Nested Relative a / nga
Descriptions Inside Descriptions
Identify the outer noun and its clause, then the inner noun and its clause.
How It Works
Build a nested description by adding an a / nga relative to a noun inside another relative. Rubino’s writer-and-house passage demonstrates this structure with an inner existential description. Each clause describes its own head; each verbal predicate’s voice must fit that head’s role.
In ti ubing a gumatang iti libro a basaen ni Maria, the child is the buyer selected by actor-focus gumatang. Within that clause, libro is an unfocused buying object introduced by iti, but the selected patient of inner basaen. Maria is the reader. Removing a basaen ni Maria leaves “the child who will buy a book,” without the reading description.
The examples are noun-phrase fragments. Their predicates retain separate aspect and participant marking; nesting does not require matching aspect. Linkers have no person, number or gender agreement. KWF’s modern convention uses a before a consonant-initial following sound and nga before a vowel-initial sound; older attested usage is broader. Attached -na identifies a gender-neutral singular actor whose referent comes from context.
Examples (3)
- ti ubing a gumatang iti libro a basaen ni Maria
Fragment: the child who will buy a book that Maria will read.
Ubing is the actor head of gumatang. Libro is the patient head of basaen, whose actor is Maria.
- ti balasang a gumatang iti balay a ginatang ni Pedro
Fragment: the young woman who will buy a house that Pedro bought.
The young woman is the prospective buyer. Balay heads the inner completed patient-focus relative; Pedro performed that purchase.
- ti lalaki a gumatang iti libro nga isublina idiay titser
Fragment: the man who will buy a book that someone will return to the teacher.
Libro is the selected returned item in the inner relative. Attached -na refers to a contextually identifiable singular actor, possibly the outer man; the form itself specifies neither gender nor obligatory coreference.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Track each relative clause’s own head and participant role.
Related Patterns
- Relative a / ngaAdding a Relative Description
Introduces the single head–relative relationship used at each nesting level.
Level 2 - Following Nested Descriptions
Extends tracking of separate predicates and participants inside larger clauses.
Level 4 - Actor Forms -ko / -mo / -naNaming the Actor of a Patient-Focus Verb
Explains attached actor pronouns in relatives selecting an affected item.
Level 2 - a / ngaJoining a Description to a Noun
Introduces the linkers connecting heads with their descriptions.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice Nested Relative a / nga in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Ilocano lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
