dili ba

Is It Not

Level 2

dili ba = "isn't it?" / "right?" / "is it not...?"

How It Works

The expression dili ba is the standard and formal version of the common tag question "di ba". It serves two main grammatical functions:

  • Tag Question: When placed at the end of a statement, it turns the sentence into a question seeking agreement. It is equivalent to English tags like "isn't it?", "aren't you?", or "right?".
  • Negative Interrogative: When placed at the beginning of a sentence, it asks a question in the negative. This is often used for rhetorical effect, to express surprise, or to confirm habitual facts.

In daily conversation, dili ba is almost always shortened to di ba. However, the full form dili ba is preferred in writing, formal speeches, or when the speaker wants to be particularly clear or emphatic.

When using dili ba at the start of a sentence, the placement of short pronouns depends on their length. Monosyllabic pronouns (like ko, ka, ta, or mo) are placed between dili and ba (e.g., Dili ka ba...). Disyllabic pronouns (like siya, sila, or nimo) follow immediately after the particle ba (e.g., Dili ba siya...). This follows the standard particle and pronoun order rules. Note that dili ba is used for identities, descriptions, future actions, and habitual/present actions. For past actions, the pattern wala ba is used instead.

Examples (5)

  1. Maestro man si Pedro, dili ba?

    Pedro is a teacher, isn't he?

    Word by Word: Teacher [particle] [focus marker] Pedro, not [question]?

    Here, 'dili ba' acts as a tag question at the end of the sentence to confirm Pedro's profession.

  2. Dili ba nindot ang kanta?

    Is the song not beautiful?

    Word by Word: Not [question] beautiful the song?

    In this example, 'dili ba' starts the sentence to form a negative question about the quality of the song.

  3. Dili ka ba mokaon og karne?

    Do you not eat meat?

    Word by Word: Not you [question] eat [object marker] meat?

    This demonstrates 'dili ba' used for a habitual action. Notice that the monosyllabic pronoun 'ka' moves before 'ba' following the rules of particle and pronoun order.

  4. Moadto ka sa Sugbo, dili ba?

    You are going to Cebu, right?

    Word by Word: Will go you to Cebu, not [question]?

    Since the action is in the future (moadto), 'dili ba' is the correct tag to use.

  5. Dili ba siya ang imong igsoon?

    Is he not your sibling?

    Word by Word: Not [question] he the your sibling?

    A formal negative interrogative where the disyllabic pronoun 'siya' is placed after the question particle 'ba'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'dili ba' for past actions.

    Dili ba ka nikaon gahapon?
    Wala ka ba mokaon gahapon?

    For actions that already started or happened (like 'nikaon' - ate), you must use 'wala ba' instead of 'dili ba'.

  • Using 'dili' alone as a tag question.

    Different MeaningGwapa siya, dili?
    Gwapa siya, dili ba?

    'Gwapa siya, dili?' is heard in casual speech. The fuller 'dili ba?' is the more usual way to ask for confirmation.

How It Connects

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

dili baLevel 2Is It Not

Learn This First

The tag 'dili ba' is a compound construction used to seek confirmation. To understand it, you must first know the negation particle 'dili' and the question particle 'ba', as well as how enclitic particles like 'ba' attach to the first word of a phrase.

Words in This Pattern

dili ba