sinabi na/-ng
Said That
Sinabi na/-ng is the standard way to introduce indirect speech (reporting what someone else said). It uses the object-focus verb sinabi followed by a linker to connect the reporting verb to the content of the message.
How It Works
When you want to report information rather than quoting it directly, you use sinabi na/-ng.
1. The Linker Rule:
The linker attaches to the word immediately preceding the reported clause. If a pronoun follows the verb, the linker attaches to that pronoun (e.g., niya + -ng = niyang).
- Use -ng if the preceding word ends in a vowel.
- If the word ends in 'n', the final 'n' is dropped and replaced by -ng (e.g., dahilan becomes dahilang).
- Use na as a separate word if the preceding word ends in any other consonant.
2. Casual Shortcut:
In natural, everyday conversation, Filipinos often drop the infix -in- and simply use Sabi (e.g., Sabi ni Mark...). This is much more common than the formal Sinabi.
3. Aspect Preservation:
Unlike English, which often changes the tense of reported speech, Filipino keeps the original aspect used by the speaker. If the original statement was 'I am going,' the report remains 'He said he is going' (aalis).
4. Focus and Pronouns:
Because sinabi is an object-focus verb, the person who spoke is marked with the ng-case (e.g., niya, nila, ni Maria).
Examples (4)
- Sinabi niyang hindi siya makakarating.
He/She said that he/she won't be able to make it.
Word by Word: Said by-him/her-that not he/she will-be-able-to-arrive.
The linker -ng is attached to the pronoun 'niya' because it ends in a vowel.
- Sinabi ni G. Ramos na magkakaroon ng pagsusulit bukas.
Mr. Ramos said that there will be a test tomorrow.
Word by Word: Said by Mr. Ramos that will-have of test tomorrow.
The linker 'na' is a separate word here because 'Ramos' ends in a consonant.
- Sabi nila, masarap daw ang pagkaing niluto mo.
They said the food you cooked was delicious.
Word by Word: Said by-them, delicious reportedly the food cooked by-you.
This uses the casual 'Sabi' shortcut instead of 'Sinabi'. Note that in very casual speech, the linker is sometimes replaced by a comma and the particle daw.
- May dahilang sinabi ang bata kung bakit siya huli.
The child had a reason they said for why they were late.
Word by Word: There-is reason-linker said the child if why he/she late.
When a word ends in 'n' like 'dahilan', the 'n' is replaced by '-ng' (dahilang) to link it to the next part of the sentence.
Common Mistakes
Using the completed form when he said he was going to leave.
Different MeaningSinabi niyang umalis siya.Sinabi niyang aalis siya.'Sinabi niyang umalis siya' is a good sentence. It means 'He said that he left.' Filipino does not shift the verb back in time the way English does, so if he said 'I am leaving', report it with 'aalis': 'Sinabi niyang aalis siya.'
Keeping 'ako' when Juan was talking about himself.
Different MeaningSinabi ni Juan na gutom ako.Sinabi ni Juan na gutom siya.'Sinabi ni Juan na gutom ako' is a good sentence, but it means 'Juan said that I am hungry.' If Juan said he himself was hungry, report it with 'siya': 'Sinabi ni Juan na gutom siya.'
Omitting the linker na/-ng.
Sinabi niya aalis siya.Sinabi niyang aalis siya.Filipino requires a linker to connect the reporting verb phrase to the content clause. Without it, the sentence is grammatically incomplete.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand 'sinabi na/-ng', you need to know how object-focus verbs are conjugated in the completed aspect, how to identify the actor using genitive pronouns (niya), and how the linker 'na/-ng' functions to join a verb to a following clause.
- na / -ngThe Linker
The pattern uses the linker 'na/-ng' to connect the main verb 'sinabi' to the content clause that follows.
Foundations - -in-Completed Object-Focus Form
The word 'sinabi' is the completed aspect form of the object-focus verb 'sabihin', which requires understanding how the '-in-' infix functions.
Level 2 - siya / niya / kaniyaThird-Person Singular Forms
Since 'sinabi' is an object-focus verb, the actor is marked with the genitive case (niya), which is essential for forming the standard 'sinabi niya' construction.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- sabi + ni/ng + Speaker + ClauseReported Speech Source
A more casual, pseudo-verb version of reporting speech often used in daily conversation.
Level 3 - daw / rawReportedly / They Say
Enclitic particles used to indicate hearsay or reported information without explicitly using a 'said that' verb.
Level 2 - ayon kay / ayon saAccording to a Person or Source
A formal way to attribute information to a source, meaning 'according to'.
Level 5 - Aspect Rather Than Tense
Explains why the verb in the reported clause does not change its form just because the reporting verb is in the past.
Foundations
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
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