger bills (500php or
1000 php) so there won’t be any troubles when arriving at the
destination.
- When you take a taxi, always check if the meter is on so you won’t have troubles of your fare.
COMPREHENSION QUIZ
Directions: Choose the correct answer.
- How do you say where in Cebuano?
a. kinsa
b. kanu-sa
c. asa
d. ngano? - How do you answer the question “Sinsilyo imong
kwarta?” ?
a. O
b. ambot
c. ayaw
d. Wala - What’s the first thing you should check when getting in the
taxi?
a. Your bag.
b. The taxi’s mirror.
c. The taxi’s meter.
d. none of the above. - How do you say ‘change’ in Cebuano?
a. kwarta
b. imong
c. sinsilyo
d. pila - Does the driver rarely asks the passenger’s destination?
a. O
d. Dili
c. Ayaw
d. Wala
EXERCISE
Arrange the words to make sentences.
- ta / asa /agi / ?
- buntag / Ma’am / Maayong
- naa / 500 / kuya / ka’y / sa / ra / sinsilyo / ?
- imong / kwarta / sinsilyo / ?
- ka / asa / ?
REVIEW
Directions: Let’s do a short role play.
Driver: Maayong Buntag
Passenger: _.
Driver: Asa ka?
Passenger: ___.
Driver: Asa ta agi?
Passenger: ____.
Passenger: ____.
Driver: Naa ra.
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