Personal Pronouns

Learn the basic pronouns in Bisaya

Overview

In Bisaya, personal pronouns are essential building blocks. Unlike English, Bisaya pronouns change form depending on whether they are the subject (doing the action) or object (receiving the action) of a sentence. There are three forms of pronouns: • Absolutive (ANG form) - used for the topic/focus of the sentence • Ergative (SA form) - used for actors in object-focus sentences • Oblique - used for objects, locations, and possessives

Examples

Ako - I/Me

First person singular

💡 Used when referring to yourself. Short form: ko (after verbs)

Ikaw/Ka - You

Second person singular

💡 'Ka' is the shortened form used after verbs: 'Kumusta ka?'

Siya - He/She

Third person singular

💡 Bisaya doesn't distinguish gender in pronouns

Kita - We (inclusive)

First person plural (includes the listener)

💡 Used when including the person you're talking to: 'Kaon kita' (Let's eat - you and me)

Kami - We (exclusive)

First person plural (excludes the listener)

💡 Used when NOT including the listener: 'Moadto kami' (We will go - but not you)

Kamo - You (plural)

Second person plural

💡 Used when addressing multiple people

Sila - They

Third person plural

💡 Used for multiple people or things

💡 Tips to Remember

•Bisaya doesn't have gender-specific pronouns - 'siya' means both he and she
•Pay attention to inclusive (kita) vs exclusive (kami) 'we' - this distinction is important in Bisaya
•Short forms like 'ko' (I/my), 'ka' (you), 'ta' (we) are commonly used in everyday speech
•Use 'nimo' (your), 'nako' (my), 'niya' (his/her) for possessives

Basic Sentence Structure