# Verb tense - a current action in the past.



## Inglip

I was just a little confused over this sentence. I know the verb tense in Tagalog is different to English. I was just a bit confused, if I was talking about a past action, but as though it was present tense, what tense verb do I use?

Tinawagan ako ng kaibigan ko kagbai. Sabi niya nag-memetro siya at maghihintay siya ko sa station.

(I hope I constructed it right)
My friend called me last night. She said she is riding the metro and she will wait for me at the station.

As you can see, the sentence has two tenses (present, and future) but at the time of speaking, all the vebs have been conpleted. I know tagalog doesn't strictly uses tenses, but rather if the verb has been completed, on going or will happen. In this case, the verbs have been finished at the time of speaking, but at the time I was talking about, they are on-going and thought of.

Thanks


----------



## 082486

Inglip said:


> Tinawagan ako ng kaibigan ko kagbai. Sabi niya nag-memetro siya at maghihintay siya ko sa station.
> 
> 
> My friend called me last night. She said she is riding the metro and she will wait for me at the station.



Tinawagan ako ng kaibigan ko kagabi. Sabi niya mag-memetro siya at hihintayin niya ako sa estasyon (station).


----------



## Inglip

Thank you, but you have put both in future tense. At the time of the story, she was currently on the metro, and when she gets to the station, she will wait for me.


----------



## 082486

Tinawagan ako ng kaibigan ko kagabi. Sabi niya nag-memetro na siya *ngayon *at hihintayin niya ako sa estasyon. 

My friend called me last night. She said she's riding the metro *now *and she will wait for me at the station.


----------



## niernier

I am confused with the verb nagmemetro. What does "riding the metro" mean? Is it the same as riding the train?


----------



## jenny_lo

niernier said:


> I am confused with the verb nagmemetro. What does "riding the metro" mean? Is it the same as riding the train?



Yes, because *train = metro* in Spanish. Some Filipinos still use this term instead of *tren. *


----------



## DotterKat

"Riding the metro" here means riding the subway or rapid transit system (BART).


----------



## Inglip

Metro is just another word for train, in my experience it is commonly used for inner city trains. But either way, here in Dubai, the transport is reffered to as the metro. I once had a text from a friend that said 'nag-memetro na ako' so I just copy her and used that as the verb.


----------



## niernier

I got confused because here in Manila, they don't say nagmemetro. I yet have to hear that one. Around Manila, we say nag-LRT or nag-MRT for these are the names of the inner city trains. If that's the case in Dubai, then that's nice and cool.  I agree with ate Milka's (082486) translation:



082486 said:


> Tinawagan ako ng kaibigan ko kagabi. Sabi niya nag-memetro na siya *ngayon *at hihintayin niya ako sa estasyon.
> 
> My friend called me last night. She said she's riding the metro *now *and she will wait for me at the station.


----------



## sangrecaliente.sanchaud

Okay, these are too literal translations. Although they are grammatically correct, it is not pragmatic to say "nagme-metro" or even "nagte-tren".

It is more natural to say :

Tinawagan ako ng kaibigan ko kagabi. Sabi niya, NASA TREN SIYA ngayon at hihintayin RAW niya ako sa estasyon.

As you can see, "riding the metro" is replaced by "in the train". "Nakasakay" which means "riding" is not a very good translation here as it doesn´t sound very natural. And also, RAW (which roughly translates as "according to him/her") is inserted to emphasise that it was a reported speech.


----------



## bdpalawan

Tagalog doesn't really have tense, but aspect.

Also, the English was incorrect to start with. If the friend called "last night" (in the past) and was saying that she was riding the train while calling, the correct form would be, "She said she WAS riding the train..." and it should be "and she WOULD wait for me at the station." (Tagalog would use incompleted aspect for "riding" and the so-called future for "wait.") But Sangrecaliente is correct that "nasa tren" might be more natural than an incompleted/progressive verb form, but future would be used for "wait."

However, if she called on Tuesday and was talking about riding and meeting on Wednesday, then it should be "She said would would ride the train and would wait for me..." (Tagalog would use so-called "future" for both).


----------



## mapangarap

What you might think as PRESENT is more accurately called ONGOING.

Kumakain akó nang tumawag ka kagabí.
I was eating when you called last night.

Kumakain akó kangina.
I was eating earlier.

Kumakain akó ngayón.
I am eating now.

Siguradong kumakain akó mamayáng tatawag ka.
For sure, I will be eating when you call me later.

Ongoing.
Almost like the English progressive tense.
But not quite.


----------



## bdpalawan

Mapangarap is correct. It is not tense (like past, present or future) which is found in Tagalog and Philippines langauges, but aspect (completed, ongoing, not yet begun, etc.)


----------



## mataripis

Inglip said:


> I was just a little confused over this sentence. I know the verb tense in Tagalog is different to English. I was just a bit confused, if I was talking about a past action, but as though it was present tense, what tense verb do I use?
> 
> Tinawagan ako ng kaibigan ko kagbai. Sabi niya nag-memetro siya at maghihintay siya ko sa station.
> 
> (I hope I constructed it right)
> My friend called me last night. She said she is riding the metro and she will wait for me at the station.
> 
> As you can see, the sentence has two tenses (present, and future) but at the time of speaking, all the vebs have been conpleted. I know tagalog doesn't strictly uses tenses, but rather if the verb has been completed, on going or will happen. In this case, the verbs have been finished at the time of speaking, but at the time I was talking about, they are on-going and thought of.
> 
> Thanks


I just want to add my Tagalog translation for 1.) My friend called me last night.She said she travelled using /by MetroTren and will wait for me in the station.   _1.) Tinawagan ako kagabi ng kaibigan ko.Sinabi niya, sa MetroTren siya sumakay at maghihintay siya sa akin sa Himpilan/Estasyon._


----------

