# case markers



## robbie_levron

Hey guys, I need help.

Absolutive markers (ang, mga, si, sina) mark the actor of an intransitive verb, as in "Dumating ang lalaki", but I have difficulty trying to construct a sentence when the _object_ is marked and a transitive verb is used. It seems quite simple but I still don't understand it.

Consider this sentence for instance: "Naghugas ako ng kamay". 'Hugas' is a transitive verb and in this sentence the object is marked by the ergative marker 'ng'. Why is that so?

Information taken from this site: http: //economicexpert.com /a /Tagalog:grammar.html


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## marconarajos

It's marked by the ergative because hugas is transitive. The ergative case identifies the subject of a transitive verb. So it uses ng.


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## Waterdash

Could you say "Naghugas na akong kamay"?


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## marconarajos

Waterdash said:


> Could you say "Naghugas na akong kamay"?



Not in this case.


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## marconarajos

"Naghugas ako ng kamay" - I washed my hands .. it's correct.


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## marconarajos

A brief explanation would be:

The _absolutive_ is the case used to mark both the *subject* of an intransitive verb and the *object* of a transitive verb.

The _ergative_ case identifies the *subject* of a transitive verb.

The _oblique_ case identifies the *object* of a verb or a preposition.

Hope this helps!


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## Waterdash

Ah, ok. Salamat marconarajos! This really helps, considering most of the stuff I'm using to learn Tagalog does not refer to the grammatical terminology.


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## robbie_levron

Please give us some examples for each so that I may understand better. Thanks.


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## niernier

Transitive verbs require a direct subject and one or more objects as opposed to intransitive verbs which do not require an object. To answer your question why ng is used, first you must consider the focus of the sentence. Is it actor focus or object focus?

Naghugas ako ng kamay is an actor focus sentence. It tells you what the actor is doing. Since naghugas is actor focus, use ng to mark the unfocused direct object which is kamay(hands).

EDIT:
I'm quite confused with absolutive, ergative and oblique. Just learning whether the verb is an object or actor focus is enough.



Waterdash said:


> Could you say "Naghugas na akong kamay"?



That will do for some dialects in Tagalog. In my dialect, its Naghugas na akong kamot.


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## robbie_levron

Niernier, I too am quite confused with the set of rules cocerning those case markers. I have no problems constructing sentences concerning actor and object focuses.


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## niernier

It says that:

1. "Absolutive or nominative markers mark the actor of an intransitive verb and the object of a transitive verb. "

2. "Ergative or genitive markers mark the object (usually indefinite) of an intransitive verb and the actor of a transitive one."

Okay, I think I found what went wrong. First let me correct you, naghugas is an intransitive verb. It does not require an object. Therefore the rule is correct, that the ergative ng marks the "indefinite" object of an intransitive verb. The transitive verb is hinugasan. That, requires an object and there you will use the absolutive marker ang to mark the object. For example:

Hinugasan ko na ang mga plato. -> I already washed the plates.

EDIT:

I think that when a verb is intransitive, it's like saying that the verb is actor focus. The object becomes unfocused and so you will use the ergative markers.


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## marconarajos

Hugas - to wash is TRANSITIVE. It requires a direct subject. To wash.... something, e.g. hands.

Therefore you would need the ergative case because IT MARKS the subject of a transitive verb, e.g. kamay.

Naghugas ako (I washed)
ng (ergative case)
kamay. (hands)


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## marconarajos

Consider this sentence: binasa ng tao ang aklat (the man read the book)

Literally:
Read - binasa
by the - ng (you need the _ng_ because the man is the subject of the transitive verb (oblique)
man - tao
the - ang (you need the _ang_ because the book is the DIRECT OBJECT of the transitive verb binasa (read)
book - aklat


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## marconarajos

Found this on the net, hope it's also useful.

THE TENSES OF TAGALOG

**Tagalog has two basic sets or rules for verbs. This is one of them. The second one I will discuss in a separate article. The point of this note is that there is no way of knowing which verbs uses which rules other than memorization (memorize which verbs use which rules).


Ah, the three basic tenses: Present, Past, and Future. In English, things would look like this:

Infinitive: to Write

Present: Writes
Past: Wrote
Future: Will Write

OR

Infinitive: to Sing

Present: Sings
Past: Sang
Future: Will Sing

OR

Infinitive: to Live

Present: Lives
Past: Lived
Future: Will Live

As you may have already noticed, in English, the verbs may or may not change its form and/or spelling, all depending on the word. Now imagine having to learn these rules for each and every word!

