hindi
General Negation
Use hindi to say 'no' or 'not' when denying a fact, an action, or a quality. It is the opposite of oo (yes).
How It Works
Hindi is the most common negator in Filipino. It is used in three main ways:
- Negating Adjectives: To say something is 'not [adjective].'
Example: Hindi mainit. (It is not hot.) - Negating Verbs: To say an action is not happening.
Example: Hindi siya kakain. (He/She will not eat.) - Negating Nouns: To deny an identity.
Example: Hindi ito libro. (This is not a book.)
The Enclitic Rule:
Filipino has a set of small words called enclitic particles and pronouns. When you use hindi, these words must jump from their usual spot to follow hindi directly.
Internal Order:
When multiple enclitics follow hindi, their order depends on their length:
1. Monosyllabic pronouns (like ka, mo, ko) come first. Note that ka is the strongest and almost always takes the absolute first spot.
2. Particles (like ba, na, pa) come next.
3. Bisyllabic pronouns (like siya, kami, tayo) come last.
Example with short pronoun: Hindi ka pa ba gutom? (Aren't you hungry yet?)
Example with long pronoun: Hindi pa siya gutom. (He/She is not hungry yet.)
Boundaries of Hindi:
While hindi is for general negation, it is not used for everything:
- Use wala to negate existence or possession (e.g., 'There is no...' or 'I don't have...').
- Use huwag for negative commands (e.g., 'Don't do that!').
Short Form:
In casual speech, hindi is often shortened to 'di. You will frequently hear this in the tag question 'di ba? (isn't it?).
Examples (6)
- Hindi masarap ang pagkain.
The food is not delicious.
Word by Word: Not delicious the food.
Here, 'hindi' negates the adjective 'masarap' (delicious).
- Hindi ako nakikinig.
I am not listening.
Word by Word: Not I listening.
Notice how the pronoun 'ako' moves to follow 'hindi' immediately.
- Hindi ka pa ba gutom?
Aren't you hungry yet?
Word by Word: Not you yet [question] hungry?
The short pronoun 'ka' comes before the particles 'pa' and 'ba'.
- Hindi pa siya gutom.
He/She is not hungry yet.
Word by Word: Not yet he/she hungry.
The longer pronoun 'siya' comes after the particle 'pa'.
- Hindi siya ang guro.
He/She is not the teacher.
Word by Word: Not he/she the teacher.
This negates a noun phrase identifying a person's role.
- Hindi pa kami aalis.
We (exclusive) are not leaving yet.
Word by Word: Not yet we will-leave.
The particle 'pa' (yet) and pronoun 'kami' are attracted to the second position after 'hindi'.
Common Mistakes
Placing the pronoun after the verb instead of after 'hindi'.
Hindi aalis ako.Hindi ako aalis.Short pronouns like 'ako' are enclitics and must move to the second position, immediately following 'hindi'.
Using 'hindi' to express 'don't have' or 'there is no'.
Hindi ako pera.Wala akong pera.'Hindi' negates facts or qualities. To negate existence or possession, you must use 'wala'.
Incorrect order of multiple enclitics after 'hindi'.
Hindi ba ka pagod?Hindi ka ba pagod?Monosyllabic pronouns like 'ka' must come before particles like 'ba'. Bisyllabic pronouns like 'siya' or 'kami' usually follow them.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use 'hindi' correctly, you need to understand the basic predicate-first word order of Filipino and how the language handles sentences without a 'to be' verb. Additionally, because 'hindi' attracts enclitic words to the second position, understanding the behavior of second-position particles is crucial for natural sentence construction.
- Predicate First
Hindi is placed at the beginning of the sentence because it negates the predicate, which typically comes first in Filipino sentence structure.
Foundations - No Copula Before Adjectives Or Nouns
Understanding that Filipino does not use a 'to be' verb for noun and adjective predicates is necessary to see how 'hindi' directly precedes these words.
Foundations - Second-Position Words
When 'hindi' is used, enclitic pronouns and particles (like 'ako' or 'ba') often move to the position immediately following 'hindi' rather than staying after the main predicate.
Foundations
Related Patterns
- walaThere Is None or Does Not Have
'Wala' is used to negate existence or possession, whereas 'hindi' negates qualities and actions.
Level 1 - huwagNegative Command
'Huwag' is used for negative commands (prohibitions), while 'hindi' is for negative statements.
Level 1 - ayawDo Not Want or Dislike
'Ayaw' expresses a lack of desire or a refusal, while 'hindi' simply states a fact about an action.
Level 1 - hindi ba?Isn't It?
This is the standard tag question ('right?' or 'isn't it?') formed using 'hindi'.
Level 2 - hindi paNot Yet
A common combination meaning 'not yet,' demonstrating how particles follow 'hindi'.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
- hindi ... kundi ...Not X but YLevel 3
- hindi ... pero ...Not ... but ...Level 3
- hindi lamang ... kundi patiNot Only ... but AlsoLevel 3
- kung + ClauseWhether ClauseLevel 3
- di- + AdjectiveUn- / Non-Level 4
- hindi ako ang ...Negative CleftLevel 4
- hindi man ...Even if Not / Although NotLevel 4
- kung hindiUnless / if NotLevel 4
And 6 more in the full list.
Words in This Pattern
Practice hindi in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Filipino lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
