# Tulog pa ako



## MarFish

I was talking to my mom earlier about a friend of mine who left the dorm without saying bye. I tried saying "I was still asleep (when he left)" so I said "Natulog pa ako... nang umalis siya." She paused, then she corrected me with "*Tulog pa ako*... nang umalis siya!"

What was incorrect with what I said?


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## DotterKat

_*Natulog* pa ako nang umalis siya_ is incorrect because _natulog_ is in the simple past tense. The idea your Tagalog text is conveying is that _you were sleeping_ when your friend left. Two actions are involved: you were sleeping (an uncompleted act) and your friend left (a completed act). This sentence is best translated by using the past progressive tense:

*Natutulog* pa ako nang umalis siya. I was still sleeping when he left.

The alternative suggested to you, using the unconjugated root word _tulog_ with accent on the last syllable also works:

_*Tulog* pa ako ng umalis siya_. I was still asleep (literally, I was still in a state of sleep) when he left.

You are probably being thrown off by the enclictic particle *pa*. In both Tagalog sentences above, _pa_ is correctly used to amplify the imperfect (uncompleted) aspect of their respective verbs (pa as used above would best translate as the adverb *still*):

_Natutulog_ (was sleeping - past progressive) / Natutulog _*pa*_ (was *still* sleeping)
Tulog (asleep) / Tulog *pa* (was *still* asleep)

On the other hand, in your sentence _Natulog pa ako nang umalis siya_, the enclictic particle pa now amplifies the perfected (completed) aspect of natulog but also implies another completed action. *Pa* in this case now best translates as the adverbs *also* or *even*:

_I_ (also / even) _slept when he left_.

As you can see, your sentence implies that you lapsed into a state of unconsciousness only _after your friend left_. The enclictic particle *pa* (adverbs *also* or *even*) renders the sentence confusing because it implies that you did something else (completed another act) once your friend had left.


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## MarFish

That makes sense now! Thank you DotterKat!


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## latchiloya

I know things has been answered by Dotterkat  but still I find the argument in the context captivating that I can’t stop myself on responding to this. 



MarFish said:


> I was talking to my mom earlier about a friend of mine who left the dorm without saying bye. I tried saying "I was still asleep (when he left)" so I said "Natulog pa ako... nang umalis siya." She paused, then she corrected me with "*Tulog pa ako*... nang umalis siya!"
> 
> What was incorrect with what I said?


 
Context: I [was] still asleep… when he left
*Mother*:  Tulog pa ako... nang umalis siya!

Your loving mother actually gave you the word for word translation and it is correct.  “Asleep” is the equivalent of the Filipino word “tulog” with the accentuation on the second syllable and both function as adjectives.

As Dotterkat said, 


DotterKat said:


> “_*Natutulog*_ _pa ako nang umalis siya. I was still sleeping when he left.”_


 
This can be considered to be equivalent in most cases  though we still have to be mindful that adjective sticks to its denotations, in contrast, verb is distinctive with its tenses and aspects.

That, if we consider what you proposed:

*You*: Natulog pa ako... nang umalis siya

_You went on to sleep_ and _he left. _That you initiated the action during the time he left. 

Whereas saying: 

*You*: Natutulog pa ako... nang umalis siya
you had been sleeping and he left.

*You*: Tulog pa ako... nang umalis siya
you are asleep and he left.

Natulog is in simple past, not progressive, not perfect
Natutulog is simple present, progressive, not perfect
_Note:_
Umalis is in simple past, not progressive, not perfect

This is an opinion in my standpoint that even in such case like your context using of verb inflections, it certainly changes the thought of the sentence to the extent that it may affect civility: statement affectted by these inflections of the verb as to its extent may worse cause you to sound less respectful/concerned.^^


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