ni

Nonfocused Personal Marker

Level 1

Use ni before a person's name to show ownership (Pedro's) or to identify who did an action in a non-actor focus sentence.

How It Works

The marker ni is the personal counterpart to the common noun marker ng in specific contexts. It serves three primary roles:

1. Possession: It indicates that a person owns something. In English, this is often translated as "'s" or "of."
Example: Libro ni Juan (Juan's book).

2. Non-focused Actor: In Filipino, sentences often focus on the object rather than the person doing the action. When the sentence focus is NOT the person, but the person is still the one doing the action, ni is used.
Example: Binili ni Maria ang saging. (The banana was bought by Maria / Maria bought the banana).

3. Exclamatory Intensifier: In exclamatory sentences using the "Ang + root" construction, ni marks the person being described to add emphasis.
Example: Ang talino ni Jose! (How smart Jose is!)

Important Note: Unlike ng, ni cannot be used to mark a person as a non-focused object (patient). For example, to say "I saw Juan," you must use kay (Nakakita ako kay Juan) rather than ni Juan.

Plural Form: If you are referring to multiple people, use nina (e.g., nina Juan at Maria). Using nina with just one name (nina Juan) implies "Juan and his companions."

Examples (5)

  1. Bahay ni Pedro ito.

    This is Pedro's house.

    Word by Word: House of Pedro this.

    Here, 'ni' marks Pedro as the owner of the house.

  2. Kinain ni Jose ang mansanas.

    Jose ate the apple.

    Word by Word: Was eaten by Jose the apple.

    In this object-focus sentence, 'ni' marks Jose as the actor (the one who ate).

  3. Siya ang kaibigan ni Ana.

    He/She is Ana's friend.

    Word by Word: He/She (focus) the friend of Ana.

    Here, 'ni' shows the relationship between the person and Ana.

  4. Ang ganda ni Maria!

    Maria is so beautiful!

    Word by Word: The beauty of Maria!

    Using 'ni' with 'Ang + adjective root' is a common way to intensify an adjective.

  5. Niluto ni Juan ang hapunan.

    Juan cooked the dinner.

    Word by Word: Was cooked by Juan the dinner.

    Since the dinner (ang hapunan) is the focus, the actor Juan is marked with 'ni'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'si' instead of 'ni' for the actor in an object-focus sentence.

    Binili si Juan ang isda.
    Binili ni Juan ang isda.

    Because 'ang isda' (the fish) is the focus of the verb 'binili', the actor (Juan) must be marked with 'ni', not 'si'.

  • Using 'ni' for common nouns instead of 'ng'.

    Ang aso ni bata.
    Ang aso ng bata.

    'Ni' is only for personal names. For common nouns like 'bata' (child), use 'ng'.

  • Using 'ni' to mark a person as a non-focused object.

    Nakakita ako ni Juan.
    Nakakita ako kay Juan.

    Unlike ng, which can mark non-focused objects, 'ni' cannot be used this way. To mark a person as the object, use kay.

How It Connects

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

niLevel 1Nonfocused Personal Marker

Learn This First

To understand 'ni', you must first be familiar with the personal name marker system and how it differs from common noun markers. Since 'ni' functions as the personal name equivalent of 'ng', understanding 'ng' is essential for grasping when to use 'ni' for possession or as an actor.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern