Back
Advanced

The Focus System in Depth

Choosing the trigger

Choose the focus by what is definite/prominent

Object focus when the object is specific.

📊 Picking a focus
If the prominent role is... Use the focus ang marks
the doer actor (mag-, -um-) the doer
a specific object object (-in) the object
place / source / recipient locative (-an) the place
the beneficiary benefactive (i-) the beneficiary
💬 Examples
Bumili ako ng kotse.
I bought a car. (actor focus)
📝 Indefinite object → actor focus
Binili ko ang kotse.
I bought the car. (object focus)
📝 Definite object → object focus
The focused noun is always marked by ang (or si)

Whatever its semantic role.

💬 Examples
Pinutol ng lalaki ang puno.
The man cut the tree.
📝 ang puno = focused object
Pinutulan niya ang puno ng sanga.
He cut a branch off the tree.
📝 -an: the tree (source) is focused
Focus shapes the whole sentence

The affix and the markers must agree.

💬 Examples
Ibinigay ko sa kaniya ang regalo.
I gave the gift to him/her.
📝 Object focus: ang regalo; sa kaniya = recipient
Binigyan ko siya ng regalo.
I gave him/her a gift.
📝 Locative focus: siya (recipient) is focused