An Actual Lesson on Tagalog Pronouns

In Tagalog, there are three different types of pronouns: ang pronouns, ng, and sa pronouns. Each of these pronoun groups are then divided into two different subgroups which are personal and demonstrative pronouns. This gives us six different pronoun groups to memorize, and I'll go on to explain each one in this entry.

Ang Personal Pronouns

Ang pronouns are used to mark the focus or the subject of the sentence. Take a look at the following English sentences:

• He played with the dog.
• She watered the plants.
• They sold toys.

The pronouns “he”, “she”, and “they”, are the ones performing the action, therefore they are the focus/subject. In Tagalog, we use the ang personal pronoun to replace these.

English pronouns	Tagalog pronouns	Example sentences
I	ako	Kumain ako ng tinapay. (I ate some bread.)
you (singular)	ikaw/ka*	Ikaw ay kumain ng tinapay. Kumain ka ng tinapay.
you (plural)	kayo	Kumain kayo ng tinapay.
he/she	siya**	Kumain siya ng tinapay.
they	sila	Kumain sila ng tinapay.
we (including you)	tayo	Kumain tayo ng tinapay.
we (excluding you)	kami	Kumain kami ng tinapay.

*The word “ikaw” is mostly used in the beginning of the sentence, while “ka” is used in any other position. There are exceptions to this rule, and will be explained in future entries.

**Tagalog has gender-neutral pronouns, so there is no differentiation between “he” and “she.”

Ang Demonstrative Pronouns

Similar to the ang personal pronouns, ang demonstrative pronouns are also the focus/subject of the sentence. The only difference is that they refer to objects instead of people.

English pronouns	Tagalog pronouns	Example sentences
this (near me)	ito	Lumaki ito. (This grew.)
that (near you)	iyan	Lumaki iyan.
that (far from both you and me)	iyon	Lumaki iyon.
these (near me)	ang mga Ito	Lumaki ang mga ito.
those (near you)	ang mga iyan	Lumaki ang mga iyan.
those (far from both me and you)	ang mga iyon	Lumaki ang mga iyon.

Ng Personal Pronouns
Ng pronouns are the opposite of ang pronouns, so instead of marking the focus/subject, they mark the non-focus/object. You can see how they would be used in the following English sentences:

• The dog was played with by him.
• The plants were watered by her.
• The toys were sold by them.

In these new sentences, the subjects from our previous sentences are no longer the focus. Instead, we are putting more emphasis on what is being affected by the actions. Therefore, these would be replaced by ng personal pronouns.

In addition to marking the non-focus of the sentence, ng personal pronouns can also indicate possession. Saying things like “mine”, “yours” or “theirs” all show who owns something, and would also be replaced by ng personal pronouns.

English pronouns	Tagalog pronouns	Example sentences
mine, by me	ko	Binili ko ang payong. (I bought the umbrella.) Ang payong ko ay sira. (My umbrella is broken.)
your, by you (singular)	mo	Binili mo ang payong. Ang payong mo ay sira.
your, by you (plural)	ninyo	Binili ninyo ang payong. Ang payong ninyo ay sira.
his/her, by him/her	niya	Binili niya ang payong. Ang payong niya ay sira.
their, by them	nila	Binili sila ang payong. Ang payong nila ay sira.
ours, by us (including you)	natin	Binili natin ang payong. Ang payong natin ay sira.
ours, by us (excluding you)	namin	Binili namin ang payong. Ang payong namin ay sira.

Ng Demonstrative Pronouns

As for ng demonstrative pronouns, they aren’t also mark nouns that are out of focus, but they replace inanimate objects instead of people.

English pronouns	Tagalog pronouns	Example sentences
(of/by) this (near me)	nito	Bumili sila nito. (They bought this.)
(of/by) this (near you)	niyan	Bumili sila niyan.
(of/by) that/it (far from you and me)	niyon	Bumili sila niyon.
(of/by) these (near me)	ng mga ito	Bumili sila ng mga ito.
(of/by) these (near you)	ng mga iyan	Bumili sila ng mga iyan.
(of/by) these (far from you and me)	ng mga iyon	Bumili sila ng mga iyon.

Sa Personal Pronouns
Sa personal pronouns have three uses.

1. Like ng personal pronouns, they can also show possession, but they must be placed before the object and have an “ng” attached to the end.
2. They show whom an object is with. It’s like saying “it is with me” or “it is with them” in English.
3. They can be prepositional phrases which show to whom an action is directed.
4. They show the beneficiary of the action or for whom something is being done. Whenever the beneficiary is being used, the sa personal pronoun follows the word “para” (for in Tagalog).

English pronouns	Tagalog pronouns	Example sentences
mine, to me	sa akin	Aking payong ay nawala. (My umbrella is gone.) Nasa akin ang payong. (The umbrella is with me.) Nagbigay si Rosa ng payong sa akin. (Rosa gave the umbrella to me.) Binili ni Rosa ang payong para sa akin. (Rosa bought the umbrella for me.)
yours, to you (singular)	sa iyo	Iyong payong ay nawala. Nasa iyo ang payong. Nagbigay si Rosa ng payong sa iyo. Binili ni Rosa ng payong para sa iyo.
yours, to you (plural)	sa inyo	Inyong payong ay nawala. Nasa inyo ang payong. Nagbigay si Rosa ng payong sa inyo. Binili ni Rosa ng payong para sa inyo.
theirs, to them	sa kanila	Kanilang payong ay nawala. Nasa kanila ang payong. Nagbigay si Rosa ng payong sa kanila. Binili ni Rosa ng payong para sa kanila.
his/hers, to him/her	sa kanya	Kanyang payong ay nawala. Nasa kanya ang payong. Nagbigay si Rosa ng payong sa kanya. Binili ni Rosa ng payong para sa kanya.
ours, to us (including you)	sa atin	Ating payong ay nawala. Nasa atin ang payong. Nagbigay si Rosa ng payong sa atin. Binili ni Rosa ng payong para sa atin.
ours, to us (excluding you)	sa amin	Aming payong ay nawala. Nasa amin ang payong. Nagbigay si Rosa ng payong sa amin. Binili ni Rosa ng payong para sa amin.

Sa Demonstrative Pronouns

Sa demonstrative pronouns show where something is and can also describe the beneficiary of the action. Again, when the beneficiary is being used, the pronoun follows the word “para.”

English pronouns	Tagalog pronouns	Example sentences
to this (near me)	dito	Dito ang eskuwela. (The school is here.) Gumawa si Rosa ng leksiyon para dito. (Rosa made a lesson for this.)
to this (near you)	diyan	Diyan ang eskuwela. Gumawa si Rosa ng leksiyon para diyan.
to that (far from me and you)	doon	Doon ang eskuwela. Gumawa si Rosa ng leksiyon para diyan.
to these (near me)	sa mga ito	Gumawa si Rosa ng leksiyon para sa mga ito.
to these (near you)	sa mga iyan	Gumawa si Rosa ng leksiyon para sa mga iyan.
to those (far from you and me)	sa mga iyon	Gumawa si Rosa ng leksiyon para sa mga iyon.

Summary

Ang pronouns are used to describe nouns that are in the focus of the sentence. Ng pronouns are used to describe nouns that are out of the focus and show possession. Sa pronouns are used to describe possession, with whom something is, to whom an action is directed, and who the beneficiary is.