Bro. Christopher Loh over at Facebook asks:
Dear Manuel, Can you explain when do we use ‘ka’, ‘kita’, ‘ikaw’, ‘mong’ or even ‘kayo’, for the Tagalog second person pronoun, singular ‘you’? It has been confusing for a foreigner like me. Maraming salamat po.
Here’s the answer…
Ka (you, singular, informal), is usually used at the end of a sentence. For example, “Kumusta ka?” (How are you?)
Kayo (you, singular, formal) is also used at the end of the sentence. For example, “Kumusta po kayo?” (po – used to show respect). You never say “Kumusta po ka?”
Kita is used when you will do something for the person you are speaking with. “Dadalawin kita” means “I will visit you”, while “dadalawin ka” means “someone will visit you.”
If you prefer the formal or respectful version: “Dadalawin po kayo.”
It is also used when a certain action involves the speaker and the person being spoken to. For example, “I miss you” in Tagalog or Filipino is “Nami-miss kita.”
An awkward version would be: “Nami-miss ko ikaw.”
Ikaw is usually used at the start of a sentence. For example, “Ikaw ay matangkad” means “You are tall” [You may also say “Matangkad ka.”]
You use “Ikaw” when you want to emphasize the person you are speaking with, and “ka” when you wish to emphasize the description of something other than the person in front of you.
So, “Ikaw ay matangkad” is “You are tall” (emphasis on YOU), while “Matangkad ka” is similar to Yoda’s “Tall are you.”
Mo is “your”, so “Ang payong mo…” is “Your umbrella…” (payong = umbrella)
Your umbrella, which is blue (asul), is:
“Ang payong mong asul” (your umbrella which is blue)
Mong is the shortened form of “mo na”,
so “Ang payong mo na asul” can be translated to “Your umbrella that is blue”
But since “mo na” is a bit too long, people prefer the shortened “mong.”
I hope that helps! 🙂
