# 'Ako' or 'ko'



## ElectricPink

Hi, I read bits of the wikipedia article on tagalog grammar and am a bit confused about the whole absolutive/ergative/oblique thing or for example; when to use 'ako' and when to use 'ko'.

For example, I read that:

"I'm not sure" is "Hindi ako sigurado"
and
"I don't know" is "Hindi ko alam"


As I understand it, for a verb that can stand on it's own (intransitive) such as 'know' then the subject is absolutive, and therefore in the examples both should be 'ako'.

Are there specific rules for this kind of thing?  Or is it just a case of learning what is right and wrong as you go along?

Maraming salamat.


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## Lancel0t

ElectricPink said:


> Hi, I read bits of the wikipedia article on tagalog grammar and am a bit confused about the whole absolutive/ergative/oblique thing or for example; when to use 'ako' and when to use 'ko'.
> 
> For example, I read that:
> 
> "I'm not sure" is "Hindi ako sigurado"
> and
> "I don't know" is "Hindi ko alam"
> 
> 
> As I understand it, for a verb that can stand on it's own (intransitive) such as 'know' then the subject is absolutive, and therefore in the examples both should be 'ako'.
> 
> Are there specific rules for this kind of thing? Or is it just a case of learning what is right and wrong as you go along?
> 
> Maraming salamat.


 
As far as I know, there is no specific rule about this one. Ako, ko can be interchange, sometime, you can shorten ako by using ko and still have the same meaning.

example 
"I'm not sure" is "Hindi ako sigurado" - it can be also translated as, "Hindi ko sigurado"


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## ElectricPink

Ok, maraming salamat.  I thought it might be something like that.


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