ma-...-an (abilidad)

Can Be Given or Understood

Level 3

The ma-...-an pattern is the 'potential' version of the -an locative focus. It is used when the subject of the sentence is the place, the person receiving something, or the mental goal of an action, and you want to say that the action is possible (can be done) or accidental (happened to be done).

How It Works

The ma-...-an pattern is the potential or abilitative form of the Locative Focus. It serves two primary functions:

1. Abilitative (Can be): It shows that a specific target or location is capable of receiving an action. For example, instead of focusing on the giver, you focus on the recipient: 'The person can be given.'
2. Accidental/Involuntary (Happened to): It describes actions that occur by chance or without deliberate intent. A classic example is makit-an, which often means 'to happen to see' or 'to find' rather than just 'to look.'

Morphology and Spelling:

  • Structure: Prefix ma- + Root + Suffix -an (or -han).
  • Suffix Variants: Use -an for roots ending in consonants or glottal stops. Use -han for roots ending in plain vowels (e.g., basa becomes mabasahan).
  • Syncope (Vowel Dropping): Many roots drop their last vowel when this suffix is added. For example, sabot (understand) becomes masabtan.
  • Glottal Stops: Roots ending in a glottal stop require a hyphen before the suffix, such as kita (see) becoming makit-an.

Sentence Structure:
In this focus, the person or thing being given to or understood is the focused phrase. The person doing the action (the actor) must be in the genitive case (e.g., nako, nimo, niya).

Tense and Aspect:
This form is 'Afactual' (not started). If the action already happened (e.g., 'I happened to see it'), you use the 'Factual' counterpart: na-...-an.

Examples (5)

  1. Masabtan ra nako ang imong sitwasyon.

    I can understand your situation.

    Word by Word: Can be understood just by me the your situation.

    Here, 'sitwasyon' is the subject. The speaker is saying the situation is 'understandable' to them.

  2. Dili mahatagan og bugas ang tanang tawo.

    Not everyone can be given rice.

    Word by Word: Not can be given rice the all people.

    The focus is on 'tanang tawo' (all people) as the recipients who cannot be reached by the action.

  3. Makit-an ang simbahan gikan dinhi.

    The church can be seen from here.

    Word by Word: Can be seen the church from here.

    This uses the accidental/potential sense to describe visibility.

  4. Dili nimo mapuy-an ang maong balay.

    You cannot live in that house.

    Word by Word: Not by you can be lived-in the said house.

    The house is the location. The root 'puyo' undergoes syncope and adds a hyphen: 'mapuy-an'.

  5. Masultihan ba nimo siya bahin sa plano?

    Can you tell him/her about the plan?

    Word by Word: Can be told [question] by you he/she about the plan?

    The person being told (siya) is the focus of the potential action.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the Actor Focus 'maka-' when the object is the subject.

    Dili makasabot nako ang imong suliran.
    Dili masabtan nako ang imong suliran.

    In Cebuano, 'understanding' usually targets the 'goal' (the problem). Using 'masabtan' correctly focuses on the problem (suliran) rather than the person's internal ability.

  • Using the wrong pronoun set for the person doing the action.

    Makit-an ako ang iring.
    Makit-an nako ang iring.

    When using a non-actor focus like ma-...-an, the person performing the action must be in the genitive case (nako, nimo, niya), not the subjective case (ako, ikaw, siya).

  • Leaving off -an when the child is the one receiving.

    Different MeaningDili mahatag nako ang bata.
    Dili mahatagan nako ang bata.

    'Dili mahatag nako ang bata' is a good sentence, but it means 'I can't give the child away' (the child is the thing given). If the child is the one receiving something, use -an: 'Dili mahatagan nako ang bata.'

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

ma-...-an (abilidad)Level 3Can Be Given or Understood

Learn This First

To understand the 'ma-...-an' abilitative locative pattern, you first need to be comfortable with the basic locative focus (-an) which identifies the place or recipient of an action. You also need to understand how Cebuano expresses 'ability' or 'possibility' through prefixes like maka-, as ma- is the non-actor version of this. Finally, you must know how to mark the actor using genitive pronouns (like nako, nimo) since the focus is on the location or recipient rather than the doer.

Words in This Pattern

ma--an