Common Questions in Siargaonon
13 words and phrases, recorded by a native speaker of Siargaonon (Surigaonon), the language of Siargao Island in the Philippines. Part of Conversations & The Wider World.
| Siargaonon | English | Notes on usage |
|---|---|---|
| Haman kaw singod? / Haman kaw mukadto? | Where are you going? | |
| Siman jaon? / Siman jaon sija? | Who is that guy? | |
| Kanin-o ini baro? / Simay tag-ija ini na baro? | Who owns this shirt? | |
| Haman si mama? | Where is mother? | |
| Uman nag tuwaw man kaw? | Why are you crying? | |
| Un-hon man nimo pagkatuyog? | How do you sleep? | |
| Kumusta man si Mama? | How is mother doing? | |
| Tag gutom ako | I am hungry | |
| Haman kaw singod? | Where are you going? | Casual travel question |
| Haman kaw? | Where are you? / Where are you from? | Asking location or origin |
| Pila man jaon / Tag-uno | What time is it? / How much is it? | Used for time or price |
| Umay imo ngayan? | What is your name? | |
| Pila kamo mag-igsoon | How many siblings do you have? | Asking about family size |
Hearing it spoken
Written Siargaonon can only take you so far — the sounds are what give a speaker away. Two rules matter more than any other: the letter J is always hard, as in the English "jump" (never softened to a "y"), and many words that use an L in neighbouring languages use a Y here — ulo becomes uyo, balay becomes bayay. The pronunciation guide covers both in detail.
Every phrase on this page can be heard aloud, drilled with flashcards and quizzes, and scheduled for review in the free app.
Almost Every Question Has Two Forms
Look down the list and you keep seeing slashes. Haman kaw singod? or Haman kaw mukadto? for where are you going. Siman jaon? or Siman jaon sija? for who that is. Kanin-o ini baro? or Simay tag-ija ini na baro? for who owns this.
These are not synonyms a textbook invented. They are the shorter and longer ways people actually speak, and the shorter one usually wins in conversation. Learn the short form to use and the long one to recognise.
One Question for Time and Price
Pila man jaon / Tag-uno asks what time it is and how much something costs. The same words serve both, and the situation decides which you meant.
To an English speaker that sounds ambiguous. In practice nobody is confused — you are either standing in front of a clock or in front of a price, and Siargaonon sees no reason to spend two constructions on that.
Asking About Someone Who Is Not There
Kumusta man si Mama? asks how mother is doing, and Haman si mama? asks where she is. Both use si, the marker that goes before a person's name or title.
It is small and easy to drop, and dropping it is one of those things that reads as foreign without anyone quite being able to say why.
Why and How
Uman nag tuwaw man kaw? asks why you are crying — uman for why, then nag- marking the crying as underway right now.
Un-hon man nimo pagkatuyog? asks how you sleep, in the sense of habit rather than technique. And Haman kaw? does double duty for where you are and where you are from — context, again, doing the work.
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Is a word missing, or is something here wrong? This record is incomplete by definition — a living language is bigger than any one speaker. Tell us and it will be reviewed and added.