Verb Aspects
Completed, Incomplete, and Contemplated Actions in Bisaya
Overview
Unlike English which uses tenses (past, present, future), Bisaya and other Philippine languages use an ASPECT system. Aspects describe how an action relates to the flow of time - whether it's completed, ongoing, or not yet started. The three main aspects: • Contemplated (Infinitive): mo-, mag-, ma- — action not yet started • Incomplete (Progressive): nag-, ga- — action is ongoing • Completed (Perfective): mi-, nag-, na-, naka- — action is finished This is an important distinction! Bisaya focuses on whether an action is complete or not, rather than when it happened.
Examples
Mokaon ko (Contemplated)
I will eat / I'm going to eat
💡 'Mo-' prefix indicates action not yet started (contemplated aspect)
Nagkaon ko (Incomplete/Progressive)
I am eating
💡 'Nag-' prefix indicates ongoing, incomplete action
Mikaon ko (Completed)
I ate / I have eaten
💡 'Mi-' prefix indicates completed action (perfective aspect)
Nakakaon na ko (Completed - ability/experience)
I have already eaten / I was able to eat
💡 'Naka-' indicates completed action with emphasis on ability or experience
Magkaon ko (Contemplated - durative)
I will be eating / I'm about to eat
💡 'Mag-' prefix indicates contemplated action that will be ongoing
Gakaon ko (Incomplete - informal)
I'm eating
💡 'Ga-' is an informal/colloquial progressive marker, very common in everyday speech
💡 Tips to Remember
- •Bisaya uses ASPECTS (completed, incomplete, contemplated), not tenses (past, present, future)
- •Contemplated aspect (mo-, mag-) = action hasn't started yet
- •Incomplete aspect (nag-, ga-) = action is in progress
- •Completed aspect (mi-, naka-) = action is finished
- •'Ga-' is very common in casual speech as an alternative to 'nag-'
- •Context determines the English translation - 'mikaon ko' could be 'I ate' or 'I have eaten'