-on / -an / i-

To use these correctly, you must identify the 'role' of the object you are focusing on:

• -on (Patient Focus): Used when the object is directly affected, consumed, or changed. Common with verbs like 'eat', 'buy', or 'break'.
  Example: Paliton nako ang isda. (I will buy the fish.)
• -an (Locative/Referential/Benefactive Focus): Used when the focus is the location (where it happens), the recipient of a transfer, or the person you are doing a favor for (Benefactive).
  Example: Hatagan nako si Maria og kape. (I will give Maria some coffee.)
  Example: Palitan nako og pan si Maria. (I will buy bread for Maria.)
• i- (Instrumental/Conveyance/Benefactive Focus): Used for the thing being moved, the tool being used, or the person you are doing a favor for (Benefactive, depending on the verb root). Note that i- is the standard focus for verbs of giving (ihatag) and putting (ibutang), which learners often confuse with -on.
  Example: Ipalit nako og pan ang kwarta. (I will use the money to buy bread.)
  Example: Ikuha ko og tubig. (Get water for me.)

Aspect and Mood:
These specific forms (-on, -an, and i-) are used for the not started aspect (future actions) and as infinitive forms following pseudo-verbs or modals like 'gusto', 'kinahanglan', and 'pwede' (e.g., Gusto nako paliton ang isda.). For commands, the suffixes change: -on becomes -a (see Patient-Focus Command), -an becomes -i (see Locative-Focus Command, e.g., Hatagi ko og tubig. Give me water.), and only i- remains the same. When an action has already started, these affixes change. Both -on becomes gi- and i- becomes gi- (often leading to gi- ambiguity, which listeners resolve through context or the nature of the focused noun), while -an becomes gi-...-an. Crucially, when negating a past or started action with Did Not ('wala'), the standard rule is that the verb does not use the 'gi-' prefix. Instead, it reverts to the imperative suffixes (-a, -i, i-). For example: Wala nako palita ang isda. (I did not buy the fish.) and Wala nako hatagi si Maria og kape. (I did not give Maria coffee.) However, in everyday colloquial speech, learners will frequently hear native speakers use 'wala + gi-' (e.g., Wala nako gipalit). Conversely, when negating a future or contemplated action with Not ('dili'), the verb does NOT shift to the imperative form; it keeps its standard future suffixes (-on, -an, i-). For example: Dili nako paliton ang isda. (I will not buy the fish.) For ongoing actions (present/progressive), the prefix 'gina-' (e.g., ginapalit) and 'gina-...-an' for locative focus (e.g., ginahatagan) are heavily used in Mindanao/Davao (see Regional Varieties). In contrast, traditional Cebu City speakers typically rely almost entirely on 'gi-' plus context or time words.

Morphological Notes:
1. Syncope and Metathesis: Many roots drop a vowel when adding -on or -an (e.g., kaon becomes kan-on). Sometimes consonants also flip positions, known as metathesis (e.g., sulod + -an becomes sudlan).
2. Vowel Shift: In older or Tagalog-style spelling, an 'o' in the root may become 'u' when a suffix is added (e.g., balusan), while the Lagda sa Espeling keeps the 'o' (balosan).
3. Plain Vowels vs. Glottal Stops: Roots ending in a plain vowel insert an 'h' before the suffix (e.g., basa becomes basahon). However, roots ending in a glottal stop usually trigger syncope (e.g., basa' 'to wet' becomes bas-on).

Important: When using these, the actor is marked by the genitive case (nako, nimo, niya, sa bata). The focused object takes the focused phrase marker (ang, si, ako, siya). Any secondary, unfocused object receives the indefinite non-focus marker 'og' or the oblique and definite marker 'sa'.