Learn Cebuano: How to Introduce Your Friend in Cebuano | Basic Conversation Practice #BC19

2021/5/11

Learn Cebuano with this easy lesson on how to introduce your friend to someone!
In this video, you will:

  • Practice basic Cebuano conversation for meeting new people
  • Learn how to ask simple questions like “Where are you from?” and “Where are you going?”
  • Master useful Cebuano vocabulary such as silingan (neighbor), kababata (childhood friend), and tianggi (market)
  • Improve your speaking through dialogue practice with English translation

This lesson is perfect for beginners who want to build confidence in daily conversations.
Try the role play and comprehension quiz at the end to test your learning!

VOCABULARY

Directions: Listen and repeat after your teacher.

Unya

  • English meaning: later / afterwards / then
  • Part of speech: adverb
  • Usage: Used to indicate something that will happen in the future, after some time, or as a sequence marker in narration. Equivalent to “later,” “afterwards,” or “then” in English, depending on context.

Example sentences

  1. Magkaon ta karon, unya ta manan-aw salida.
    → Let’s eat now, then we’ll watch a movie.
  2. Unya na lang ko moadto.
    → I’ll just go later.
  3. Nagkita sila sa merkado, unya nag-inom sila kape.
    → They met at the market, then they had coffee.

Silingan

  • English meaning: neighbor
  • Part of speech: noun (can also be used as a verb meaning to be neighbors with)
  • Usage: Refers to a person living nearby, next door, or within the same community. Equivalent to “neighbor” in English.

Example sentences

  1. Maayo kaayo among silingan.
    → Our neighbor is very kind.
  2. Nagtabang ang silingan namo sa paglimpyo sa kalsada.
    → Our neighbor helped us clean the street.
  3. Silingan ra mi nila, mao nga kanunay mi magkita.
    → We’re just neighbors, so we often see each other.

Kababata

  • English meaning: childhood friend / playmate from childhood
  • Part of speech: noun
  • Usage: Refers to someone you grew up with since childhood, usually a friend, playmate, or someone from the same neighborhood when you were young.

Example sentences

  1. Siya ang akong kababata gikan pa sa among baryo.
    → He is my childhood friend from our village.
  2. Nagkita mi pag-usab sa akong kababata human sa daghang tuig.
    → I met my childhood friend again after many years.
  3. Daghan akong mga kababata nga nagpuyo gihapon sa among lugar.
    → Many of my childhood friends still live in our place.

Mamalit

  • English meaning: to buy / to shop
  • Part of speech: verb (future or habitual aspect)
  • Usage: Commonly used when referring to the act of buying or going shopping, often in markets or stores. Equivalent to “buy” or “shop” in English.

Example sentences

  1. Mamalit ko ug isda sa merkado.
    → I will buy fish at the market.
  2. Asa ka mamalit ug sinina?
    → Where do you shop for clothes?
  3. Mamalit unya ta ug prutas human sa klase.
    → Let’s buy fruits later after class.

Tianggi

  • English meaning: flea market / small public market / bazaar
  • Part of speech: noun
  • Usage: Refers to a temporary or small-scale market where various goods are sold, often cheaper than in regular stores. Similar to a flea market or bazaar in English. Common in towns during weekends, fiestas, or special occasions.

Example sentences

Ang tianggi magsugod kada Sabado sa plaza.
→ The bazaar starts every Saturday at the plaza.

Adto ta sa tianggi aron mamalit ug barato nga sinina.
→ Let’s go to the flea market to buy cheap clothes.

Daghan kaayo og tao sa tianggi karong hapon.
→ There are so many people at the flea market this afternoon.

Mi / Kami

  • English meaning: we / us (exclusive)
  • Part of speech: pronoun (first person plural, exclusive)
  • Usage: Refers to the speaker + other people, but excludes the person being spoken to.
  • In Cebuano, kami is the full form, and mi is a shorter/contracted form often used in speech.

Example sentences

  1. Kami magdula og basketbol unya.
    → We will play basketball later.
  2. Miadto mi sa simbahan kagabii.
    → We went to church last night.
  3. Kami ra ang nagpuyo sa balay.
    → Only we live in the house.

Nimo

  • English meaning: your / of you / you (object form)
  • Part of speech: pronoun (second person singular, possessive or objective)
  • Usage: Refers to you in the possessive or object sense. Equivalent to “your” or “of you” in English, depending on context.

