# "Kasing" vs. "Gaano" in comparative sentences



## Maginoo

Hello,

I'm trying to figure out the rules for sentences with comparatives in Tagalog.  If I want to say "I don't speak Tagalog as well as he does" I think (please correct me if I'm wrong) I can say

Hindi ako kasing galing mag-Tagalog katulad niya.

--or --

Hindi ako kasing galing niyang mag-Tagalog.

But if I want to say "It's not as cold here now as it was before", then it's:

Hindi na gaanong malamig dito kaysa dati.

I am told that the "kasing" and "gaanong" are not interchangeable in these sentences (and I presume neither are the "kaysa" and "katulad".)  

So what are the rules here?  Do different adjectives use different modifiers or what?

Thanks,
Maginoo


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## DotterKat

In this context, think of *gaano* as the interrogative adverb _*how* (much)_. The verb or adjective that follows gaano is prefixed with *ka-*.

Gaano kalamig diyan ngayon? How cold is it there right now?
Gaano siyang kagaling mag-Tagalog? How good is he speaking Tagalog? / How well does he speak Tagalog?

Properly used, *kasing-* is a prefix attached to verbs or adjectives in comparative sentences. Think of it as the equivalent of the *as....as* construction.

Gaano kalamig diyan ngayon?
_Kasinglamig_ kahapon. / _Kasinglamig_ ng panahon kahapon. _As cold as_ yesterday. / _As cold as_ the weather was yesterday.

Gaano siyang kagaling mag-Tagalog?
_Kasinggaling _mo. _As good as_ you.

However, it is also common to see in written form kasing- used separately, i.e., not affixed to an adjective or verb.

Kasing lamig kahapon.
Kasing galing mo.

When kasing- is used as a prefix, the rules for dropping the -g are at best variable.

Kasinglamig / Kasinlamig
Kasinggaling / Kasingaling
Kasingtangkad / Kasintangkad
Kasingbilis / Kasinbilis

Both are acceptable, though colloquial speech favors dropping the -g.

The true nature of kasing- as a prefix becomes more evident when using the variant *magkasing-*. Most people do not make the mistake of using it as a separate word. Magkasing-  connotes equality and is used in reference to plural subjects (nouns or pronouns). As with other Tagalog affixes, the English equivalent becomes less than straightforward.

Magkasinglamig ba ang panahon ngayon at kahapon? Magkasinglamig ba _sila_? The cold weather we have right now and the cold weather we had yesterday, are _they_ about the same?
Magkasinggaling ba _kami_ mag-Tagalog? Are _we_ equally good speaking Tagalog?

Think of _*kaysa*_ as the equivalent of _*than*_ and *katulad* as *like*.

Mas malamig ngayon _kaysa_ kahapon. It is colder today _than_ it was yesterday.
Ang kalamigan ngayon ay _katulad_ ng kalamigan kahapon (colloquially: Malamig ngayon katulad kahapon). It's _like_ yesterday. It's cold _like _it was yesterday.


Maginoo said:


> But if I want to say "It's not as cold here now as it was before", then it's:
> 
> Hindi na gaanong malamig dito kaysa dati.
> 
> I am told that the "kasing" and "gaanong" are not interchangeable in these sentences (and I presume neither are the "kaysa" and "katulad".) ......


Strictly speaking, the sentence _Hindi na gaanong malamig dito kaysa dati _is erroneous. The syntactical errors become more obvious in English:

How much cold it is here now is not (more) than before.

However, colloquial speech does permit such constructions and the sentence is readily understandable (the Tagalog version, certainly not the English one).

Properly constructed, you should use the *kasing-* prefix and *katulad* (like) in this manner:

Hindi na [kasinglamig/kasinlamig/kasing lamig] dito (ka)tulad ng dati. It is no longer as cold here as it was like before / It is no longer as cold here as it was.

You would not use kaysa (than) in the last sentence.

Hindi na kasinglamig dito kaysa dati. 

Again, people do make this mistake especially in colloquial speech, but it is as wrong as saying:

It is no longer as cold as than before.


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## Maginoo

Ok, thanks, Dotterkat.  So, strictly speaking, "gaano" should only be used as an interrogative, not a relative pronoun?  If so, that makes things easier 'cause then I can use "kasing"/'katulad"  or "kasing"/[ng form] for all sentences of the form "X is not as [adjective] as Y."


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## DotterKat

Maginoo said:


> Ok, thanks, Dotterkat.  So, strictly speaking, "gaano" should only be used as an interrogative, not a relative pronoun?


_*Gaano*_ can be used in declarative sentences as well. It can be used as an adverb (the equivalent of *so*), but not in the context of a comparative sentence about which you first asked. It is not a relative pronoun, at least not in the same sense as we would use _who, whom, whose, which _and_ that_.

Hindi gaanong malamig ngayon. It is no so cold today.
Hindi siya gaanong magaling mag-Tagalog. He is not so good speaking Tagalog.

In a comparative sentence, you would again resort to kasing- (as....as construction). It is possible to drop katulad. Translating to the English equivalent can become problematic.

Ang panahon ngayong araw ay hindi kasinglamig ng panahon kahapon. The weather today is not as cold as yesterday's. (More simply stated: It's not as cold as it was yesterday).
Ang panahon ngayon ay hindi kasinglamig katulad ng pahahon kahapon. (Colloquially: Hindi kasinglamig ngayon tulad kahapon). It is not cold today like it was yesterday.


Maginoo said:


> If so, that makes things easier 'cause then I can use "kasing"/'katulad"  or "kasing"/[ng form] for all sentences of the form "X is not as [adjective] as Y."


Yes, you can use that construction. Again the English equivalent will sound somewhat awkward, though the Tagalog sources sound fine.

Hindi siya kasinggaling mo mag-Tagalog. He is not as good as you are speaking Tagalog.
Hindi siya kasinggaling mag-Tagalog katulad mo. He is not good speaking Tagalog like you can/are able to do.

[When using the kasing- construction, I tend to drop katulad whenever possible. The prefix kasing- already implies an equal relation between two nouns or pronouns and so does the ka- prefix. Using both seems redundant to me, although that construction (kasing- + katulad/tulad) is quite common].


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## Maginoo

Ok, thanks.


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## mataripis

Kasing is derived from ka isa or same level/unit as.Gaano is combined Ga + ano describing the exact value or qualities.1.Kasing ganda siya ng diwata. 2.) Gaano kabigat yan?


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## Jgon

"Kasing" means "as [adjective] as,"*
e.g. kasing galing (as good as), kasing ganda (as pretty as)...

*can also be shortened to "'sing,"
e.g. 'sing galing, 'sing ganda

*the words can also be combined
e.g. kasingaling /ka-sin-ga-ling/, kasingganda, kasimpangit (as ugly as)




Gaano means how + verb or how + adjective, 
e.g. gaano kagaling (how good or how proficient), gaano kasaya (how fun)


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