13 Tagalog Prepositions Perfect For Learners

Tagalog Prepositions

Are you mastering Filipino/Tagalog grammar? Then, Tagalog prepositions are one of the essential parts of speech to learn.

Prepositions are essential words in learning a language’s grammar. In learning the grammar of the English language, prepositions are some of the first lessons that you will learn. This is also true in Filipino or Tagalog grammar. So, let’s explore more than just Tagalog vocabulary, and let’s learn about Tagalog prepositions to help you in writing a Tagalog sentence.

Prepositions In Filipino

Before we start, let us recall what prepositions are. A preposition connects a noun, pronoun, or phrase (after the preposition) to a different portion of the sentence. It is also a word or set of words that come before a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to indicate a direction, time, place, location, or spatial relationships, or to introduce an object.

If you can still recall how you have learned prepositions in the English language, most of you will remember it as a challenging lesson, especially if you’re not a native speaker. In the Filipino language, it’s the other way around. The Filipino word for preposition is pang-ukol. Tagalog prepositions are often taken for granted by the students, maybe because it’s not that hard to learn the English language.

Tagalog prepositions are pretty straightforward. It is very different from demonstrative pronouns. For Filipino native speakers, it’s easy to identify which preposition to use in a sentence. In English, they usually get confused about when to use the prepositions in, on, and at.

Another reason is that some prepositions and prepositional phrases are not used in daily conversations. Most of the time, their written and spoken languages are different. They tend to be more formal in written form and casual in spoken form. In fact, they sometimes use Taglish, which is a Tagalog-English combination.

List Of Prepositions In Filipino

Some of the prepositions you’ll learn below are very uncommon in daily conversations. You’ll just hear them on the news, in school, on TV shows, and at other formal events. Some also appear to be noun markers, but they are actually part of a prepositional phrase.

So, here is one of the essential Tagalog lessons when you are learning the Tagalog language – Tagalog prepositions.

Tagalog prepositions sa

1. Sa – (To, In, On, Through, Into, From, etc.)

You might be confused why the preposition sa has different translations in English. This is because of the fact that it’s the most versatile preposition in the Tagalog language. This is also the reason Filipinos do not see the need to spend more time learning about pang-ukol (preposition)because most of what they want to say can be expressed using sa. See the examples below:

SA marks location

English TranslationTagalogSound
My sibling studies at the University of the Philippines.Nag-aaral ang kapatid ko sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas.
I left my slippers outside.Iniwan ko and aking tsinelas sa labas.
Rizal’s remains lie at the bottom of his monument.Nakalagak ang labi ni Rizal sa ilalim ng kanyang monumento.

SA marks direction

English TranslationTagalogSound
I will go to the Philippines.Pupunta ako sa Pilipinas.
The conductor took the ticket from me.Kinuha ng kundoktor ang ticket sa akin.

SA marks a future time

English TranslationTagalogSound
I am graduating in the summer.Magtatapos ako ng pag-aaral sa summer.
It’s my birthday on February 14.Kaarawan ko sa Pebrero 14.

2. Ng – Of

English TranslationTagalogSound
I will take lots of beautiful pictures.Kukuha ako ng magagandang larawan.

3. Kay/Kina – To

English TranslationTagalogSound
I will give this to Angela.Ibibigay ko ito kay Angela.
I will give this to Angela and Marie.Ibibigay ko ito kina Angela at Marie.

Note:

You will only use kay or kina when you are referring to a specific person or people. You will use kay for singular and kina for plural.

Tagalog prepositions nina

4. Ni/Nina – Of

English TranslationTagalogSound
Let’s watch the new movie with John Llyod Cruz.Panoorin natin ang bagong pelikula ni John Llyod Cruz.
Let’s watch the new movie of John Llyod Cruz and Bea Alonzo.Panoorin natin ang bagong pelikula nina John Llyod Cruz at Bea Alonzo.

Note:

You will use ni for singular and nina for plural. This is specifically used for people.

5. Para Sa/Para Kay – For

English TranslationTagalogSound
I bought a decoration for the house.Bumili ako ng dekorasyon para sa aking bahay.
I bought souvenirs for my family.Bumili ako ng pasalubong para sa aking pamilya.
I bought souvenirs for John.) (Pasalubong is a term for something you’ll take home. It can be souvenirs, food, or anything else.Bumili ako ng pasalubong para kay John.

