hindi ... kundi ang ...

Corrective Cleft

Level 6

The hindi ... kundi ang ... pattern is a 'Corrective Cleft.' It is used to explicitly deny a statement and immediately provide the correct alternative. It translates to 'It is not [A], but rather [B].'

How It Works

In Filipino, when you want to correct a misconception by identifying a specific noun or nominalized phrase, you use this cleft structure.

  • Hindi: This negates the first element. If there are enclitic second position words—including pronouns (like siya, mo) and particles (like ba, na, pa, po, or rin)—they must follow hindi immediately.
  • Kundi: A contraction of kung hindi, acting here as a coordinate conjunction meaning 'but rather.' Note that in other contexts, kundi can also mean 'except' (e.g., 'Walang ibang paraan kundi ito').
  • Ang: This marker (or si for people) is used when the correction is a specific identity or noun phrase (a cleft). While 'hindi X kundi Y' works for simple adjectives or verbs without ang, adding ang focuses the identity of the subject.

This pattern is more emphatic than pero (but) because it implies the two options are mutually exclusive, helping you become confident with precise corrections in formal and casual speech.

Examples (5)

  1. Hindi pula ang gusto ko, kundi ang asul.

    It's not the red one I want, but rather the blue one.

    Word by Word: Not red the want I, but-rather the blue.

    Here, the speaker rejects 'red' and places the focus entirely on 'blue' using the 'kundi ang' structure.

  2. Hindi siya ang dumating, kundi ang kapatid niya.

    It wasn't him who arrived, but rather his sibling.

    Word by Word: Not he the arrived, but-rather the sibling of-him.

    Notice the enclitic pronoun 'siya' follows 'hindi'. The correction 'kapatid niya' is introduced by 'kundi ang'.

  3. Hindi ang aking kalooban ang masunod, kundi ang sa Iyo.

    Not my will be followed, but Yours.

    Word by Word: Not the my will the be-followed, but-rather the to You.

    A formal example showing how the pattern contrasts two distinct desires or outcomes.

  4. Hindi ang pera ang naging problema, kundi ang iyong pagsisinungaling.

    It wasn't the money that was the problem, but rather your lying.

    Word by Word: Not the money the became problem, but-rather the your lying.

    This example uses 'ang' to nominalize the act of lying, creating a clear corrective cleft between two nouns.

  5. Hindi ito biro, kundi ang katotohanan.

    This is not a joke, but rather the truth.

    Word by Word: Not this joke, but-rather the truth.

    The use of 'ang' before 'katotohanan' makes the truth the focused subject of the correction.

Common Mistakes

  • Confusing 'kundi' with the conditional 'kung hindi'.

    Hindi ito asul kung hindi ang pula.
    Hindi ito asul kundi ang pula.

    'Kung hindi' means 'if not' (conditional). While 'kundi' originated from it, in this corrective pattern, 'kundi' is a fixed conjunction. Using 'kung hindi' here sounds like you are starting an 'if' clause.

  • Misplacing enclitic particles like 'ba' or 'na'.

    Hindi kundi ang kape ba ang gusto mo?
    Hindi ba kundi ang kape ang gusto mo?

    Enclitic particles must follow the first word of the sentence, which in this case is 'hindi'. They cannot be placed after 'kundi'.

How It Connects

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

hindi ... kundi ang ...Level 6Corrective Cleft

Learn This First

The 'hindi ... kundi ang ...' pattern is a corrective cleft used to reject one premise and replace it with a focused noun or clause. To learn this, learners must first understand basic contrastive negation (hindi... kundi), how to form headless relative clauses using 'ang', and the general structure of negative cleft sentences.

Words in This Pattern