-an (resiprokal)

Mutual or Alternating Action

Level 3

The -an reciprocal pattern (often seen as mag-...-an) indicates that an action is shared. It can mean people are doing something to each other (mutual), doing something together (collective), or doing something back and forth (alternating).

How It Works

This pattern uses the circumfix mag- ... -an. It is an actor-focus construction, meaning the performers of the action are the subject of the sentence (marked by ang). Because the action is mutual or collective, the subject must be semantically plural, though singular collective nouns can also be used (e.g., kami, sila, mga + noun, or collective nouns like ang pamilya in Nagtulungan ang pamilya).

1. Reciprocal Meaning: The most common use is 'to each other.' For example, mahal (love) becomes magmahalan (to love one another).

2. Alternating or Social Action: It often implies a back-and-forth exchange or a group activity. Magsulatan implies a correspondence (writing back and forth), while magkuwentuhan describes a group sharing stories together socially.

3. Collective or Competitive Action: It can describe a group doing something simultaneously, often with shared energy or competition. Nagtakbuhan ang mga bata means 'The children all ran (at once),' while mag-unahan means to try and get ahead of one another.

4. Stress Shift: As is a general rule when adding suffixes in Tagalog, adding -an or -han usually causes a stress shift. For the reciprocal mag-...-an pattern, the primary stress typically shifts to the final syllable (e.g., TU-long becomes mag-tu-lu-NGAN).

5. Conjugation (Aspect):

6. Vowel Retention: Unlike some object-focus verbs that drop their last vowel (syncopation), the reciprocal mag-...-an pattern retains the vowel. For example, tingin becomes magtinginan (not magtingnan), and bigay becomes magbigayan (not magbigyan).

7. 'O' to 'U' Change: When a root word has the letter 'o' in its final syllable, this 'o' changes to 'u' when the suffix -an or -han is added. For example, tulong becomes magtulungan, and takbo becomes nagtakbuhan.

8. 'D' to 'R' Change: When a root word ends in 'd' and is followed by a suffix starting with a vowel (like -an), the 'd' often changes to 'r'. For example, sunod (follow) becomes magsunuran (to follow one another).

9. Singular Subjects: Because mag-...-an requires a plural subject, you can use the social affix makipag- (often combined with -an) to express a reciprocal action with a singular subject (e.g., Nakipagtulungan ako sa kaniya - 'I cooperated with him/her').

Note: The suffix -an is used for roots ending in a consonant or a glottal stop. Words that end in a written vowel but are pronounced with a sudden catch in the throat (glottal stop) take -an, not -han (e.g., bata + -an = magbataan; basa + -an = magbasaan). The suffix -han is used for roots ending in a vowel without a glottal stop (e.g., takbo + -han = nagtakbuhan).

Examples (4)

  1. Nagbatian ang magkaibigan nang magkita sila sa mall.

    The friends greeted each other when they met at the mall.

    Word by Word: Greeted-each-other the friends when met they at mall.

    The root 'bati' (greet) uses the -an suffix to show the greeting was mutual between the friends.

  2. Kailangang magtulungan ang bawat miyembro ng grupo.

    Every member of the group needs to help one another.

    Word by Word: Need to-help-each-other the every member of group.

    Here, 'magtulungan' expresses a collective effort where everyone helps everyone else.

  3. Nagsulatan ang magkasintahan noong nasa ibang bansa ang lalaki.

    The lovers wrote to each other when the man was in another country.

    Word by Word: Wrote-back-and-forth the lovers when at other country the man.

    The -an suffix on 'sulat' (write) emphasizes the back-and-forth exchange of letters over time.

  4. Nagtakbuhan ang mga tao nang umulan nang malakas.

    The people all ran when it rained hard.

    Word by Word: Ran-collectively the plural people when rained adverb hard.

    In this context, 'nagtakbuhan' describes a collective action where a group of people all started running at the same time.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a singular subject with a reciprocal verb.

    Nagbatian ako sa kaniya.
    Nagbatian kami.

    Reciprocal actions require at least two people. You cannot 'greet each other' alone. Use a plural pronoun like 'kami' (we) or 'sila' (they).

  • Adding 'sa isa't isa' unnecessarily.

    Nagmahalan sila sa isa't isa.
    Nagmahalan sila.

    While not grammatically 'wrong,' adding 'sa isa't isa' (to each other) is often redundant because the -an suffix already carries that exact meaning.

How It Connects

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

-an (resiprokal)Level 3Mutual or Alternating Action

Learn This First

To understand the -an reciprocal pattern, you need to be familiar with the mag- verb family and the -an suffix, as this pattern combines them to indicate mutual action. Additionally, since reciprocal actions involve multiple participants, you must understand how to mark plurality in Filipino.

Words in This Pattern

mag- -an