# Paano ko sasabihin



## Change1031

I want to translate this, so that I can ask about vocabulary in Tagalog:

"How do I say _____ in Tagalog?"

This is my reasoning for the translated phrase.

How (do) = Paano
I = ako 
To say = sabi
in = sa

My translation would be:

"Paano ako sumasabi _____ sa Tagalog?"

If not, what is the proper way of saying, "How do I say _____ in Tagalog?"


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## DotterKat

The correct way to say it is:_ Paano ko sasabihin ang ______ sa Tagalog?_


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## Change1031

DotterKat said:


> The correct way to say it is:_ Paano ko sasabihin ang ______ sa Tagalog?_



Thank you.

My sort of next question is this,

what's the difference between using ako and ko in this statement? Also, what is the difference between sabi and sabihin?


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## DotterKat

Change1031 said:


> Thank you.
> 
> My sort of next question is this,
> What's the difference between using ako and ko in this statement?



The difference between _*ako*_ and_* ko*_ is a very broad topic since it cannot be separated from a discussion of verbal focus. It would be better to consult a textbook about this.

Briefly stated, _ako_ is a first person _ang pronoun_ used with actor-focused verbs, that is, the doer or "actor" is the focus of the sentence. The clue that a sentence is actor-focused is the presence of verbs that use affixes such as nag- or -um-.

Actor-focused sentences using ako as the pronoun:

K_*um*_uha _*ako*_ ng libro.
D_*um*_aan _*ako*_ sa bahay niya.
P_*um*_asa _*ako*_ sa test kahapon.
_*Nag*_dala _*ako*_ ng pasalubong para sa kaniya.
_*Nag*_handa _*ako*_ ng almusal para sa kanila.

_Ko_ is a first person _ng pronoun_ used with object-focused verbs, that is, the object (and not the actor) is the focus of the sentence. The clue that a sentence is object-focused is the presence of verbs with the -in- affix.

Object-focused sentences using ko as the pronoun:

K_*in*_uha _*ko*_ ang libro.
D_*in*_aanan _*ko*_ ang bahay niya.
P_*in*_asa _*ko*_ ang test kahapon.
D_*in*_ala _*ko*_ ang pasalubong para sa kaniya.
H_*in*_anda _*ko*_ ang almusal para sa kanila.



Change1031 said:


> Also, what is the difference between sabi and sabihin?



I think you meant to ask the difference between sabi and sasabihin.
Sabi is the root verb (to say).
Sasabihin is the contemplated aspect of the object focus verb form of sabi.
(Sabihin is also an object focus form of sabi, but can also be understood as the imperative mood of the same verb.)
Verbal focus is a very broad topic in Tagalog grammar and it would be better to consult a textbook about this.


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## Change1031

DotterKat said:


> The difference between _*ako*_ and_* ko*_ is a very broad topic since it cannot be separated from a discussion of verbal focus. It would be better to consult a textbook about this.
> 
> Briefly stated, _ako_ is a first person _ang pronoun_ used with actor-focused verbs, that is, the doer or "actor" is the focus of the sentence. The clue that a sentence is actor-focused is the presence of verbs that use affixes such as nag- or -um-.
> 
> Actor-focused sentences using ako as the pronoun:
> 
> K_*um*_uha _*ako*_ ng libro.
> D_*um*_aan _*ako*_ sa bahay niya.
> P_*um*_asa _*ako*_ sa test kahapon.
> _*Nag*_dala _*ako*_ ng pasalubong para sa kaniya.
> _*Nag*_handa _*ako*_ ng almusal para sa kanila.
> 
> _Ko_ is a first person _ng pronoun_ used with object-focused verbs, that is, the object (and not the actor) is the focus of the sentence. The clue that a sentence is object-focused is the presence of verbs with the -in- affix.
> 
> Object-focused sentences using ko as the pronoun:
> 
> K_*in*_uha _*ko*_ ang libro.
> D_*in*_aanan _*ko*_ ang bahay niya.
> P_*in*_asa _*ko*_ ang test kahapon.
> D_*in*_ala _*ko*_ ang pasalubong para sa kaniya.
> H_*in*_anda _*ko*_ ang almusal para sa kanila.
> 
> 
> 
> I think you meant to ask the difference between sabi and sasabihin.
> Sabi is the root verb (to say).
> Sasabihin is the contemplated aspect of the object focus verb form of sabi.
> (Sabihin is also an object focus form of sabi, but can also be understood as the imperative mood of the same verb.)
> Verbal focus is a very broad topic in Tagalog grammar and it would be better to consult a textbook about this.




Thanks for the explanation. Yea, I guess I should learn from a textbook, first.


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