Learn Object-Focused Verbs And Choose The Right Doer Pronoun

Tagalog verbs are classified based on their focus, which indicates whether the subject or the object is emphasized in a sentence. Object-Focused Verbs highlight the object that receives the action rather than the doer of the action. Understanding how to use object focused verbs correctly is essential for constructing clear and grammatically correct Tagalog sentences.

A grammatically correct sentence means the object focused verb works together with the correct doer pronoun so that the speaker's idea is not distorted upon reaching the other end.

Tagalog grammar is a complex Science and if you need related lessons leading to Object-Focused Verbs, I have created a series called Tagalog Verb Tenses so feel free to check it out. It is designed to help you improve your basic skills in grammar.

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

1. Understand what an object-focused verb is.
2. Know the first three types of object-focused verbs.
3. Learn the various pronouns that are a doer of the action when paired with an object-focused verb.
4. Learn various sentence structures in Tagalog language.
5. Construct a simple Tagalog sentence using object-focused verbs with a pronoun as the doer of the action.

Delimitations

This tutorial does not answer the following questions:

1. When to use suffix "hin" instead of "in"?
2. When to use suffix "han" instead of "an"?

Introduction To Object-Focused Verbs

Object-focused verbs take a prefix, an infix, a suffix, or combinations of these to work with a verb root to form the infinitive and its corresponding imperative and indicative moods. These affixes indicate that the focus of the sentence is on the object being acted upon.

Object-focused verbs take the passive voice in Tagalog sentences. Passive Voice means the doer is not the subject of the statement, as opposed to Active Voice in which the doer is the subject.

Types of Object-Focused Verbs in Tagalog Grammar

Tagalog verbs are grouped according to which prefix, infix or suffix is used to modify a verb. In this tutorial, I will only introduce the first 3 Types of Object-Focused Verbs because of their simplicity.

The three types of object-focused verbs are the following:

1. The IN Verbs
2. The AN Verbs
3. The I-Verbs

Before I proceed to the main discussion, I would like to emphasize that there are other verb groups under the Object-Focused Verb family. Others are more complicated for beginners in Tagalog because some verb groups involve clustered prefixes, and some involve combinations of a prefix and a suffix to conjugate the verb.

To make this tutorial shorter, we are only dealing with the most simple forms of object-focused verbs.

What are IN Verbs?

The IN verb group, as the name suggests, adds a suffix "in" to a verb root word. For example: if the root word is 'punô' (full), the verb is punuín (to fill in, to fill up, or to pour).

IN verbs usually express that the action is intentional. Here are more examples of this verb group:

• Lutuin (to cook; verb root is luto)
• Ayusin (to fix or to arrange; verb root is ayos)
• Kantahín (to sing; verb root is kantá)

What are AN Verbs?

The second group of object-focused verbs that I'd like to demonstrate to you is the AN verb. This time, the infinitive of the verb is formed by adding the suffix "an" to the root word.

See the following examples of AN verbs:

• Ayusan (to fix; verb root is ayos)
• Kantahán (to sing; verb root is kantá)
• Bawasan (to deduct; verb root is bawas)

Some AN verbs mean that the action affects, receives or benefits not the doer but the subject of the statement which is either a person, a place, a thing, or an event. Most specifically, it means that the focus is directed towards the location where the action is acted upon. The location can either be physical or abstract.

What are I-Verbs?

I-verbs are formed by using the prefix i followed by the verb root. If the root word, for example, is 'bigáy' (give) then the infinitive form of the verb is ibigáy (to give).

Here are a few more examples:

• Ibawas (to deduct; verb root is bawas)
• Ipikít (to close eyes; verb root is pikít)
• Isulat (to write; verb root is sulat)
• Ibilí (to buy; verb root is bilí)

With the prefix i, the verb is modified such that it means the subject of the statement is being moved, transferred, or used, or an agent is acting on behalf of it.

Tagalog Verb Tenses

Table below gives you the Indicative Moods of the verbs:

If you are a paid subscriber and if you need to learn how to conjugate the verbs in their past, present, and future tenses follow the link below:

• For IN Verbs: How to Conjugate IN Verbs
• For AN Verbs: [ available soon ]
• For I-Verbs: [ available soon ]

How to Use Object-Focused Verbs in a Tagalog Sentence?

Using object-focused verbs in a sentence can be difficult for English speakers but I am confident that I can shed some light on you.

Most importantly, I would like to help you understand the Tagalog sentence structure. A sentence can have four parts:

1. Verb: The action word but it should be part of the object-focused verb family.
2. Doer: It can be a noun or a pronoun. In this lesson, let us only consider the pronouns, identified in the next section.
3. Indirect Object: It can be a noun or a pronoun. If it is a noun, you want to mention the marker "ng", or "ni" before it. Use ng if the noun is a generic name but use ni before the name of a person. If it is a pronoun, you want the Objective Pronouns ko, mo, niyá, natin, namin, ninyó, or nilá.
4. Subject: It answers the question "What are you talking about?". It is either a noun or a pronoun. If it is a noun, it must come after the marker "ang" but if it is a pronoun, use only the Subjective Pronouns akó, ikáw, ka, siyá, tayo, kamí, kayó, or silá. If it is a name of a person, it must come after the marker "ni".

