Language/Tagalog/Grammar/How-to-Use-Have

Tagalog Grammar - How to Use "Have"

Hi Tagalog learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn how to use "have" in Tagalog. We will explore its different uses and build sentences using this important verb. By the end of this lesson, you will have a good understanding of how to use "have" in Tagalog.

Don't miss the chance to check out these pages as you wrap up this lesson: Modal Verbs & 0 to A1 Course.

Basic Usage

We use the word "may" to represent the concept of "have" in Tagalog. "May" is a helpful word that can express possession, existence, and ability. In Tagalog, "may" is always followed by a noun or pronoun. For example:

Tagalog	Pronunciation	English
May pusa.	[maɪ ˈpu.sa]	There is a cat.
May sarili akong bahay.	[maɪ sa.ˈɾi.li ˈʔa.koŋ ˈba.haj]	I have my own house.
May mabuting balak ako.	[maɪ ma.bu.ˈtɪŋ ba.ˈlak ˈʔa.ko]	I have a good plan.
May aso siyang mataba.	[maɪ ˈa.so ˈsi.jaŋ ma.ˈta.ba]	He has a fat dog.

Possession

We use "may" to express possession or ownership. In English, the sentence structure looks like "I have a car," but in Tagalog, it is constructed like this:

Tagalog	Pronunciation	English
May kotse ako.	[maɪ ˈkot.se ˈʔa.ko]	I have a car.
May libro siya.	[maɪ ˈli.bɾo ˈʃi.ja]	He/She has a book.
May bahay kami.	[maɪ ba.ˈhaj ˈka.mi]	We have a house.
May cellphone ka ba?	[maɪ ˈsɛl.fon ka ba]	Do you have a cellphone?

Existence

We use "may" to represent the concept of existence, particularly when we talk about the availability of something. This usage of "may" is equivalent to "there is" or "there are" in English. For example:

Tagalog	Pronunciation	English
May pera sa kaban ko.	[maɪ ˈpe.ɾa sa ka.ˈban ko]	There is money in my wallet.
May bagyo ngayon.	[maɪ ˈbag.jo ŋa.ˈjon]	There is a typhoon now.
May pagkain sa lamesa.	[maɪ paɡ.ˈka.in sa la.ˈme.sa]	There is food on the table.
May tsaa ka ba?	[maɪ ʧaː ka ba]	Do you have tea?

Ability

We use "may" to express the concept of ability. In English, we often use the modal verb "can" to indicate this idea. For example:

Tagalog	Pronunciation	English
May kakayahang mag-Tagalog siya.	[maɪ ka.ka.ja.ˈhaŋ maɡ ta.ˈga.loɡ ˈʃi.ja]	He/She can speak Tagalog.
May pang-unawa sa matematika ako.	[maɪ paŋ.ʔʊ.ˈna.wa sa ma.ˌte.ma.ˈti.ka ˈʔa.ko]	I have an understanding of mathematics.
May talento sa pag-awit ang kapatid ko.	[maɪ ta.ˈlen.to sa paɡ.ʔa.ˈwit aŋ ka.pa.ˈtid ko]	My sibling has a talent in singing.
May skills ka ba sa computer?	[maɪ skills ka ba sa kom.ˈpjʊ.tɛɾ]	Do you have skills in using a computer?

Negative Form

To create the negative form of "may," we simply add the word "wala" before it. In English, "wala" means "none" or "not have." Here are some examples:

Tagalog	Pronunciation	English
Wala akong pasok ngayon.	[wa.la ˈʔa.koŋ pa.ˈsok ŋa.ˈjon]	I don't have work today.
Wala ka bang cellphone?	[wa.la ka baŋ ˈsɛl.fon]	Don't you have a cellphone?
Wala siyang oras sa akin.	[wa.la ˈʃi.jaŋ ˈo.ras sa ˈʔa.kin]	He/She doesn't have time for me.
Wala pang pagkain.	[wa.la paŋ paɡ.ˈka.in]	There is no food yet.

Dialogue

Let's see an example dialogue so you can see "may" in context:

• Person 1: May bagyo ba sa lugar mo? ([Is there a typhoon in your area?])
• Person 2: Wala naman. Pero nag-ingat na rin kami. ([None yet. But we're taking precautions as well.])

Conclusion

In this Tagalog lesson, we learned how to use "may" to represent the concept of "have" in Tagalog. We discussed its different uses and explored some examples. Remember that Tagalog is a complex language with many rules, so don't be afraid to ask native speakers any questions you have. Make use of the Polyglot Club language exchange platform and keep practicing your Tagalog grammar.

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➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

With this lesson finished, you may want to explore these additional pages: Asking Questions & Subject Verb Object.

Other Lessons

• Give your Opinion
• Adjectives
• Pronouns
• Conditional Mood
• Negation
• How to Use Be
• Nouns
• Questions
• Plurals

Sources

• Tagalog grammar - Wikipedia
• Tagalog Grammar - How to Use "Have"
• Learning Tagalog - Fluency Made Fast and Easy - Course Book 1 ...