nina
Plural Nonfocused Personal Marker
Use nina before a name to mean 'Name and others' (associative plural) or to list multiple names (e.g., nina Maria at Juan) when they are not the focus of the sentence.
How It Works
nina serves two primary roles in Filipino grammar:
1. Possession and Relationships: It indicates that an object belongs to a group of people, or identifies a relationship.
Example: Ang bahay nina Pedro (The house of Pedro and his family/group).
Example: Ang mga anak nina Maria at Juan (The children of Maria and Juan).
2. Nonfocused Actor (Agent): In Filipino, many sentences focus on the object rather than the person doing the action (see focus types). When the actors are a group of named people and they are not the focus, nina is used.
Example: Binasa nina Anne ang libro (The book was read by Anne and others).
Key Usage Rules:
- Proper Names Only: nina is strictly for personal names (people or pets). For common nouns, use ng mga instead.
- Associative Plural: If you say nina Maria, it naturally implies 'Maria and her companions/family/friends.'
- Specific List: If you want to be specific, you can list names: nina Maria at Juan.
- Placement: It always precedes the name(s) and never changes its form based on sounds.
Examples (4)
- Nasa labas ang kotse nina Gardo at Ely.
Gardo and Ely's car is outside.
Word by Word: Is outside the car of Gardo and Ely.
Here, 'nina' marks Gardo and Ely as the plural possessors of the car.
- Binili nina Susi ang mga prutas.
Susi and her friends bought the fruits.
Word by Word: Bought by Susi (and others) the (plural) fruit.
In this object-focus sentence, 'nina' marks the actors who performed the action of buying.
- Pumunta kami sa bahay nina Lola.
We went to Grandma and her household's house.
Word by Word: Went we to house of Grandma (and others).
Using 'nina' with a single name like 'Lola' implies her and the people she lives with.
- Niluto nina Ben at Ana ang hapunan.
Ben and Ana cooked the dinner.
Word by Word: Cooked by Ben and Ana the dinner.
The dinner is the focus, so the actors (Ben and Ana) are marked with 'nina'.
Common Mistakes
Using 'nila' instead of 'nina' before a name.
Ang aso nila Mark.Ang aso nina Mark.In speech, 'nila Mark' is very common. Standard Filipino uses 'nina' before names and keeps 'nila' for 'them'.
Using 'nina' for the subject of an actor-focus verb.
Kumain nina Pedro.Kumain sina Pedro.If the people are the focus of the sentence (the ones 'doing' the verb in an actor-focus construction), you must use the focus marker 'sina' instead of 'nina'.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand nina, you must first understand its singular counterpart ni and the general system for marking personal names. Familiarity with sina is also helpful as it demonstrates the consistent way Filipino pluralizes personal markers.
- niNonfocused Personal Marker
nina is the plural form of the singular nonfocused personal marker ni, performing the same grammatical role for multiple people.
Level 1 - sinaPlural Focused Personal Marker
sina introduces the pattern of pluralizing personal markers by adding the suffix -na, which is the same logic used to form nina.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- ngNonfocused and Possessive Marker
'Ng' is the singular marker for common nouns, whereas 'nina' is specifically for plural personal names.
Level 1 - si / ni / kayPersonal Name Markers
This is the overarching system of markers used for personal names in Filipino.
Foundations - sila / nila / kanilaThird-Person Plural Forms
'Nila' is the third-person plural pronoun used when names are not mentioned, corresponding to the marker 'nina'.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice nina in Bubblegum
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