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Intermediate

Actor Focus Verbs

mag- and -um-

Actor focus uses mag- or -um-

The doer is the focus.

📊 Actor-focus affixes
Affix Position Example
mag- prefix maglaro (play)
-um- infix (after the first consonant) tumakbo (run)
mang- prefix mangisda (to fish)
💬 Examples
Maglaro tayo.
Let's play.
📝 mag- actor focus
Tumakbo siya.
He/She ran.
📝 -um- actor focus (infixed)
-um- is infixed after the first consonant

kain → kumain.

💬 Examples
kain → kumain
eat → ate / eats
📝 -um- inserted: k-um-ain
sulat → sumulat
write → wrote
📝 s-um-ulat
mag- vs -um- is partly lexical

Each verb tends to take one.

💬 Examples
magluto
to cook
📝 magluto takes mag-
kumain
to eat
📝 kumain takes -um-