ikina-
Completed Cause-Focus Form
The prefix ikina- is the completed aspect of the causative-focus affix ika-. It highlights the reason or cause of an event as the main subject of the sentence.
How It Works
The ikina- prefix is a combination of the causative prefix ika- and the completed aspect infix -in-.
1. Grammatical Function:
It triggers the 'Causative Focus' (Pokus sa Sanhi). In this structure, the ang phrase (the subject) is the thing that caused the emotion or state, while the person experiencing it is marked by the ng case. If the experiencer is a specific person's name, the ni marker is used (e.g., Ikinatuwa ni Juan...).
2. Morphological Structure:
- Infinitive: ika- + root (e.g., ikagalit)
- Completed: ikina- + root (e.g., ikinagalit)
- Progressive: ikina- + reduplicated first syllable (e.g., ikinagagalit)
- Contemplated: ika- + reduplicated first syllable (e.g., ikagagalit)
3. Register and Usage:
This form is primarily found in formal, literary, or journalistic contexts. In casual conversation, native speakers often prefer using actor-focus verbs with dahil sa. For example, instead of saying 'The news saddened me' using ikina-, a casual speaker might say 'I was sad because of the news.'
4. Common Roots:
It is frequently paired with roots like galit (anger), tuwa (joy), gulat (surprise), hiya (shame), and matay (death). This prefix essentially turns stative or involuntary ma- verbs into causative ones, focusing on the reason for the state.
Examples (4)
- Ikinagulat ng lahat ang balita.
The news surprised everyone.
Word by Word: Surprised by all the news.
Here, 'ang balita' (the news) is the subject because it is the cause of the surprise.
- Ikinamatay niya ang matinding sakit sa puso.
A severe heart ailment caused his death.
Word by Word: Caused-death by-him the intense sickness in heart.
The cause of death (heart ailment) is the focused subject of the sentence.
- Ikinahiya ng pamilya ang ginawa ng bunso.
What the youngest child did brought shame to the family.
Word by Word: Caused-shame by-family the done by-youngest.
The action of the youngest child is the reason for the family's shame.
- Ikinatuwa ko ang iyong pagdating.
Your arrival made me happy.
Word by Word: Caused-joy by-me the your arrival.
The arrival is the cause, and 'ko' (I/me) is the one experiencing the joy.
Common Mistakes
Using the person experiencing the emotion as the 'ang' subject.
Ikinagalit ako ang balita.Ikinagalit ko ang balita.In causative focus, the cause is the subject (ang balita). The person feeling the emotion must be in the ng-case (ko).
Confusing 'ikina-' with the plural personal marker 'kina'.
Pumunta ako ikina Maria.Pumunta ako kina Maria.The prefix 'ikina-' is for verbs; 'kina' is a marker used before names to indicate 'at the place of' or 'to them'.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand 'ikina-', you need to be familiar with the cause-focus alignment (ika-), which promotes the reason for an action or feeling to the subject position. You also need to understand how the completed aspect is formed in Filipino verbs to recognize 'ikina-' as the realized or past version of this focus.
- ika-Cause in Focus
The 'ikina-' form is the completed aspect of the 'ika-' cause-focus prefix, so the learner must first understand the basic function of cause focus.
Level 4 - Action Viewed As Complete
The 'ikina-' prefix is specifically the completed aspect form, requiring knowledge of how Filipino verbs mark finished actions.
Level 2
Related Patterns
- dahil saBecause of
Used in casual speech as an alternative to 'ikina-' to express cause.
Level 2 - ang / ng / saCore Phrase Markers
Understanding these markers is vital to identifying the 'cause' as the subject in an 'ikina-' sentence.
Foundations - Focus Is Not Active Versus Passive
Helps clarify that while 'ikina-' is often translated as passive in English, it is a distinct focus type in Filipino.
Foundations
Words in This Pattern
Practice ikina- in Bubblegum
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