# tatawag-tawagan



## Chriszinho85

Hello everyone.  I was just wondering what this construction means?  I don't have a full sentence but how exactly does it change the meaning of the root word?   Other examples I've heard are:  
_
kukulit-kulitin
susundan-sundan

_Thanks,

Chris


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## Wacky...

Those examples are funny. xD

It means that the action does not happen only once. It also has something to do with persistence and stubbornness.
Ex.
Ulitin mo. _Repeat it/do it again.
_Ulit-ulitin mo. _Keep repeating it.

_Bakit mo ba ako sinusundan-sundan? _Why do you keep on following me?_

Now that's interesting. Perhaps that's just the way it is translated most of the time, "keep..."

Hope it helped.


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## Cracker Jack

It means doing something over and over again. The formula consists of 

prefix(depending on the infinitive) + infinitive + infinitive + suffix in/an


Hope this helps.


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## Chriszinho85

Okay.  I understand now.  Thanks Wacky and Cracker Jack for the replies.  So does the same meaning apply when used with -um- verbs?  For example,

_iiyak-iyak - _to keep crying?
_lalapit-lapit - _to keep coming closer?

Chris


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## Wacky...

Yes.. those words are valid. However, they are in future tense (or non-past) not in infinitive form.

I think, another possible translation is:
_subuk-subukan_ - to try and try [something] #what do you think?

"to keep crying" *?
*translating it spontaneously, I think of "umiyak ng umiyak"
But anyway, they basically have no difference:
_kulit-kulitin = kulitin ng kulitin
sundan-sundan = sundan ng sundan
ulit-ulitin = ulitin ng ulitin
umiyak-iyak = umiyak ng umiyak
lumapit-lapit = lumapit ng lumapit
_You have to get used to which one is used more frequently.
____
I disagree with the formula given earlier. I have to say though that it is a little bit tricky.

-in/-an verbs (transitive), future tense:
I propose this formula:
first-syllable duplicate + root word + '-' + infinitive (original)
Ex.
kulitin
ku + kulit + - + kulitin = kukulit-kulitin

sundan (sunudan)
su + sunod + - + sundan (sunudan) = susundan-sundan
There is evidently a corruption here where the root word seems to be "sundan" but is actually "sunod." The result was supposed to be "susunud-sunudan" but sounds rather awkward.

For the -in/-an verbs, infinitive:
just drop the first-syllable duplicate...
kukulit-kulitin
susundan-sundan

For the -um- verbs, it's different. Going further to the different tenses, it'd be a lot confusing.


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## Chriszinho85

Thanks again Wacky for the detailed explanation!


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