Negation & Questions

Hindi pa vs. hindi na

not yet vs. no longer

hin-dee pah / hin-dee nah

Hindi pa kumain = has not eaten yet; hindi na kumakain = no longer eats

Ewan / Aywan

I don't know

eh-wan / eye-wan

Colloquial response to questions one cannot answer

Wala nang

there is no more

wah-lah nahng

Wala nang tubig = there is no more water; nang intensifies finality

Rhetorical nga particle

nga adds emphasis or mild frustration

ngah

Ano nga ba? = What exactly is it? (slightly exasperated tone)

Tag questions: di ba? / hindi ba?

right? / isn't it?

dee bah / hin-dee bah

Masaya ka, di ba? = You are happy, right?

Negative commands with Huwag nang

stop doing / don't bother

hoo-wahg nahng

Huwag na ngang umiyak = Stop crying already

Indirect questions with hindi ko alam kung

I don't know where/what/when

hin-dee koh ah-lahm koong

Hindi ko alam kung saan siya pumunta = I don't know where he went

Polarity focus: Siya nga ang gumawa.

It was indeed he who did it.

see-yah ngah ahng goo-mah-wah

Nga adds certainty/emphasis; cleft for contrastive focus

Negation scope and focus type

which focus type is negated affects pragmatic scope

varies

Negating actor focus vs. object focus differs in what is denied

Hindi lang...kundi... construction

not only...but also...

hin-dee lahng ... koon-dee

Hindi lang siya matalino kundi marunong din = Not only smart but also skilled