ma-...-an (pagbati)

Experience Something

Level 5

The ma-...-an pattern is used to describe how someone feels. It makes the person feeling the emotion the subject of the sentence (the ang phrase), often while pointing to what caused that feeling.

How It Works

The ma-...-an circumfix is the Potential Local Focus form for stative roots. It is primarily used with roots denoting emotions (fear, shame, pity) or physical/mental sensations (boredom, interest).

1. Morphological Forms:

  • Potential (Not Started): ma- + root + -an (e.g., mahadlokan - will be/is easily scared).
  • Realis (Started): na- + root + -an (e.g., nahadlokan - was scared).

2. The Experiencer as Subject:
Unlike English where we might say 'The dog scares me,' Cebuano often prefers to say 'I am scared by the dog.' In this pattern, the person feeling the emotion is marked by ang or a nominative pronoun (ko, ka, siya). The trigger or cause of the emotion is marked by sa.

3. Nuance of Propensity:
In the potential aspect (ma-...-an), this pattern often implies that the subject is prone to that feeling or is 'easily' affected by it. For example, maulawan can mean 'to be embarrassed' or 'to be a shy person' depending on context.

4. Comparison with other forms:
While gi-...-an is often used for immediate, punctual sensations ('I am bored right now'), ma-...-an is used for general traits, future possibilities, or states resulting from a specific trigger.

Examples (5)

  1. Mahadlokan siya sa mga irô.

    He is afraid of dogs.

    Word by Word: Afraid-focus he at plural dog.

    Here, 'siya' (he) is the experiencer in focus, and 'sa mga irô' is the trigger of the fear.

  2. Naikagan ko sa imong bag-ong tanyag.

    I became interested in your new offer.

    Word by Word: Interested-focus I at your new-ligature offer.

    The 'na-' prefix indicates the state of interest has already started or happened.

  3. Dili ko gusto nga maulawan ka sa ilang atubangan.

    I don't want you to be embarrassed in front of them.

    Word by Word: Not I want that embarrassed-focus you at their front.

    The word 'maulawan' focuses on 'ka' (you) as the one who might experience embarrassment.

  4. Malaayan gyud ko kon walay kuryente.

    I really get bored when there is no electricity.

    Word by Word: Bored-focus really I if none-ligature electricity.

    This shows a habitual reaction or propensity to get bored under certain conditions.

  5. Naluoyan siya sa makililimos.

    He felt pity for the beggar.

    Word by Word: Pitied-focus he at beggar.

    The root 'luoy' (pity) takes the suffix -an to show the pity is directed toward a specific person.

Common Mistakes

  • Using genitive pronouns (nako, nimo) for the person feeling the emotion.

    Mahadlokan nako sa bitin.
    Mahadlokan ko sa bitin.

    In the ma-...-an focus, the Experiencer is the subject. You must use nominative pronouns like 'ko' instead of genitive ones like 'nako'.

  • Using the adjectival -on form when you mean the feeling.

    Different MeaningMahadlukon ko sa irô.
    Mahadlokan ko sa irô.

    'Mahadlukon ko sa irô' is a good sentence: it describes a fearful nature. 'Mahadlokan ko sa irô' describes the experience of being afraid of something specific.

How It Connects

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

ma-...-an (pagbati)Level 5Experience Something

Learn This First

To understand the 'ma-...-an' experiencer pattern, you need to be familiar with the Cebuano focus system, specifically how suffixes like '-an' and prefixes like 'ma-' shift the focus of the sentence to different participants—in this case, the person feeling the emotion.

Words in This Pattern

ma--an