Let me demonstrate further through the table below:

Here are the sentences:

As a beginner in Tagalog, and if your primary language is English, the structure of Tagalog sentences is quite not normal to you.

Notice that the sentences above start with a verb and then followed by a pronoun which is the doer of the action. The subject is mentioned last most of the time but not all the time, but be sure to use the right subject marker.

Use the following pattern when constructing a sentence with an object-focused verb paired with a pronoun as the doer of the action:

Depending on the nature of the verb, the sentence can be is as simple as this:

If the indirect object serves to describe the subject, follow this pattern:

The key to successful sentence construction with object-focused verbs is being comfortable with the passive voice of verbs. The following are characteristics of the passive voice of verbs, which also apply to object-focused verbs:

1. With passive voice, the doer is not the subject of the statement.
2. The subject is not the entity that moves.
3. Some sentences mean that the subject is the recipient of the action.
4. Some sentences mean that the action is directed towards the subject.
5. Some sentences mean that the doer is acting on behalf of the subject.

Test Your Tagalog Grammar

Instruction: Given the sentences below, identify the verb, the doer pronoun, the subject, and the indirect object in each of the statement:

1. Bibigyán ko ikáw ng bulaklák.
   Verb: __________________
   Doer Pronoun: ___________
   Subject: ________________
   Indirect Object: ___________

2. Hahanapin niyá ang asò.
   Verb: __________________
   Doer Pronoun: ___________
   Subject: ________________
   Indirect Object: ___________

3. Lalagyán natin ng kanin ang pinggán.
   Verb: __________________
   Doer Pronoun: ___________
   Subject: ________________
   Indirect Object: ___________

Do you wish to see the Answers Key? Download the printable version of our Worksheets! Find the link down below, after the Test Your Sentence Construction section.

The Set of Tagalog Doer Pronouns that Go with Passive Voice of Verbs

As promised, this tutorial highlights the use of object-focused verbs paired with a doer pronoun. These combinations are difficult to master that is why I tend to isolate this specific subject matter.

The following is a list of Doer Pronouns for Object-Focused Verbs:

1. Ko (1st person, singular)
2. Mo (2nd person, singular)
3. Niyá (3rd person, singular)
4. Natin (1st person, plural but inclusive)
5. Namin (1st person, plural but exclusive)
6. Ninyó (2nd person, plural)
7. Nilá (3rd person, plural)

If these pronouns are not linked with an object-focused verb, they are possessive pronouns by default. For example:

• Bahay ko (my house)
• Lupà niyá (his/her lot)
• Guró mo (your teacher)
• Bansâ nilá (their country)
• Pagkain ninyó (your food)

When linked with an object-focused verb, be comfortable to flip it around. It means that the pronoun is the doer of the action, like the following phrases:

1. "pinunô ko" means "poured by me", but that is not natural to an English speaker so you say: "I poured a thing into something", naturally.
2. "lulutuin niyá" means "to be cooked by him/her", but that is not natural to an English speaker so you say: "He/she will cook something", naturally.
3. "inaayos mo" means "being arranged by you", but that is not natural to an English speaker so you say: "You are arranging something", naturally.
4. "binawasan natin" means "deducted by us", but that is not natural to an English speaker so you say: "We deducted a thing from something", naturally.
5. "ibibilí nilá" means "to be bought for you by them", but that is not natural to an English speaker so you say: "they will buy for you something", naturally.

Test Your Sentence Construction

Given the verb, the doer pronoun hint, the subject, and the indirect object, write the sentence in Tagalog. If applicable, include the right markers to both subject and indirect object.

1. Verb: inaalala (being worried)
   Doer Pronoun: 3rd person singular
   Subject: kinabukasan (future life)
   Indirect Object: ko
   Your Sentence: ______________________________
2. Verb: tuturuan (to be taught)
   Doer Pronoun: 2nd person singular
   Subject: akó
   Indirect Object: sayáw (dance)
   Your Sentence: ______________________________
3. Verb: dinalhán (brought)
   Doer Pronoun: 1st person singular
   Subject: Arthur
   Indirect Object: pagkain (food)
   Your Sentence: _______________________________
4. Verb: isinasama (being tagged along)
   Doer Pronoun: 3rd person plural
   Subject: pusà (cat)
   Indirect Object: Gabriel
   Your Sentence: _______________________________
5. Verb: binuksán (opened)
   Doer Pronoun: 1st person singular
   Subject: bintanà (window)
   Your Sentence: _______________________________

Put Your Tagalog Practice Into Writing

Commit to Object-Focused Verbs daily practice by downloading a copy of our worksheets! That is where you can find your Answers Key and other useful templates perfect for action-takers like you.

Reflect On Your Tagalog Journey

After learning about object-focus verbs, how confident do you feel in forming sentences with them? What difficulties did you encounter, and how can you practice using these verbs in daily conversations?

Reply to this email or share your thoughts in the comment section down below.

Conclusion

Object-focus verbs are crucial in Tagalog sentence construction, especially when emphasizing what is being acted upon. Mastering these verbs will help you communicate more effectively and naturally in Tagalog.

Today, you have learned a few groups of verbs under the object-focus family. You also learned which pronouns to use when it is meant to be the doer of the action. You understood that object-focus verbs are used to express passive voice and so the subject is not the doer of the action, and you have learned the various sentence structures in Tagalog language.