a / nga

A descriptive adjective can precede or follow its noun, with the linker between them. Compare naimbag a surat and surat nga naimbag, both “a good letter.” Numerals normally precede their nouns; demonstratives likewise precede their linked nouns. A noun used as an attribute normally follows the head noun.

Constantino uses nga in attributive constructions, including after consonant-final words. Medina/Pawley documents both a and nga. These examples rule out a preceding-vowel-only account and do not license free substitution everywhere. The modern KWF guide recommends nga before a vowel-initial sound and a before a consonant-initial sound; older primary grammars also document nga before consonant-initial words. Treat that distinction as a writing convention alongside attested grammatical variation.

Linkers also occur with relative descriptions, complements, and negation. For example, Saanka nga nabaknang means “You are not wealthy”; the pronoun intervenes before the linker. Contrast the noun phrase dakkel nga balay, “a big house,” with the clause Dakkel ti balay, “The house is big.”