kailan

When

Level 1

Kailan is the Filipino word for 'when.' It is used to ask about dates, times, or specific periods of an event.

How It Works

1. Basic Usage
Kailan is used to gather information about time. In a simple sentence, it often comes first due to the predicate-initial nature of Filipino. It can be used to ask about the past, present, or future.

2. Word Order with Pronouns and Particles
When using kailan with the particle ba, the placement of pronouns depends on their length. Only short, one-syllable enclitic pronouns like ka, mo, and ko come before ba. Two-syllable pronouns like siya or sila usually follow it. This is part of the enclitic ordering rules.
Example: Kailan ka ba aalis? (When are you leaving?) vs. Kailan ba siya aalis? (When is he/she leaving?)

3. Indirect Questions
While kailan is primarily for questions, it is used in statements when reporting an embedded question.
Example: Hindi ko alam kung kailan ang pista. (I don't know when the festival is.)

4. Common Phrases and Extensions
You will often see kailan combined with other words to ask more specific questions or express time concepts:
• Hanggang kailan? (Until when?)
• Kailan pa? or Mula kailan? (Since when?)
• Kahit kailan (Ever / Never with negation - very common in daily speech)
• Kailanman (Ever / Never - more formal)
• Kamakailan lang (Just recently)
• Kung kailan..., saka... (Just when [X happened], that's when [Y happened] - used to express irony or bad timing. Example: Kung kailan ako nagmamadali, saka umulan.)

5. Formal vs. Casual
In casual conversation, kailan is often shortened to kelan. While common in speech, stick to kailan for writing.

6. Important Distinction
Do not use kailan to mean 'when' in a simple narrative statement. For past events, use noong or nang. For future or habitual events, use kapag.

Examples (5)

  1. Kailan ang kaarawan mo?

    When is your birthday?

    Word by Word: When the birthday of-you?

    A simple equational sentence where 'kailan' acts as the predicate.

  2. Kailan ka babalik?

    When will you return?

    Word by Word: When you will-return?

    Notice the pronoun 'ka' follows 'kailan' immediately because it is a second-position enclitic.

  3. Kailan ba ang simula ng klase?

    When exactly is the start of class?

    Word by Word: When [question-marker] the start of class?

    The particle 'ba' is used here to clearly mark the sentence as a question.

  4. Kailan tayo kakain?

    When are we (inclusive) going to eat?

    Word by Word: When we will-eat?

    Uses the inclusive 'we' (tayo) to ask about a shared future action.

  5. Kailan ang lipad niyo?

    When is your (plural) flight?

    Word by Word: When the flight of-you-all?

    Asking for the time of a specific event (the flight).

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'kailan' as a relative conjunction in a statement.

    Masaya ako kailan dumating ka.
    Masaya ako noong dumating ka.

    'Kailan' is for questions. To say 'when' as a connector for past events, use 'noong' or 'nang'.

  • Incorrect pronoun placement with the question particle 'ba'.

    Kailan ba ka aalis?
    Kailan ka ba aalis?

    Monosyllabic pronouns like 'ka' must come before the particle 'ba', while longer pronouns like 'siya' usually follow it.

  • Avoiding 'kailan' in indirect questions.

    Hindi ko alam noong siya darating.
    Hindi ko alam kung kailan siya darating.

    While 'kailan' isn't used for 'when' in simple statements, it is required for indirect questions (e.g., 'I don't know when...').

How It Connects

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kailanLevel 1When

Learn This First

To use 'kailan' (when), you need to understand how Filipino sentences are structured without a copula (the 'is' in 'When is...'). You also need to know how to mark the subject of the question using the 'ang' marker.

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kailan