This & That

You probably want the words "this" and "that" to just be simple, but here's another chart.

There are two different ways to say "that." If the thing you are referring to is nearby, often within view, you would use "inâ." If it is some distance away, usually far out of sight, you would use "adto."

(In older Hiligaynon "adto" was "yadto.")

Ang Form

Here are some examples where "this" and "that" are the focus in the sentence. These use the Ang form.

"This rice is rotten." — "Pan-os ini nga kan-on." (kan-on = cooked rice, pan-os = rotten)

"That rat is going to run." — "Ina nga ilagâ magdalagan." (dalagan = run, ilagâ)

"That church in Makati is tall." — "Taas adtong simbahan sa Makati." (taas = tall, simbahan = church)

In the above examples, "this" and "that" function like adjectives because they describe a noun. e.g. It isn't just any rice that's rotten, it's "this rice." When it functions like an adjective, you would use "nga" to link it to its noun. Sometimes you see "this" and "that" merged together with "nga" (and the "a" is dropped.), i.e. "ining tiempo" ("this time"). In more formal speech you may see the noun first, i.e. "ang tiempo nga ini" (still "this time," but fancier).

In the following examples, "this" and "that" are used as demonstrative pronouns. In other words, they act as the noun.

"This is delicious." — "Namit ini." (namit = delicious)

"That will return later." — "Magbalik inâ karon." (balik = return, later = karon)

Sang / Sa Forms

If the thing you are referring to is not the focus, you can use the Sang or Sa forms.

"I wrote this book." — "Nagsulat ako sining libro." (sulat = write, libro = book)

"He told me that." — "Nagsugid siya sinâ sa akon." (sugid = tell)

"I was injured by that pig." — "Ginpilas ako sadtong baboy."

"In that day..." — "Sa sinâ nga adlaw..." (adlaw = day/sun)

"They are searching for this path." — "Nagapangita sila sa sini nga dalan." (pangita = search, dalan = path)

Plural

You can pluralize "this" & "that" to make "these" & "those." This is done when they are used as standalone words, i.e. "Take these," or "I don't want those."

"She will eat those." (Actor/Action focus) — "Magkaon siya sang mga inâ." (kaon = eat)

"She will eat these." (Object focus) — "Kaonon niya ang mga ini."

"These" and "those" are also used as adjectives describing nouns, i.e. "I don't want these things." When this happens, it looks like this:

"I will accept these gifts." — "Magbaton ako sining mga dulot." (baton = receive/accept, dulot = gift)

"He will explain these things." — "Ipaathag niya ining mga butang." (paathag = explain/clarify, butang = thing)

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