Example sentences

  1. Unsa ang ngalan nimo?
    → What is your name?
  2. Ganahan ko nimo.
    → I like you.
  3. Naay sulat para nimo.
    → There is a letter for you.

Padung / Padulong

  • English meaning: heading to / on the way to / going toward
  • Part of speech: verb (progressive aspect) or preposition-like expression
  • Usage: Used to describe movement in a certain direction or toward a destination. Equivalent to “going to” or “on the way to” in English. Padung is the shortened everyday form of padulong.

Example sentences

  1. Padung ko sa trabaho.
    → I’m on the way to work.
  2. Asa ka padulong karon?
    → Where are you heading now?
  3. Padung na sila sa Cebu.
    → They are going to Cebu.

DIALOGUE PRACTICE

Directions: Listen and repeat after your teacher.
Situation: Introducing a friend

Cebuano

Joyce: Hi, Leah!
Leah: Hi!
Joyce: Leah si Winjell ni, unya Winjell si Leah ni.
Winjell: Hi, Winjell diay.
Leah: Hi, Leah.
Winjell: Taga asa diay ka Leah?
Leah: Taga Tisa. Ikaw? Taga asa ka? Silingan ramong duha?
Winjell: O silingan ra mi ni Joyce.
Leah: Dugay ramo kaila ni Joyce?
Winjell: O dugay na, kababata man gud ming duha.
Leah: Aw. Asa diay mo padung?
Joyce: Mamalit mi og isda sa tianggi, Leah.
Leah: Aw sige, maayong panag-ila nimo Winjell.
Winjell: Maayong panag-ila sad nimo Leah. Babay.

English

Joyce: Hi, Leah!
Leah: Hi!
Joyce: Leah, this is Winjell, and Winjell, this is Leah.
Winjell: Hi, I’m Winjell.
Leah: Hi, I’m Leah.
Winjell: Where are you from, Leah?
Leah: I’m from Tisa. And you? Where are you from? Are you neighbors?
Winjell: Yes, we are neighbors of Joyce.
Leah: Have you known Joyce for a long time?
Winjell: Yes, for a long time, we are childhood friends.
Leah: Ah. Where are you going?
Joyce: We are going to buy fish at the market, Leah.
Leah: Ah okay, it’s nice meeting you, Winjell.
Winjell: It’s nice meeting you too, Leah. Bye.

LESSON

There are ways how to introduce your friend to someone.

N + N
For example:
Leah, si Winjell ni.
Leah, this is Winjell.

Ma, si Tony ni.
Mom, this is Tony.

Mao kini/kana/kato + N
For example:
Mao kini si Leah.
This is Leah.

Mao kana akong papa.
That is my father.

⚫ Now, let’s learn how to ask the question ‘asa’.
“asa” means “where” in English.

For example:
Taga-asa ka?
Where are you from?

Asa diay mo padung?
Where are you going?

COMPREHENSION QUIZ

Directions: Choose the correct answer.

  1. How do you answer the question “Taga-asa ka?” ?

a. Tigbantay
b. Taga-Cebu
c. Moadto mi sa tianggi
d. Mao kini si Leah.

  1. How do you say ‘childhood friend’ in Cebuano?

a. higala
b. mi
c. silingan
d. kababata

  1. What’s the meaning of ‘asa’ in English?

a. when
b. where
c. why
d. what

  1. How do you say ‘neighbor’ in Cebuano?

a. higala
b. mi
c. silingan
d. kababata

  1. How do you say the shortened form of ‘we’ in Cebuano?

a. mi
b. ni
c. to
d. na

EXERCISE

Arrange the words to make sentences.

  1. kana / papa / mao / akong
  2. diay / asa / padung / mo / ?
  3. panag-ila / nimo / maayong / Leah / sad
  4. ka / asa / Leah / diay / taga / ?
  5. ni / si / , / Tony / Ma

REVIEW

Directions: Let’s do a role play. Introduce your friend to your

teacher.

Teacher: Hi, (name of the student).

Student: Hello, Ms!

Teacher: Kinsa na?

Student: ____.

Teacher: Maayong panag-ila nimo, _.

Friend: ______________.

Teacher: Taga-asa ka?

Friend: _______.

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