kadtong + Clause

Those Who / That Time When

Level 3

Kadtong (often shortened to katong or 'tong) is used to point to something distant in space or time. It translates to "those who," "the one that," or "back when."

How It Works

1. Headless Relative Pronoun
In this role, kadtong acts as a noun phrase on its own. It identifies a specific group or entity based on an action or state without needing a noun like tawo (person).
Example: Kadtong gusto mosalmot... ("Those who want to join...").

2. Temporal Subordinator (The Past)
When followed by a clause describing a state or event, it sets the scene in the distant or specific past. It is the standard way to say "Back when..." or "That time when..."
Example: Kadtong bata pa ko... ("Back when I was still a child...").

3. Morphology and Register

  • Structure: It is strictly kadto + -ng. The linker is mandatory because it connects the demonstrative to the following clause.
  • Contractions: In casual speech, kadtong almost always becomes katong or just 'tong. However, in formal writing (like Bisaya Magasin), the full form is preferred.
  • Distance: Because it uses the distal root -to, it implies the subject is far away or the time is long ago.

Examples (4)

  1. Kadtong gusto mosalmot, palihog pirma diri.

    Those who want to join, please sign here.

    Word by Word: Those-who want to-join, please sign here.

    Here, 'kadtong' acts as a headless relative pronoun referring to a group of people.

  2. Kadtong nagpuyo pa mi sa probinsya, malipayon kaayo mi.

    Back when we were still living in the province, we were very happy.

    Word by Word: That-time-when living still we in-the province, happy very we.

    This demonstrates the temporal use, referring to a past state of living in the province.

  3. Hinumdom ka ba kadtong nag-uban ta sa dagat?

    Do you remember that time when we went to the beach together?

    Word by Word: Remember you [question] that-time-when went-together we to-the sea?

    This uses 'kadtong' to point back to a specific shared event in the past.

  4. Kadtong mga damgo nako, natuman na gyud.

    Those dreams of mine have finally come true.

    Word by Word: Those [plural] dream my, happened already really.

    This shows 'kadtong' used with a noun and the plural marker 'mga' to refer to distant abstract concepts.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'kadtong' for future time clauses.

    Kadtong moabot siya, mangaon ta.
    Inig-abot niya, mangaon ta.

    Cebuano distinguishes between past and future 'when'. Use inig- for future events and 'kadtong' only for the past.

  • Omitting the linker '-ng'.

    Kadto bata pa ko...
    Kadtong bata pa ko...

    The demonstrative 'kadto' requires the -ng ligature to link it to the following clause or description.

How It Connects

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

kadtong + ClauseLevel 3Those Who / That Time When

Learn This First

The 'kadtong + clause' pattern functions as a relative clause where the noun being modified is omitted (a headless relative) or refers to a specific past time. To understand this, you must first be familiar with the distal demonstrative 'kadto', how the ligature '-ng' connects modifiers to other elements, and the general structure of relative clauses in Cebuano.

Words in This Pattern

kadto-ng