# sibling



## Qcumber

How do you says?
I have three siblings. (brothers and sisters)

1a) May tatlóng kapatíd akó. 
1b) Mayroón akóng tatlóng kapatíd.
1c) Akó'y mayroóng tatlóng kapatíd.

2a) Tatló ang kapatíd kó. / Tatló ang áking kapatíd. 
2b) Ang kapatíd kó ay tatló.
2c) Ang áking kapatíd ay tatló.

As you might have guessed, my question doesn't bear on the variations, but on the structure of the sentence.


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## Cracker Jack

Qcumber said:


> How do you says?
> I have three siblings. (brothers and sisters)
> 
> 1a) May tatlóng kapatíd akó. - Correct and commonly employed.
> 
> 1b) Mayroón akóng tatlóng kapatíd. - Most commonly employed both formally and colloquially. It can be written as ''meron.''
> 
> 
> 1c) Akó'y mayroóng tatlóng kapatíd. - although grammatically correct, it sounds awkward and very melodramatic.  But it all depends on the register.
> 
> 2a) Tatló ang kapatíd kó. / Tatló ang áking kapatíd.  - This is very logical and grammatically correct.
> 
> 2b) Ang kapatíd kó ay tatló. - Not used.  It appears like one sibling is made up of three persons.  It would make sense if you say ''Ang mga kapatid ko ay tatlo.''  But I would advise you not to use this.
> 
> 2c) Ang áking kapatíd ay tatló. - Same effect as above.
> 
> As you might have guessed, my question doesn't bear on the variations, but on the structure of the sentence.


 
1a, 1b and 2a are the options I would recommend.  Just a reminder though, the inversion of subject and predicate is found in almost 99% of conversational Tagalog.  The order subject + predicate with the copula ay is used for emphasis, otherwise it would sound corny.


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## Qcumber

Thanks a lot, Cracker Jack.
Is the question the same for all the answers? And are all my answers correct?

Q: Ilán ang kapatíd mó? = How many siblings do you have / have you got?
A1: Tatló pô ang kapatíd kó. = I have three siblings, Ma'am.
A2: Mayroón pô akóng tatlóng kapatíd. = "
A3: May tatló póng kapatíd akó. = "
A4: May tatlóng kapatíd pô akó. = "
A5: May tatlóng kapatí akó pô. = "
A6: May tatló. = I have got three.
A7: May tatló pô. = I have got three, Ma'am.
A8: Tatló pô. = Three, Ma'am.
A9: Tatló. = Three.


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## epistolario

Qcumber said:


> Thanks a lot, Cracker Jack.
> Is the question the same for all the answers? And are all my answers correct?
> 
> Q: Ilán ang kapatíd mó? = How many siblings do you have / have you got?
> A1: Tatló pô ang kapatíd kó. = I have three siblings, Ma'am.
> A2: Mayroón pô akóng tatlóng kapatíd. (literary) = " or Meron po akong tatlong kapatid. (conversational)
> A3: May tatló póng kapatíd akó. = " doesn't sound right (Better: May tatlo po akong kapatid.)
> A4: May tatlóng kapatíd pô akó. = " sounds awkward
> A5: May tatlóng kapatíd akó pô. = " wrong
> A6: May tatló. = I have got three. not recommended (three what? = Tatlong ano?)
> A7: May tatló pô. = I have got three, Ma'am.
> A8: Tatló pô. = Three, Ma'am. (natural)
> A9: Tatló. = Three. (natural)


 


Additional: 
Altough your question is grammatical, it doesn't sound natural.
Better: Ilan kayong magkakapatid? 
1. Tatlo (po) kaming magkakapatid.
2. Mayroon/Meron (po) akong tatlong kapatid.
3. May tatlo (po) akong kapatid.
In conversational language, we tend to answer in fragments: 
1. Tatlo (po).


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## Qcumber

ffrancis said:


> Additional:
> Altough your question is grammatical, it doesn't sound natural.
> Better: Ilan kayong magkakapatid?
> 1. Tatlo (po) kaming magkakapatid.
> 2. Mayroon/Meron (po) akong tatlong kapatid.
> 3. May tatlo (po) akong kapatid.
> In conversational language, we tend to answer in fragments:
> 1. Tatlo (po).


 
Extremely interesting. Thanks a lot, Ffrancis.

As you know, there is a difference between *magkapatíd,* which only implies two persons (dual), and *magkakapatíd, *which implies more than two persons (plural). In the idiomatic form of the question you offer, you use the plural, so you imply that you expect a number above *dalawá *"two".

Now, I suppose the question: *Ilán kayóng magkapatíd?*
is grammatically possible, but pragmatically impossible. So what would the question be if the teacher expects the child to answer they have one sibling?
Would it be ... ?: *May kapatíd ká bá?* = Have you got a sibling?


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## Cracker Jack

Qcumber said:


> Now, I suppose the question: *Iláng kayóng magkapatíd?*
> 
> I would recommend you not to use ''Ilang kayong magkapatid?'' Ilang means wary or averse.  Better use ''Ilan kayong magkakapatid?''


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## Qcumber

Yes, thanks, Cracker Jack, a negligence. I'll correct my post accordingly.


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## epistolario

Qcumber said:


> Thanks a lot, Cracker Jack.
> A4: May tatlóng kapatíd pô akó. = "



I think A4 is also possible but is a poor way of saying it. 
Better: May tatlo po akong kapatid.


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## Qcumber

ffrancis said:


> Better: May tatlo po akong kapatid.


*May tatló pô akóng kapatíd.*

Yes, you are right, Ffrancis. I just wanted to test the stength of the rule whereby particles move leftward and stop behind the first word of the sentence. 

In this case _may tatló_ is treated by the system as a single word because _may_ is a prefix although spelt as a separate word. So the sequence _pô akó_ is placed behind _may tatló_. You have brought evidence that this rule is still valid in modern Tagalog. Thanks a lot. 

P.S. I know that if _may_ is replaced by _mayroón + _linker, *pô akó* is placed after _mayroón_ because _mayroón _is a full word:
*Mayroón pô akóng tatlóng kapatíd.*


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