# atin



## Qcumber

The sentence below is from a well-known manual (Ramos & Goulet 1981:408) 
In the dialogue, Mr. A visits his friend Mr. K to ask him a service. Mr. K says:
*Ano ho ba ang atin? [Anó hô bá ang átin?] = What can I do for you?*

My question:
Why does Mr. K use the pronoun *átin *instead of the pronoun *iyó*. In other words, why isn’t the question? :
*Ano ho ba ang iyo? [Anó hô bá ang iyó?] = What can I do for you?*


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## tanzhang

Maybe because Mr.K is really asking: What is ours? Ano ho ba ang atin? What (respect marker) (question marker) (subject marker) ours


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## moonshine

Hmm...asking someone "Ano ba ang atin" is like asking "What's up?" or "What's new with you?" but using the word "us" instead. It's usually said to someone who we are very good friends with.


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## redwine

i could only surmise, that the 'atin' in your example is 'pakay natin' or 'magagawa natin'. again, this is only my supposition. perhaps you are aware that one should use pronouns in plural form when speaking to several people or someone you dont know very well (whom you wouldnt call by first name in English) or someone who is older than you (as a sign of respect) or someone who holds office or in ranks (president, police officer, bosses etc.) or even circumstances (ie, speaking to your mom in the presence of her friends). 'pakay mo' or magagawa mo' is 'familiar' while 'pakay natin' or 'magagawa natin' is 'polite' or 'formal'. 

e.g.: say speaking to your mom in the presence of her friends... 
A: Mom, di na kita mahahatid sa bahay, me gagawin pa 'ko. 
(sounds rude)
compare.... 
A:Mom, di ko na kayo mahahatid sa bahay, me gagawin pa 'ko. (regardful)

as i notice, the sentences you have used sound passé. perhaps they are taken from an old grammar book. 

sorry for lengthy explanation...


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## Qcumber

Sorry, but my question was about why Mr. K said *átin (of you and me) *instead of *iyó (of you [sg.])* or *inyó (of you [pl.] / [respect])*.
I expected:

*Anó ho bá ang iyó?*
or
*Anó hô bá ang inyó?*

By the way, 1982 is not that old, is it?


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## moonshine

Oh we don't really use formal/politesse (like tu versus vous in French) in Tagalog. To make a statement polite, you add po or ho to show reverence. We have some formal terms but it's not used in day-to-day conversation anymore.

Qcumber, are you familiar with the term "atin-atin lang"? It means something like it's just between you and me. In that regard, asking a friend "ano ang atin" is just like asking what's up/what's new, but just involving ourself in the statement.

If you say "ano ho ba ang inyo/iyo", it sounds impersonal. By including yourself in the equation, "ano ho ba ang atin" sounds like you're interested to know what's up or what's going on with the person you asked.


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## Qcumber

moonshine said:


> If you say "ano ho ba ang inyo/iyo", it sounds impersonal. By including yourself in the equation, "ano ho ba ang atin" sounds like you're interested to know what's up or what's going on with the person you asked.


Thanks a lot, Moonshine.
A bit paradoxical, but ... I see what you mean. This particular use of _átin_ is quite idiomatic. 

It's a bit like English "we" in sentences like: "Now, what have we done?" (an adult addressing a small child who has broken something) / "So what have we found?" (an adult asking another adult about the result of his/her research), etc.

The problem with this idiomatic use of "we" in English is that it implies the speaker regards him-/herself as superior to the listener.
Maybe I am wrong, but I have the impression it's not the case with táyo/átin/nátin in Tagalog.


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## moonshine

Yeah the usage is similar to your examples but as you said, it's not used to regard the speaker as superior to the listener


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## Qcumber

moonshine said:


> Yeah the usage is similar to your examples but as you said, it's not used to regard the speaker as superior to the listener


Now things are clear in my mind: the speaker and the listener are of equal statuses in Tagalog. Thanks a lot.


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