ng

Nonfocused and Possessive Marker

Level 1

The marker ng (pronounced 'nang') is a core particle in Filipino. It identifies the 'doer' or 'receiver' of an action when they are not the main focus, and it also shows ownership (possession).

How It Works

The marker ng is one of the most frequent words in Filipino. Its usage can be broken down into three main roles:

1. The Nonfocused Object
In sentences where the actor is the focus (Actor-Focus), the object being acted upon is marked with ng. In this context, it often implies the object is indefinite (a/some).
Example: Bumili ako ng sapatos. (I bought [some] shoes.)

2. The Nonfocused Actor
In sentences where the object is the focus (Object-Focus), the person performing the action is marked with ng.
Example: Binili ng bata ang sapatos. (The child bought the shoes.)

3. Possession (Genitive)
It links a possessor to a noun, similar to 'of' or 's' in English.
Example: bahay ng kaibigan (house of a friend / friend's house).

Important Notes:

  • Pronunciation: Even though it is spelled 'ng', it is always pronounced as /naŋ/ (like 'nang').
  • Personal Names: If you are talking about a specific person's name (like Juan), you must use ni instead of ng.
  • Spelling: Do not confuse ng with the adverbial marker nang or the linker -ng that attaches to the end of words.

Examples (5)

  1. Uminom ng tubig ang lalaki.

    The man drank some water.

    Word by Word: Drank [marker] water [focus] man.

    Here, 'ng' marks 'tubig' (water) as the object of the action 'uminom' (drank).

  2. Ito ang kotse ng tatay ko.

    This is my father's car.

    Word by Word: This [focus] car [marker] father my.

    'ng' is used here to show possession, indicating that the car belongs to the father.

  3. Binasa ng estudyante ang libro.

    The student read the book.

    Word by Word: Read [marker] student [focus] book.

    In this object-focus sentence, 'ng' marks the 'estudyante' (student) as the actor who performed the reading.

  4. Gusto ko ng kape.

    I want some coffee.

    Word by Word: Want I [marker] coffee.

    'ng' marks 'kape' (coffee) as the object of the desire 'gusto'.

  5. Kinuha ng pusa ang isda.

    The cat took the fish.

    Word by Word: Took [marker] cat [focus] fish.

    'ng' identifies the cat as the doer of the action in an object-focus construction.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'ng' for personal names.

    Ito ang libro ng Juan.
    Ito ang libro ni Juan.

    For specific personal names, you must use the personal marker 'ni' instead of the common noun marker 'ng'.

  • Confusing 'ng' with the adverbial 'nang'.

    Tumakbo siya ng mabilis.
    Tumakbo siya nang mabilis.

    While they sound the same, 'ng' is for nouns/possession, while 'nang' is used for adverbs (describing how an action is done).

  • Confusing the marker 'ng' with the linker '-ng'.

    mabuti ng tao
    mabuting tao

    The marker 'ng' is a standalone word. The linker '-ng' is a suffix attached to adjectives or nouns ending in vowels to connect them to a modifier.

How It Connects

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

ngLevel 1Nonfocused and Possessive Marker

Learn This First

To understand 'ng', you need to grasp the basic system of phrase markers in Filipino and how the language chooses which participant to focus on in a sentence, as 'ng' typically marks the participants that are not the primary focus.

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