# siya ang / iyan ang



## Qcumber

Which is the better solution, B1 or B2?

A: *Mabúti at bábayáran siyá agád.* 
= The best is to pay him immediately.

B1: *Siyá ang sinábi kó, dî bá?* 
= It's what I said, isn't it?

B2: *Iyán ang sinábi kó, dî bá?* 
= That's what I said, isn't it?


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## mylasalle

I would argue for B2. Really sounds more natural. And grammatically speaking, SIYA is a generic term for HE or SHE, while IYAN is the equivalent of the English determiner THAT. 

So I would say that B2 not only sounds more natural but is the grammatically correct version.


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## moonshine

Yeah, B2 would be the correct response. You can also use iyon, it would mean the same thing as B2 (wouldn't matter in this case)...although the usage should be as follows:
Iyan - that (thing referred to is near speaker and person addressed)
Iyon - that (thing referred to is far from speaker and person addressed)

As for sentence A, the translation is actually "It is great that he is getting paid immediately." If you want to say "The best is to pay him immediately", it would be better to phrase it like this: Ang pinakamabuti ay bayaran siya kaagad/agad.


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## Qcumber

Thanks a lot, MyLaSalle and Moonshine.
I take it *iyan* has superseded all other possibilities in modern Tagalog.


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## mylasalle

Qcumber said:


> I take it *iyan* has superseded all other possibilities in modern Tagalog.


 
Yes, Qcumber. I do believe *iyon* is comparatively less common. As Moonshine pointed out, *iyon* does refer to objects that are relatively farther to the speaker than *iyan.*

I know there are similar forms in Japanese...
Kore - This
Sore - That
Are  -  That over there

Pronunciation wise, the final *e* is a pronounced sharply. I just haven't figured out how to put those conspicuous accent marks over the letters the way you do it, Qcumber.


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## Qcumber

mylasalle said:


> Pronunciation wise, the final *e* is a pronounced sharply. I just haven't figured out how to put those conspicuous accent marks over the letters the way you do it, Qcumber.


á ALT 160
í ALT 161
ó ALT 162
ú ALT 163
etc., have a look at your ASCII characters map and their codes.


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## Qcumber

mylasalle said:


> I know there are similar forms in Japanese...
> Kore - This
> Sore - That
> Are - That over there


Except that Japanese has three positions, whereas Tagalog has four: irí/iré, itó, iyán, iyón.
By the way, I suppose most people never thought of it, but English has three: the, this, that.


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## mylasalle

Qcumber said:


> á ALT 160
> í ALT 161
> ó ALT 162
> ú ALT 163
> etc., have a look at your ASCII characters map and their codes.


 
Itó ay talagáng nakatúlong Qcumber, maráming salámat sayó


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## Qcumber

mylasalle said:


> Itó ay talagáng nakatúlong Qcumber, maráming salámat sayó


Waláng anumán, MyLaSalle.


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