Learn about Filipino negation
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Intro |
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| Alisha: How do I say "no" in Filipino? |
| Danilo: And how do I make negative sentences? |
| Alisha: At FilipinoPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine this scenario: Felix Flores asks his father whether it's okay not to join the field trip. Felix asks, |
| "Is it okay not to join the field trip?" |
| Felix Flores: Pwede po bang hindi sumama sa lakbay-aral? |
| Dialogue |
| Felix Flores: Pwede po bang hindi sumama sa lakbay-aral? |
| Feliciano Flores: Hindi. Kailangang sumama ang lahat. |
| Alisha: Once more with the English translation. |
| Felix Flores: Pwede po bang hindi sumama sa lakbay-aral? |
| Alisha: "Is it okay not to join the field trip?" |
| Feliciano Flores: Hindi. Kailangang sumama ang lahat. |
| Alisha: "No. Everyone should join." |
Lesson focus |
| Alisha: Filipinos are generally agreeable and won't say no to a person's face or outright deny a request, but that doesn't mean that they don't know how to say "no." In English, the most common words used in negation are "no" and "not." In Filipino, the equivalent of these two words is |
| Danilo: hindi. |
| Alisha: There are several other ways to say "no" in Filipino, but there is no special pattern in forming a negative sentence in Filipino. To form one, you only need to follow the standard Filipino sentence structure. |
| Danilo: Here's another example using hindi. Hindi ako kumakain ng karne. |
| Alisha: meaning "I don't eat meat." |
| Danilo: [slowly] Hindi ako kumakain ng karne. |
| First, the sentence starts with the negation term we learned today, hindi. Next, we have ako kumakain, which means "I eat" in English. Then, after that, ng karne, means "meat." |
| Alisha: So, altogether, |
| Danilo: Hindi ako kumakain ng karne. |
| Alisha: meaning "I don't eat meat." Another common word used in negation is "none," or in Filipino, |
| Danio: wala. |
| Alisha: For example, the sentence "I don't have time" in Filipino is |
| Danilo: Wala akong oras. |
| Alisha: Let's break down the sentence. First, we have "none," |
| Danio: wala, |
| Alisha: followed by the subject pronoun "I," |
| Danilo: akong, |
| Alisha: then, lastly, the noun "time," |
| Danilo: oras. Altogether, Wala akong oras. |
| Alisha: "I don't have time." |
| Danilo: Other than hindi and wala, another word we use often for negative sentences is huwag, |
| Alisha: which means "no" or "do not." For instance, if you want to use negation for "Talk to me," or |
| Danilo: Kausapin mo ako |
| Alisha: you say, |
| Danilo: Huwag mo akong kausapin. |
| Alisha: "Don't talk to me." Here, we added the Tagalog equivalent of "do not," |
| Danilo: huwag, |
| Alisha: before the indirect object pronoun "you," or |
| Danilo: mo. |
| Alisha: Let's see another example. |
| Danilo: Huwag kang aalis ng bahay. |
| Alisha: "Do not leave the house." So, you can see how this negation term is used. It only translates to "no" when you're giving an order to someone not to do something. For instance, a parent who sees his child reaching for a hot stove would exclaim, |
| Danilo: Huwag!! |
| Alisha: "No!!" |
| Practice Section |
| Alisha: Let's review what we heard in this lesson. I will say the target sentence in English, then you should respond by saying the sentence out loud in Filipino. Danilo will then model the correct answer. Listen to him carefully, with the focus on pronunciation, and then repeat. |
| The first sentence is "Is it okay not to join the field trip?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Danilo: Pwede po bang hindi sumama sa lakbay-aral? |
| Alisha: Did you get it right? Listen to Danilo again, and repeat. |
| Danilo: Pwede po bang hindi sumama sa lakbay-aral? |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Danilo: Pwede po bang hindi sumama sa lakbay-aral? |
| Alisha: The second sentence is "No. Everyone should join." |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Danilo: Hindi. Kailangang sumama ang lahat. |
| Alisha: How did you do this time? Again, listen to Danilo and repeat. |
| Danilo: Hindi. Kailangang sumama ang lahat. |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Danilo: Hindi. Kailangang sumama ang lahat. |
| Cultural Insight |
| Alisha: Filipino culture places a high value on politeness, especially when communication is directed toward older people. Adding "po" is necessary if you want to make a refusal respectfully, especially if you're speaking with someone older or someone in authority. |
| Danilo: Natapos mo na ba ang pinapagawa ko sa'yo? |
| Alisha: "Have you already finished the task I assigned to you?" |
| Danilo: Hindi pa po, sir. |
| Alisha: "Not yet, sir." |
| Danilo: Gusto mo bang sumabay sa amin? |
| Alisha: "Would you like to come with us? |
| Danilo: Huwag na po. Salamat. |
| Alisha: "No, thanks." |
Outro |
| Alisha: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Danilo: Paalam. |
| Alisha: See you soon! |
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