Language/Tagalog/Grammar/Plurals
Tagalog is a language spoken by millions of people in the Philippines. It has a rich and complex grammar system, and one of the most important aspects of it is the use of plurals. In this lesson, we'll take a look at how to form plurals in Tagalog.
Pluralizing Nouns
In Tagalog, nouns can be pluralized in two ways: by adding a suffix or by changing the word's ending.
Suffixes
The most common way to make a noun plural in Tagalog is to add a suffix. The most common suffixes are -ng and -m. For example, the word "tao" (person) becomes "tao-ng" (people) when pluralized. Similarly, the word "bata" (child) becomes "bata-m" (children).
It's important to note that not all nouns can be pluralized with a suffix. Some nouns, such as proper nouns, cannot be pluralized in this way.
Changing the Word's Ending
Another way to make a noun plural in Tagalog is to change the word's ending. This is done by adding an -i or -a to the end of the word. For example, the word "kabayo" (horse) becomes "kabayo-i" (horses) when pluralized. Similarly, the word "babae" (woman) becomes "babae-a" (women).
It's important to note that not all nouns can be pluralized in this way. Some nouns, such as proper nouns, cannot be pluralized in this way.
Pluralizing Verbs
In Tagalog, verbs can also be pluralized. This is done by adding an -in or -an to the end of the verb. For example, the verb "maglakad" (to walk) becomes "maglakad-in" (to walk) when pluralized. Similarly, the verb "magbasa" (to read) becomes "magbasa-an" (to read).
It's important to note that not all verbs can be pluralized in this way. Some verbs, such as irregular verbs, cannot be pluralized in this way.
Conclusion
In this lesson, we've taken a look at how to form plurals in Tagalog. We've seen that nouns can be pluralized by adding a suffix or by changing the word's ending, while verbs can be pluralized by adding an -in or -an to the end of the verb.
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