ni-

Ni- Before Certain Initials

Level 2

In modern Filipino, the completed aspect and progressive aspect are marked by the prefix ni- instead of the infix -in- when a verb root starts with L, R, or Y. For roots starting with W, ni- is widely used in everyday conversation, though -in- remains the formal standard.

How It Works

In modern Filipino, verbs that use the -in- marker—including patient focus, location focus, and theme focus verbs—undergo a sound change when the root starts with L, R, or Y. This applies to both the completed aspect (past) and the progressive aspect (present/ongoing).

While most verbs insert -in- after the first consonant (e.g., kain → kinain), roots starting with L, R, and Y use the prefix ni- as the standard form. For roots starting with W, ni- is very common in spoken Filipino, but -in- remains the formal standard.

Standard Rules for L, R, and Y:

  • L-roots: luto (cook) becomes niluto (cooked) or niluluto (cooking).
  • R-roots: regalo (gift) becomes niregaluhan (gifted) or nireregaluhan (gifting).
  • Y-roots: yakap (hug) becomes niyakap (hugged) or niyayakap (hugging).

Conversational vs. Formal for W:

  • W-roots: walis (sweep) is formally winalis (swept) and winawalis (sweeping), but conversationally niwalis and niwawalis.

English Loanwords (Taglish):
In modern conversational Filipino, speakers use two main strategies for English loanwords. The most common is to use the standard infix -in- (e.g., s-in-ave, p-in-ost). However, some speakers attach the ni- prefix instead (e.g., ni-save, ni-post). While ni- is standard for L, R, W, and Y, using it on other consonants is sometimes stigmatized as 'baby talk', though it remains a common feature of everyday bilingual speech.

Distinction from Vowel Roots:
Do not confuse this with roots starting with vowels. Vowel-starting roots simply place the marker in- at the very beginning as a prefix (e.g., abot → inabot). For theme focus verbs, vowel roots take the prefix ini- (e.g., i- + in- + ayos = iniayos).

Theme Focus Verbs:
For theme focus verbs (which start with the prefix i-), the morphology is perfectly regular: the standard i- prefix is simply attached before the ni- marker (e.g., i- + ni- + luto = iniluto). Note that in spoken Tagalog, the initial i- is frequently dropped, making it simply niluto. Because of this dropped i-, niluto does double-duty as the completed form for both lutuin (patient focus) and iluto (theme focus), which is a common stumbling block for learners.

Contemplated (Future) Aspect:
Remember that the ni- allomorph, just like the standard -in- infix, is an aspect marker for completed and progressive actions. It disappears entirely in the contemplated aspect (future). For example, luto becomes lulutuin (will cook) and regalo becomes ireregalo (will gift).

Examples (6)

  1. Niluto ni Nanay ang paborito kong ulam.

    Mother cooked my favorite dish.

    Word by Word: Cooked by Mother the favorite my dish.

    The root 'luto' starts with L, so the completed aspect uses the prefix 'ni-' instead of the infix '-in-'.

  2. Niluluto ni Nanay ang ulam ngayon.

    Mother is cooking the dish now.

    Word by Word: Is-cooking by Mother the dish now.

    For the progressive aspect of L-roots, the prefix 'ni-' is added to the reduplicated root (luto -> luluto -> niluluto).

  3. Niyakap ng bata ang kanyang laruan.

    The child hugged his toy.

    Word by Word: Hugged by child the his toy.

    The root 'yakap' starts with Y, so the completed aspect uses the prefix 'ni-' instead of the infix '-in-' in standard Filipino.

  4. Niwalis ko na ang sahig kaninang umaga.

    I already swept the floor this morning.

    Word by Word: Swept by-me already the floor earlier morning.

    For the W-root 'walis', 'niwalis' is a common conversational variant of the formal 'winalis'.

  5. Niregaluhan niya ako ng bagong relo.

    He/She gave me a new watch as a gift.

    Word by Word: Gifted by-him/her I a new watch.

    Even with the suffix '-an', the completed aspect marker for the R-root 'regalo' remains 'ni-'.

  6. Ni-save ko na ang dokumento sa computer.

    I already saved the document on the computer.

    Word by Word: Saved by-me already the document on-the computer.

    In conversational Taglish, the prefix 'ni-' is sometimes attached to English loanwords like 'save' to form the completed aspect, though infixing ('sinave') is also very common and widely used.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the regular infix -in- for L, R, or Y roots in standard Filipino.

    Linuto ko ang kanin.
    Niluto ko ang kanin.

    While 'linuto' is grammatically logical, it sounds regional (Southern Tagalog) or non-standard. 'Niluto' is the preferred form in standard Filipino. Note that for W roots, the infix '-in-' (like 'winalis') is actually the formal standard.

  • Overgeneralizing 'ni-' to roots that do not start with L, R, W, or Y.

    Nikain ko ang tinapay.
    Kinain ko ang tinapay.

    Using 'ni-' for every verb (like 'nikain' instead of 'kinain') is not standard. Use 'ni-' for roots that begin with l, r or y; other roots take the regular -in- infix, as in 'kinain'.

How It Connects

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

ni-Level 2Ni- Before Certain Initials

Learn This First

To understand the ni- allomorph, you first need to be familiar with the standard completed aspect infix -in-. This pattern is a specific phonetic adjustment that occurs when that infix is applied to roots starting with the liquids or semi-vowels l, r, w, and y.

Words in This Pattern

ni-