# Kaya mo ba?



## AskLang

Do you say:

Can you afford?

if you want to say "kaya mo ba" in English?
Example usage would be in a party where you were challenged to sing.

Salamat po!


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## sean de lier

AskLang said:


> Do you say:
> 
> Can you afford?
> 
> if you want to say "kaya mo ba" in English?
> Example usage would be in a party where you were challenged to sing.
> 
> Salamat po!


I would simply translate "Kaya mo ba?" as "Can you (do it)?" or taking in the context, "Can you sing?"

"Can you afford?" sounds like you're buying something.  I would translate "Can you afford?" as "Kaya mo bang bilhin?"


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## AskLang

Thanks sean


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## niernier

Afford is usually associated with a cost and when we talk about cost, its about money. But there are other costs. For example, you can say:

I can't afford the time to sing. But that implies that you are in a hurry and didn't have the time. 

I learned the word 'to afford' this way, always followed by something in which you have to pay for(not necessarily money). But still, I am not a master of the English language so I don't know the nuance if you say, Can you afford without specifying what cost is offered.  To me, it also sounds like, "Kaya mo bang bilhin?" just like what sean_de_lier said.

My suggestion is, you say it this way. Can you afford the time to sing? I know DotterKat can give us further explanation.


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## Cracker Jack

AskLang said:


> Do you say:
> 
> Can you afford?
> 
> if you want to say "kaya mo ba" in English?
> Example usage would be in a party where you were challenged to sing.
> 
> Salamat po!



In English you can say: ''Can you make it?''  If it involves challenging someone to sing you can say ''Can you pull that act?''

You may use afford for prices of commodities.


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## DotterKat

AskLang said:


> Do you say:
> Can you afford?
> if you want to say "kaya mo ba" in English?
> Example usage would be in a party where you were challenged to sing.



No. Unless the person sounds so horrible that he is actually under threat of  financial penalty for singing.
Barring that, the particular case you cite (that of a friendly challenge to take the mike and sing at a party) allows for various possibilities:

Do you have the guts to sing?
Are you man enough to sing?
Are you up to the challenge (to sing)?
Can you do it?
Would you be able to do it?
Are you capable of getting up there and singing?

...and many more variations.

I agree that "afford" is probably more appropriately applied for tangible things to which some monetary value can be ascribed. Even in seemingly abstract concepts, ("I cannot afford to miss this plane/I cannot afford to lose this job"), some monetary loss can be surmised. 
Perhaps "I can't afford the time to sing/Can you afford the time to sing?" can be better expressed as "I can't spare the time to sing/Can you spare the time to sing?"

In any case, your Tagalog text "Kaya mo bang kumanta?", expressed as a friendly challenge to sing at a party very clearly should not use "afford" in the English translation.
Rather, it brings to mind having the courage or guts to do something (in this case, singing). The corollary of course is if the audience can stomach the performance ("Masisikmura ba namin ang pag-kanta mo?")


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## AskLang

Thanks DotterKat 
I guess I made it appear that the phrase "kaya mo ba?" was directed to the emcee 

Thank you very much guys for all your inputs ~


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