gi-ingnan
Was Told
giingnan = "was told [by someone]"
Focus: The Recipient (the person who heard the news).
How It Works
The word giingnan is a combination of the prefix gi- (indicating a completed action), the root ingon (to say/tell), and the suffix -an (indicating the location or recipient of the action).
1. Morphological Change:
When the suffix -an is added to ingon, the final 'o' is dropped. This is called syncope. Instead of giingonan, we say giingnan.
2. Focus System:
Unlike English where we usually say "I told him" (Actor Focus), Cebuano speakers very frequently use the focus system to make the recipient the topic. In the sentence 'Giingnan ko niya,' the word ko (I) is the topic, even though 'he' (niya) is the one doing the talking. It literally translates to "I was told by him."
3. Usage:
Use giingnan when:
- You are reporting that someone was informed of something.
- The person receiving the information is the most important part of the sentence.
- The action is already finished (completed aspect).
Examples (4)
- Giingnan ko niya nga moadto siya.
I was told by him that he would go.
Word by Word: Was-told I by-him that go he.
Here, 'ko' (I) is the focus. The speaker is the one who received the information.
- Giingnan na nako si Maria.
I already told Maria.
Word by Word: Was-told already by-me [Topic] Maria.
Even though 'I' (nako) am the actor, Maria is the focus of the sentence because we used the -an focus form.
- Wala ko niya giingnan sa tinuod.
He didn't tell me the truth.
Word by Word: Not I by-him was-told of-the truth.
When using wala (did not), the verb 'giingnan' remains in its completed form to show the event didn't happen in the past.
- Giingnan sila sa ilang mama nga manglimpyo.
They were told by their mother to clean up.
Word by Word: Was-told they by their mother that clean.
The focus is on 'sila' (they), the ones who received the instruction.
Common Mistakes
Using 'giingon' to refer to the person being told.
Giingon ko niya.Giingnan ko niya.Giingon (Patient Focus) refers to the thing that was said. Giingnan (Locative Focus) must be used when referring to the person who was told.
Mixing up who told whom.
Different MeaningGiingnan ko siya.Giingnan ko niya.'Giingnan ko siya' is a good sentence meaning 'I told him or her' (here 'ko' is the short genitive for the teller). 'Giingnan ko niya' means 'He or she told me'. The one who does the telling takes the genitive case (nako, nimo, niya), and the one told is the focus.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand 'gi-ingnan', you need to know how the 'gi-...-an' circumfix works to focus on the person being spoken to (the 'location' of the speech). You also need to recognize the spelling change where 'ingon' becomes 'ingnan' due to vowel loss, and be familiar with the basic verb 'ingon' used for reporting speech.
- gi-...-anStarted Locative Focus
The pattern 'gi-ingnan' is a specific application of the 'gi-...-an' circumfix, which marks the started aspect of a locative-focus verb.
Level 3 - Vowel Loss Before A Suffix
The root 'ingon' undergoes vowel loss (syncope) when the suffix '-an' is added, changing it to 'ingnan'.
Level 3 - miingon ngaSaid That
Understanding the basic verb 'ingon' (to say) and how it introduces reported speech is necessary before learning its locative-focus form.
Level 3
Related Patterns
- Focus And Participant Roles
The underlying logic of why Cebuano chooses different verb forms based on what is being emphasized.
Foundations - Genitive Actor In Non-Actor Focus
Explains why we use 'niya' (by him) instead of 'siya' (he) with this verb form.
Level 2 - kunoReportedly
A particle often used alongside 'ingon' to indicate hearsay or reported speech.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice gi-ingnan in Bubblegum
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