Verb Aspects

Tense (English system) tells you WHEN an action happens: past, present, or future. Aspect (Bisaya system) tells you the STATUS of the action: is it completed, in progress, or not yet started? In Bisaya, 'Mikaon ko gahapon' (I ate yesterday) and 'Mikaon ko unya' (I'll eat later) could theoretically both be completed aspect — what matters is whether the action is done, not when it happened. Context and time words like 'gahapon' (yesterday) or 'unya' (later) provide the temporal reference.

'Mo-' is the most common future/contemplated prefix and works with most verbs: mokaon (eat), moadto (go), moinom (drink). 'Mag-' tends to emphasize a more prolonged or habitual action: 'Magtrabaho ko ugma' (I will work tomorrow — implying I'll be engaged in that work). In everyday speech, 'mo-' is the safe default for single-occurrence future actions. 'Mag-' is preferred for ongoing planned activities and habitual behaviors.

'Mi-' is the actor-focus completed prefix for single, one-time completed actions: 'Mikaon ko' (I ate). 'Nag-' can mark both incomplete (ongoing) AND completed habitual actions depending on context. 'Nagkaon ko kaniadto' (I used to eat / was eating before). In practice, 'mi-' is more clearly perfective/completed for actor-focus, while 'nag-' can overlap with both ongoing and completed habitual meanings. When in doubt, 'mi-' = completed once.

'Naka-' expresses completed action with emphasis on ability or achievement — 'I was able to / I managed to.' 'Nakakaon ko' means 'I was able to eat' or 'I already ate (successfully).' This is different from 'mikaon ko' which is simply 'I ate.' Use 'naka-' when you want to convey that you accomplished something or that it happened successfully: 'Nakaadto na ko sa Cebu' (I've already been to Cebu — achieved).

'Ga-' is an informal, colloquial progressive marker widely used in everyday Cebuano conversation as an alternative to 'nag-' for ongoing actions. 'Gakaon ko' and 'Nagkaon ko' both mean 'I am eating.' 'Ga-' feels more casual and is very natural in speech. You will hear it constantly. In formal writing, formal speeches, or academic contexts, 'nag-' is preferred. In conversation and texting, 'ga-' is perfectly normal and widely accepted.