Tagalog is different as almost all the verbs in Tagalog are regular (with some exceptions, of course). You only have to learn a few, simple rules and you can change the tense of Tagalog verbs easily!

Note: Tagalog verbs are regular. They never change (in a sense) and you only have to remember the small rules that come with changing hem. Let's give it a try!

TENSE RULES:

1. To turn a verb into FUTURE TENSE, all you have to do is double the first two letters! For example, the verb TALON (JUMP), the first two letters are"T" and "A" (TA-LON), so how do you suppose we change this to future tense? Yup, double the TA.

TA-TA-LON = TATALON! Easy, right?

2. To turn a verb into PAST TENSE, all you have to do is insert "UM" between the first and second letter of the word! For example, still using the word "TALON," we will insert "UM" between T and A -- so: 

T - UM - A -LON = TU-MA-LON = TUMALON. Now you have the word in past tense!

3. To turn the verb into PRESENT TENSE, all you have to do is put the rules for the Future Tense and Past Tense together! First you double the first two letters, and then add the "UM" between them. 

Step 1: TA-TA-LON (great! we've doubled it!). Now we have TATALON.
Step 2: What next? Right, add the "UM!"

T-UM-A-TA-LON = TU-MA-TA-LON = TUMATALON. Perfect! Now it's in present tense.

Now try it on these three Tagalog words:

1. TAKBO (RUN)
2. KAIN (EAT)
3. SULAT (WRITE)



ANSWERS BELOW!
*************************
*************************

Infinitive: TAKBO (to RUN)

Present: TUMATAKBO
Past: TUMAKBO
Future: TATAKBO

Infinitive: KAIN (to EAT)

Present: KUMAKAIN
Past: KUMAIN
Future: KAKAIN

Infinitive: SULAT (to WRITE)

Present: SUMUSULAT
Past: SUMULAT
Future: SUSULAT


Tagalog is not the easiest language, but it's not the hardest either. Give this language a try and you'll be hooked!


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## marconarajos

Also, this is a good website for explaining it, but it's very technical: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagalog_grammar

Persevere with your studies  it's worth the while


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## robbie_levron

Thanks very much for your help guys. I'll always keep an eye/ear out for these markers when they are used and try to understand why. I'll practice using them each day until I master it. In time I will.


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## niernier

marconarajos said:


> Hugas - to wash is TRANSITIVE. It requires a direct subject. To wash.... something, e.g. hands.
> 
> Therefore you would need the ergative case because IT MARKS the subject of a transitive verb, e.g. kamay.
> 
> Naghugas ako (I washed)
> ng (ergative case)
> kamay. (hands)



I disagree to that. The rule says that you use ergative ng to mark the Object of an INTRANSITIVE verb and not the subject/actor. kamay is an object and not a subject of the intransitive verb naghugas. Siguraduhin mo lang na alam mo yung kinaibahan ng direct object sa subject.  O ha, Tinagalog ko yan. Hehe. Just be sure you know how to distinguish a direct object and a subject.

Hinugasan is a transitive verb and that is where you will use the absolutive marker ang to mark the object. In my example:

Hinugasan ko ang mga plato. ->transitive verb(hinugasan), absolutive plural marker(ang mga)
Naghugas ako ng kamay. ->intransitive verb(naghugas), ergative marker(ng)

Again, the rule as stated in the link to Wikipedia:



> "Absolutive or nominative markers mark the actor of an intransitive verb and the object of a transitive verb. Ergative or genitive markers mark the object (usually indefinite) of an intransitive verb and the actor of a transitive one. They also mark possession."


EDIT:
When we say intransitive, the object is indefinite. Another example:

I am reading a book. (In English, the object is marked by an indefinite article "a"). In Tagalog, the verb is intransitive and so you will use ergative ng. -> Nagbabasa ako ng libro.
I am reading the book. -> Binabasa ko ang libro. The verb is transitive and so you will use absolutive marker ang to mark the direct object.

I hope this helps.


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## robbie_levron

Ok thanks very much again niernier, I think that is why I was getting nowhere because I was inadvertantly referring back to the root word which was transitive. So, when a verb is inflected it can change it from a transitive verb to an intransitive one? I see! That's another gray area you've helped clear up!


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## niernier

robbie_levron said:


> Ok thanks very much again niernier, I think that is why I was getting nowhere because I was inadvertantly referring back to the root word which was transitive. So, when a verb is inflected it can change it from a transitive verb to an intransitive one? I see! That's another gray area you've helped clear up!



I'm glad you figured it out.


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