Language/Cebuano/Grammar/Negation

Cebuano Grammar - Negation

Hi Cebuano learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will focus on negation in Cebuano. Negation is an essential aspect of grammar, and understanding it will help you communicate better in Cebuano. We will provide you with cultural information and interesting facts to help you better absorb and retain the lesson. If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below. Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Take some time to dive into these other pages after completing this lesson: Adjectives, Future Tense, Plurals & Questions.

Basics

Negation is the grammatical process that turns an affirmative statement into a negative statement. In Cebuano, the basic negative form is created by adding "dili" before the verb. For example:

Affirmative	Negative
Nagtan-aw ko ug sine. ("I am watching a movie.")	Wala ko nagtan-aw ug sine. ("I am not watching a movie.")
Nangaligo ko sa dagat. ("I swam in the ocean.")	Wala ko nagaligo sa dagat. ("I did not swim in the ocean.")
Nagluto si Maria ug adobo. ("Maria cooked adobo.")	Wala nangluto si Maria ug adobo. ("Maria did not cook adobo.")

Minus words

Cebuano has words that can be added to sentences to indicate negation. These are called "minus words." Some of the most common minus words in Cebuano are:

• dili (meaning "not")
• wala (meaning "none" or "not having done something")
• walay (meaning "lack of" or "not having")

Here are some examples:

Affirmative	Negative 1	Negative 2
Adto ko sa balay sa ako amiga. ("I am going to my friend's house.")	Wala ko adto sa balay sa ako amiga. ("I haven't gone to my friend's house.")	Walay koy kadto sa balay sa ako amiga. ("I haven't gone to my friend's house.")
Nagdala ko ug regalo para sa imong anak. ("I brought a gift for your child.")	Dili ko nagdala ug regalo para sa imong anak. ("I didn't bring a gift for your child.")	Wala koy gidalang regalo para sa imong anak. ("I didn't bring a gift for your child.")
Nanaghoy ka kag gabii. ("You cried last night.")	Walay ko kahibaw kung nanaghoy ka kag gabii. ("I don't know if you cried last night.")	Wala ka naglakaw pagkahapon. ("You didn't walk yesterday afternoon.")

Alternative negation

Cebuano also has a grammatical construction that can be used to negate a sentence. Instead of using "dili" or a minus word, a sentence with a positive meaning can be negated by adding the word "ug." The sentence then means "not" in the sense of "contrary to what has just been said." Here's an example:

• Si Jaime maayo kaayo magduwa ug basketbol. ("Jaime is very good at playing basketball.") -> Si Jaime dili kaayo maayo magduwa ug basketbol. ("Jaime is not very good at playing basketball.") -> Si Jaime maayo kaayo magduwa ug basketbol ug dili maayo maghagpak. ("Jaime is very good at playing basketball and not good at falling down.")

Common negative words

In conversation, some words are commonly used in their negative form:

• wala ("none" or "not having done something")
• dili lang ("not only")
• dili jud ("certainly not")

Here are some examples:

• Wala gyud ko kasabot. ("I really don't understand.")
• Dili lang siya matahum, usa sab siya ka pakit-kita. ("She's not only beautiful, she's also intelligent.")
• Dili jud ko mosugot. ("I definitely won't agree.")

Using "way"

"Way" is a shortened version of "walay" and is used in spoken Cebuano to indicate negation when referring to the absence of something. For example:

• Way swerte. ("There is no luck.")
• Way sakyanan niya. ("He has no car.")

Dialogue

Here's a dialogue between two friends, Mika and Liza, discussing their weekend plans:

• Mika: Adtu ta sa sinehan karong adlawa. Naa man gud bag-o nga pelikula. ("Let's go to the cinema today. There's a new movie.")
• Liza: Wala gyud ko kasabot sa pelikulang inig-ana. Ayaw lang ko isama. ("I really don't understand those kinds of movies. Don't include me.")
• Mika: Dili lang naman tungod sa storya, kundi kay chaka pod ang special effects. ("It's not just because of the story, but the special effects are also bad.")
• Liza: Wala jud ko gusto ug sina unya. Pagkahapa man ug sayaw. ("I really don't like those, then we'll just end up dancing.")

Conclusion

In this lesson, we have covered the basics of negation in Cebuano, including minus words, alternative negation, and the use of "way." We hope that this lesson has helped you understand negation better in Cebuano. Remember to practice with native speakers, and use the Polyglot Club website if you need help. For more information, don't hesitate to check out our page on Grammar. Thanks for reading!

Sources

• Cebuano Grammar Notes - Project MUSE
• ED401767 - Cebuano Language Packet., 1993 - ERIC

Finished this lesson? Check out these related lessons: Pronouns, Say Hello and Greetings in Cebuano, Conditional Mood & Give your Opinion.

Other Lessons

• Plurals
• Adjectives
• Questions
• How to Use Have
• Future Tense
• How to Use Be
• Conditional Mood
• Pronouns
• Give your Opinion