Noun + ni + Name

Possession with Ni

Level 1

In Cebuano, to say 'Maria's book,' you say the object first, then the marker ni, then the name: libro ni Maria.

How It Works

The pattern Noun + ni + Name is the standard way to express possession in Cebuano when the owner is a specific person.

1. Word Order
In this specific construction, Cebuano puts the possessed object first. The marker ni acts like the English "'s" or "of," but it must always precede the name. While other patterns like kang allow the owner to come first, the ni pattern is the most common for everyday possession.

  • Balay ni Pedro (Pedro's house / House of Pedro)

2. When to use 'ni'
Use ni only for personal names (Maria, Juan) or kinship titles used as names (Mama, Tatay, Lolo). It is not used for places or entities; for example, proper names of places like Cebu or Manila require the marker sa (e.g., Dakbayan sa Sugbo). If you are talking about a common noun (like 'the dog' or 'the teacher'), you must also use sa instead.

3. Plural Possession
If an object belongs to a group of people identified by one name (e.g., 'Maria and her companions'), or if you are listing two or more specific names (e.g., 'Maria and Juan'), the marker often changes to nila ni. For example: Balay nila ni Maria ug Juan (The house of Maria and Juan).

4. Other Functions
While beginners learn ni for possession, it also identifies the person doing an action (the agent) in sentences using non-actor focus verbs, such as gi- (completed aspect), -on, -an, or i- verbs. For example: Gikaon ni Juan ang saging (The banana was eaten by Juan).

Examples (4)

  1. Asa ang yawe ni Tatay?

    Where are Dad's keys?

    Word by Word: Where the key of Dad?

    Here, 'ni' shows that the keys belong to 'Tatay' (Dad).

  2. Nindot ang bag-ong awto ni Sir Reyes.

    Sir Reyes's new car is nice.

    Word by Word: Beautiful the new car of Sir Reyes.

    The marker 'ni' is used here with a formal title and name.

  3. Kini ang kasingkasing ni Maria.

    This is Maria's heart.

    Word by Word: This the heart of Maria.

    A classic example of identifying a specific person as the 'owner' of the noun.

  4. Gipalit ni Juan ang isda.

    Juan bought the fish.

    Word by Word: Was bought by Juan the fish.

    This shows 'ni' acting as the agent (the doer) in a patient-focus sentence.

Common Mistakes

  • Using English word order (Name + ni + Noun).

    Maria ni balay
    Balay ni Maria

    In Cebuano, the object being possessed must come before the marker 'ni' and the name.

  • Using 'ni' for common nouns (objects/animals) instead of 'sa'.

    Ang ligid ni awto
    Ang ligid sa awto

    'Ni' goes before the names and titles of people, and of pets. For objects like 'car' (awto), use 'sa'.

How It Connects

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

Noun + ni + NameLevel 1Possession with Ni

Learn This First

To understand how to express possession with names, you first need to be familiar with the personal name marker 'ni' and the general word order for possession in Cebuano, where the possessor follows the noun.

Words in This Pattern

ne