# Isipin, akalain



## meetmeinnyc

Hi,

Need some help again..

Can anyone tell me the difference between 'isipin' and 'akalain'?


Thanks so much in advance!


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## DotterKat

Both involve the process of *thinking* but by convention, _akala / akalain_ carries the notion of doubt, disbelief, an unresolved idea or a vague, imprecise thought or abstraction. _Isip / isipin_ can be applied to both concrete or abstract cognitive processes or even to express doubt as one uses akala / akalain. However, the reverse is generally not true, that is, akala / akalain does not generally carry the same notion of certainty or a concrete cognitive process that isip / isipin implies.

Isipin mong mabuti kung saan mo naiwan si Junjun. Think hard about where you left Junjun. (_Isipin / think _as a concrete, affirmative mental process). You would not say: Akalain mong mabuti kung saan mo naiwan si Junjun (some would use it this way in archaic Tagalog, but not in current convention)

Hindi ko maisip kung saan ko naiwan si Junjun. I can't think were I could have left Junjun. (_Hindi maisip / can't think_ as expressions of doubt or uncertainty).
You could say: Hindi ko maakala kung saan ko naiwan si Junjun, but this usage is less common.

Akala ko kasama ko si Junjun sa kotse. I thought Junjun was with me in the car. (_Akala ko / I thought_ as expressions of doubt or a vague notion)

Hindi ko akalain na maiiwan ko si Junjun sa SM. I [never thought / could never imagine] that I could leave Junjun at SM. (_akalain / never thought / could never imagine_ as abstractions)

Akalain mo ba mare, naiwan niya si Junjun sa SM, pero hindi niya nakalimutan yung kanyang supot ng siopao.[Can you imagine / Could you believe] mare, she left Junjun at SM but did not forget her bag of siopao? (_akalain, imagine_ as abstractions, expressions of disbelief).


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## meetmeinnyc

Thanks so much again, DotterKat!

I did some more research on the internet on 'akalain' because I was still confused about how it's used, and I kind of got the idea that it conveys the concept of  'misunderstanding' or 'it's not what you think' when used in a positive form and of 'can never imagine or expect' when used in a negative form. (Well, that's how you have already explained, though..) Am I correct?

Below are some phrases I picked up on the internet and I translated them. Hope my understanding is correct..

(Positive form)
Aakalain mo nga na mahal siya dahil sa ganda ng design. (You will think it's pricey because the design is good (but in reality, it's not expensive).
Aakalain ng kasalubong mo single ka. (The person you come across will think you are single (but in reality, you are not single).
Kapag di mo pa kilala aakalain mong mataray sya. (If you don't know about her, you will think she is unfriendly (but in reality, she is not unfriendly.)
Aakalain mo bang mangyayari sa'yo sa tunay na buhay? (Do you think that that will happen to you in real life? (but in reality, it will never happen to you.)

(Negative form)
Hindi mo aakalain na inlove kana pala. (You will never be able to imagine that you are already in love.)
Hindi mo aakalain na ganun siya kaganda. (You will never be able to imagine that she is that beautiful.)
Hindi ko inakala na makakagawa ng ganito kagandang pelikula. (I could never imagine that I would be able to make such a great movie.)


Thanks!


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## DotterKat

Yes, _akala / akalain_ denotes doubt, disbelief, etc. as I have mentioned before. Differentiating them into positive and negative forms as you have suggested is helpful. It may be even more illuminating if we formulate the corresponding sentences for each one:


meetmeinnyc said:


> (Positive form)
> 1) Aakalain mo nga na mahal siya dahil sa ganda ng design. (You will think it's pricey because the design is good (but in reality, it's not expensive).
> _Hindi mo aakalain na mura lang siya dahil sa ganda ng design. (You wouldn't think that it is inexpensive because the design is so good.)_
> 
> 2) Aakalain ng kasalubong mo single ka. (The person you come across will think you are single (but in reality, you are not single).
> _Hindi aakalain ng kasalubong mo na may boyfriend ka na pala. (That guy wouldn't think that you're already in a relationship).__
> _
> 3) Kapag di mo pa kilala aakalain mong mataray sya. (If you don't know about her, you will think she is unfriendly (but in reality, she is not unfriendly.)
> _Kapag hindi mo pa siya kilala, hindi mo aakalain na mabait pala siya. (If you didn't know her yet, you wouldn't think she was actually very nice.)_



You made a slight error in understanding sentence (4).



meetmeinnyc said:


> 4) Aakalain mo bang mangyayari ito sa'yo sa tunay na buhay? (Do you think that that / this will happen to you in real life? (but in reality, it will never happen to you.)



Recall that akala / akalain expresses doubt or disbelief. Thus the clause:

_Aakalain mo bang _is expressing doubt, disbelief, incredulity. The English equivalent would be something like _Could you ever believe... / Could you ever imagine..._

Such disbelief, doubt, incredulity is then directed to the thought expressed in the main clause: ._..na mangyayari ito sa 'yo sa tunay na buhay?_

Therefore, _Aakalain mo bang mangyayari ito sa 'yo sa tunay na buhay? Could you believe that this would ever happen to you in real life? _means that however incredible and improbable it may seem, such an event _did actually transpire._

The positive version of the declarative form of that sentence (since your original text is interrogatory) would be:

Akala ko mangyayari ito sa akin sa tunay na buhay. I thought such a thing would happen to me in real life (you thought it would, but such a thing never did come to pass).
The negative would be: Hindi ko akalain na mangyayari ito sa akin sa tunay na buhay. I never thought such a thing would happen to me in real life (you thought such a thing would never happen to you, and yet it did actually come to pass).



meetmeinnyc said:


> (Negative form)
> 1) Hindi mo aakalain na in love kana pala. (You will never be able to imagine that you are already in love.)
> _Akala mo magkaibigan lang kayo. You thought you were just friends (when in fact it had become more than that)._
> 
> 2) Hindi mo aakalain na ganun siya kaganda. (You will never be able to imagine that she is that beautiful.)
> _Akala mo ordinaryo lang ang kagandahan niya. You thought she was just an ordinary beauty (in fact she's ravishingly, knee-weakeningly and devastatingly gorgeous).
> _
> 3) Hindi ko inakala na makakagawa ako ng ganito kagandang pelikula. (I could never imagine that I would be able to make such a great movie.)
> _Akala ko mga pangit na pelikula lang ang kaya kong gawin. I thought that I could only make low-quality movies (when in fact I am quite capable of making very good movies).
> _


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## meetmeinnyc

It's all clear now 

Thanks so much!


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