Question Words in Siargaonon
14 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Uno man tun? | What is that? | 'Man' form — asks what something IS |
| Uno may imo? | What do you want? | 'May' form — asks about an action |
| Uno may ila tag laong? | What did they say? | |
| Uno may ato mahimo? | What can we do? | |
| Diin / Haman | Where | 'Haman' is more casual |
| Kun-o | When (future) | |
| Kagan-o | When (past) | |
| Uno | What | |
| Sin-o / Siman | Who | 'Siman' is more casual |
| Tag-uno | How | |
| Hae | Where | Haman = hae + man |
| Pila kabook | How many | Pila alone = how much |
| Ngano / Uman | Why | 'Uman' is the local form |
| Pila | How many / How much |
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.
Uman and Umay: One Letter Apart
These two account for more learner mistakes than anything else in the language.
Uno man tun? asks what something is — the man form. Uno may imo? asks about an action — what you want, what you'd do. Same opening word, one letter of difference, and the answers they invite have nothing in common.
You will hear them contracted to uman and umay in ordinary speech, which makes them harder still to tell apart by ear. Watch for the vowel.
Two Words for When
Kun-o asks about the future. Kagan-o asks about the past. There is no neutral when to fall back on — you commit to a direction in time before the verb arrives.
English does the opposite, using one word and letting the tense sort it out. If you find yourself hesitating mid-question, this is usually why.
Where, and How It Got Shortened
Hae is where, and Diin / Haman are the everyday forms — haman being the more casual.
The note explains the shape: haman is hae plus man, fused. Siargaonon does this constantly, and once you know to expect it, words that sounded unfamiliar resolve into pieces you already know.
Who, How, Why, How Many
Sin-o / Siman both ask who, with siman the casual one. Tag-uno is how. Ngano / Uman both ask why — and uman is the local form, so it is the one to use here.
Pila covers both how many and how much. Pila kabook narrows it to counting things, where pila alone leans toward price. That distinction will save you confusion at a market stall.
Open the app — it's free →Keep exploring
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.