Counting Without Agreement

Filipino nouns are numerically invariant. This means that whether you have one item or a thousand, the word for the item stays the same. The number itself indicates the quantity, while a linker serves as the grammatical connection between the number and the noun.

1. Choosing the Linker:
The linker connects the number to the noun based on the ending sound of the number:

• -ng: Attached to numbers ending in a vowel (a, e, i, o, u).
  Example: isa (1) becomes isang; dalawa (2) becomes dalawang. Note that multiples of 10 end in -pu (a vowel) and always take -ng (e.g., dalawampung, tatlumpung).
• -g: Attached to numbers ending in 'n'.
  Example: daan (100) becomes daang.
• na: A separate word used after numbers ending in a consonant (except 'n').
  Example: apat (4) becomes apat na. Numbers ending in 'm' (like anim and siyam) also take na (e.g., anim na).

2. Compound Numbers:
For compound numbers (like 21 or 34), the linker is determined by and attached only to the final word of the number. For example, 21 is dalawampu't isa, so it becomes dalawampu't isang bata. 34 is tatlumpu't apat, so it becomes tatlumpu't apat na tao.

3. The D-to-R Shift:
When the number daan (100) follows the linker na, its 'd' often changes to 'r'. For example, 400 is written as apat na raan. This is part of a broader phonetic rule in Tagalog where 'd' becomes 'r' between vowels. Note that this shift applies to daan here, but not to the noun that follows the number.

4. Special Forms and Counters:

• The Prefix Sang-: sandaan (100) and sanlibo (1,000) are highly common forms created using the bound numerical prefix sang- (meaning "one"). This prefix undergoes nasal assimilation, changing to san- before the letters 'd' and 'l'.
• People: The special counter katao is frequently used instead of tao when counting people. While standard linker rules apply prescriptively (e.g., dalawang katao), in journalistic and formal Tagalog, the linker is frequently dropped entirely before katao (e.g., dalawa katao, apat katao).

5. The Plural Marker:
When using a specific number, stacking the plural marker mga directly before the noun is ungrammatical in standard Tagalog (e.g., dalawang mga bata is incorrect). The number already indicates plurality. However, placing mga before the number (e.g., mga dalawang bata) changes the meaning to "about" or "approximately" two children. You can also use mga in a partitive phrase (e.g., dalawa sa mga bata, meaning "two of the children").

6. Foreign Numbers:
Filipinos frequently use English or Spanish numbers for higher counts, money, and time. When using these foreign numbers with borrowed nouns, Tagalog linkers are generally NOT used (e.g., dos pesos, not dos na pesos).