Note:

Sa can be used when talking about an object or a person, but we only use kay or kina when talking about a specific person or people and even a pet with a name. As you can notice, the English counterpart doesn’t change. This is one of the unique things about the Filipino language.

6. Tungkol Sa/Tungkol Kay – About

English TranslationTagalogSound
Do you have any news about the typhoon coming?May balita ka ba tungkol sa parating na bagyo?
They are talking about Catriona Gray.Nag-uusap sila tungkol kay Catriona Gray.

Note:

We use sa when talking about an object or thing, and we use kay or kina when talking about a person or people.

7. Hinggil Sa/Hinggil Kay – About

English TranslationTagalogSound
I wrote an essay about the pandemic.Nagsulat ako ng sanaysay hinggil sa pandemya.
I heard the news about Manny Pacquiao.Nakarinig ako ng balita hinggil kay Manny Pacquiao.

Note:

This is used the same way as tungkol sa and tungkol kay. The only difference is that this is it is often used in formal speech or settings.

8. Alinsunod Sa/ Alinsunod Kay – In Accordance With/ To

English TranslationTagalogSound
Wearing a face mask is in accordance with the COVID-19 Health Protocol.Ang pagsusuot ng face mask ay alinsunod sa COVID-19 Health Protocol.
In accordance with President Duterte, cities should set curfew hours.Alinsunod kay Pangulong Duterte nuong 2020, ang mga lungsod ay dapat magtakda ng curfew hours.

Note:

We use sa when talking about an object or thing, and we use kay or kina when talking about a person or people. The preposition alinsunod kay is strictly for people who have high authority only, like the president, vice president, mayor, etc.

Tagalog prepositions ayon sa ayon kay

9. Ayon sa/ Ayon kay – According To

English TranslationTagalogSound
According to the World Health Organization, everyone should be careful because of the new variant of COVID-19 that has been discoveredAyon sa World Health Organization, kailangang mag-ingat ang lahat dahil sa bagong variant na ng COVID-19 na nadiskubre.

Note:

We use sa when talking about an object like newspaper, news, TV channel, and organization. We use kay or kina when talking about a specific person or people.

10. Tungo Sa – Towards

English TranslationTagalogSound
I am walking towards the other way.Naglalakad ako tungo sa kabila.
The country is progressing towards development.Ang bayan ay sumusulong tungo sa kaunlaran.

11. Labag Sa – Against

English TranslationTagalogSound
Discrimination based on the gender of a person is against the law.Ang diskriminasyon batay sa kasarian ng isang tao ay labag sa batas.

Note:

This is often used in laws, guidelines, protocols, etc.

12. Laban Sa/Laban Kay – Against

English TranslationTagalogSound
Many people are fighting against violence against women.Marami ang nakikibaka laban sa pang-aabuso sa mga kababaihan.
The Filipinos waited for the match of Manny Pacquiao against Mayweather.Inabangan ng mga Pilipino ang laban ni Manny Pacquiao laban kay Mayweather.

Note:

We use sa when talking about an object or thing, and we use kay or kina when talking about a specific person or people.

13. Mula sa/Mula Kay – From

English TranslationTagalogSound
OFWs come home from different countries.Umuwi ang mga OFW mula sa ibang bansa.
I received a letter from Patrick.Nakatanggap ako ng sulat mula kay Patrick.

Note:

We use sa when talking about an object or thing, and we use kay or kina when talking about a specific person or people

Master Tagalog Grammar Now With Ling!

Getting serious about learning Tagalog? Well, grammar is something that you should focus on. To do that, the Ling app can help you. You’ll master Tagalog grammar in record time with grammar explanations and well-structured lessons. Lessons are backed by linguistic research and developed by actual native speakers. You can also have fun while learning because there are games and quizzes that will keep you engaged.

Learning Tagalog grammar isn’t impossible if you have the right tool and motivation. Don’t know where to start? Download it on the Play Store or App Store and be prepared to indulge in various lessons and fun activities. There are also other lessons to learn, so grab your phone or computer and learn Tagalog with the Ling app now!

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