The Cebuano/Bisaya word nila means “their / by them (genitive of sila)”. Pronounced NEE-lah, it is used as a pronoun by native Cebuano speakers across Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, and much of Mindanao. This page covers what nila means in Bisaya, how to pronounce it correctly, how to use it in a sentence, and related words in the same category.
Bisaya word
nila
English meaning
their
Part of speech
Pronoun
In Bisaya (Cebuano), nila translates to “their / by them (genitive of sila)”. The word covers a range of closely related meanings — their, by them (genitive of sila) — and the right choice depends on context.
As a pronoun in the Grammar category, “nila” is part of the core Bisaya vocabulary that learners encounter early on. Native speakers use it across all registers — casual home conversations in Cebu, busy marketplaces in Bohol, and everyday interactions throughout the Visayas and Mindanao.
Capital letters mark the stressed syllable — say it louder and slightly longer.
Bisaya stress is phonemic — the wrong stress can make a word hard for native speakers to recognise. For nila, put the main stress on the uppercase syllable in NEE-lah. A good technique is to clap on the stressed syllable as you say the word: nee-lah. Once the rhythm is natural, drop the clapping and let muscle memory take over.
Bisaya pronouns like "nila" (their) are indispensable in everyday speech. Bisaya has a rich pronoun system that distinguishes person (first, second, third), number (singular, plural), and even inclusive vs. exclusive first-person plural. Getting pronouns right early on will make your Bisaya sound much more natural and help you follow fast conversations with native speakers.
Expand your vocabulary by learning other Bisaya pronouns in the same category as “nila”.
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