ayon kay / ayon sa
According to a Person or Source
Use ayon kay for specific people and ayon sa for everything else (sources, documents, or pronouns) to say 'according to'.
How It Works
The word ayon literally means 'agreement' or 'conformity,' but in this construction, it functions as a preposition meaning 'according to.'
1. Choosing the Marker
The marker following ayon changes based on the noun type:
- Ayon kay: Used for a single personal name (e.g., Ayon kay Maria).
- Ayon kina: Used for multiple personal names (e.g., Ayon kina Ben at Jose).
- Ayon sa: Used for common nouns, institutions, or documents (e.g., Ayon sa batas - According to the law).
- Ayon sa mga: Used for plural common nouns (e.g., Ayon sa mga guro - According to the teachers).
2. Usage with Pronouns
When attributing information to a pronoun (him, her, them), you must use the sa-form (oblique) pronoun. For example, 'According to him' is ayon sa kaniya, never ayon kay siya.
3. Register and Nuance
While English 'according to' can sometimes imply skepticism, ayon sa/kay is generally neutral. In formal writing, it is preferred over the more colloquial sabi ni (said by). For legal or highly formal contexts, you may encounter the variant sang-ayon sa, which carries a stronger sense of 'in accordance with.'
4. Reinforcing Hearsay
In conversational and journalistic Filipino, this pattern is frequently paired with the enclitic particles daw / raw to reinforce that the information is reported or second-hand (e.g., Ayon sa balita, uulan daw bukas - According to the news, it will reportedly rain tomorrow).
Examples (5)
- Ayon kay Dr. Reyes, kailangan nating uminom ng maraming tubig.
According to Dr. Reyes, we need to drink a lot of water.
Word by Word: According to [personal marker] Dr. Reyes, need we drink [object marker] many water.
Uses 'kay' because Dr. Reyes is a specific named person.
- Ayon sa balita, uulan mamayang hapon.
According to the news, it will rain later this afternoon.
Word by Word: According to [marker] news, will-rain later afternoon.
Uses 'sa' because 'balita' (news) is a common noun, not a person's name.
- Hindi totoo ang tsismis, ayon sa kaniya.
The rumor is not true, according to him/her.
Word by Word: Not true the rumor, according to [marker] him/her.
Uses 'sa' followed by the oblique pronoun 'kaniya'.
- Ayon sa mga eksperto, mahalaga ang pag-eehersisyo.
According to the experts, exercise is important.
Word by Word: According to [marker] [plural] expert, important the exercise.
Uses 'sa mga' to attribute the information to a plural group of common nouns.
- Ayon kina Maria at Juan, tapos na ang proyekto.
According to Maria and Juan, the project is already finished.
Word by Word: According to [plural personal marker] Maria and Juan, finished already the project.
Uses 'kina' because it refers to two specific named individuals.
Common Mistakes
Using 'sa' for a person's name.
Ayon sa Juan, aalis na tayo.Ayon kay Juan, aalis na tayo.Specific names of people must always be preceded by 'kay' or 'kina', not 'sa'.
Using a nominative pronoun (ang-form) instead of an oblique pronoun (sa-form).
Ayon kay siya, masarap ang pagkain.Ayon sa kaniya, masarap ang pagkain.Even though 'siya' refers to a person, pronouns always follow the 'sa' marker rules in this pattern.
Redundancy by adding 'sabi' (said).
Ayon kay Pedro, sabi niya ayaw niya pumunta.Ayon kay Pedro, ayaw niyang pumunta.In formal writing, 'Ayon kay' already implies 'he said,' so adding 'sabi niya' is redundant.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand 'ayon kay / ayon sa', a learner must first be familiar with the distinction between personal markers (kay) and common markers (sa) in Filipino, as this pattern relies entirely on that grammatical split to distinguish between human and non-human sources.
- kayOblique Personal Marker
The pattern 'ayon kay' uses the personal oblique marker 'kay' to introduce specific named individuals as sources.
Level 1 - sabi + ni/ng + Speaker + ClauseReported Speech Source
Understanding basic reported speech markers provides the conceptual foundation for citing sources using 'ayon'.
Level 3
Related Patterns
- si / ni / kayPersonal Name Markers
This pattern relies on the personal name marker 'kay' to identify individuals.
Foundations - ang / ng / saCore Phrase Markers
The 'sa' marker is used here to link the attribution to common nouns and pronouns.
Foundations - alinsunod saIn Accordance with
Often confused with 'ayon sa', but specifically means 'in compliance with' or 'following a rule'.
Level 4 - siya / niya / kaniyaThird-Person Singular Forms
The 'kaniya' form is required when saying 'according to him/her'.
Level 1 - daw / rawReportedly / They Say
An enclitic particle used to indicate that information is second-hand or reported.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice ayon kay / ayon sa in Bubblegum
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