Tagalog pronouns can be very confusing if you use a text book approach. A textbook chapter on pronouns will probably have a nice big chart with the persons (first person, second person, third person) and the different usages. This approach can be effective for those studying Tagalog in an academic setting.
However, if your immediate concern is to start communicating with native speakers using Tagalog pronouns, a more natural and effective way to learn pronouns is by familiarizing yourself with basic sentence structures, and building off from these basic sentences.
That’s what we’ll do in this article.
Then, after the different types of Tagalog pronouns are discussed, we’ll throw in a segment on making your pronouns more polite for speaking to strangers, older people and your bosses at work.
Oh, by the way, if you are a grammar hound, you can match this article with our other guides on Tagalog grammar (see article: Tagalog Prefixes, Infixes and Suffixes: Why Tagalog Verbs Drive Language Learners Crazy), and Tagalog nouns (see article: All You Have to Know About Tagalog Nouns).
Okay, ‘nuf said. Let’s dive right into it…
First Person Tagalog Pronouns
A good place to start is with the first person Tagalog pronouns. A first person pronoun is used when you are talking about yourself or you and your group.
Tagalog First Person Singular
In English first person pronouns would be: I, me, my, mine and myself. You are probably quite familiar with their basic usage, and from these words you can figure out what is a first person singular pronoun. Meanwhile, there are three first person singular Tagalog pronouns: ako, ko and akin. There is a bunch of grammar terminology associated with them which you can look up in your textbook, but it would be best to use examples.
Using the Tagalog pronoun “ako”
This is when the pronoun refers to yourself and just yourself. It can be used at the start, middle or end of a sentence. When used in the middle of a sentence, the suffix ng is usually added. Here are some examples:
I am an American. = Ako ay Amerikano.
I am hungry. = Gutom na ako.
I went to the Philippines. = Pumunta ako sa Pilipinas.
I don’t have a spouse. = Wala akong asawa. (Don’t be confused by ako + ng)
Using the Tagalog pronoun “ko”
The pronoun ko is very similar in usage to the English “my”. It can’t be used at the start of a sentence, but it can be used in the middle and the end of a sentence.
Here is my passport = Ito ang pasaporte ko.
These are my papers. = Mga papeles ko ito.
This is my cellphone. = Cellphone ko ito.
This is Anna, my lovely girlfriend. = Ito si Anna, ang maganda kong nobia. (Don’t be confused by ko + ng.)
(This sentence structure is rather formal for casual conversation.)
Using the Tagalog pronoun “akin”
Akin is used to signify your possession over something.
I wish you were mine. = Sana akin ka na lang.
This wallet is mine. = Akin ang wallet na ito.
My heart hurts. = Masakit ang aking puso. (This sounds very formal, and would not be used for everyday speech. It would be more normal to say Masakit ang puso ko,)
Usually ko is used if it’s after the object it is referring to. Akin is used before the wallet.
This is my money. = Pera ko ito. = Akin ang pera na ito.
Ko is more often used for everyday speech, and akin is used if you want to emphasize ownership over something.
First Person Dual Tagalog Pronouns
There are languages which have first person dual pronouns, meaning “I and you” (the example I can think of is the Mandarin Chinese 咱们 (zánmen)). If you look at an old stuffy textbook on Tagalog they might list these first person dual pronouns: kitá/kata, nita/nata, kanitá/kanata. News flash… People who speak Tagalog in the real world never use pronouns in first person dual form anymore. First person dual Tagalog pronouns are practically extinct. Kita is still used regularly, but not as second person pronouns, but the rest are absent in today’s Tagalog. There might be a couple of old folks in the far flung barrios which still use these forms of pronouns, but the vast majority of the Tagalog speaking world would, perhaps outside some linguist who studies archaic or obsolete Tagalog, would have no clue what they mean.
So how would you say “we” (you and I) in Tagalog? You can use the first person plural, such as natin or just specify you are referring to two people, speaker and lister, such as nating dalawa.
This is our (yours and mine) victory = Panalo natin ito. = Panalo nating dalawa ito.
Later towards the end of this article, the pronoun kita, the direct second person with indirect first person Tagalog pronoun, will be discussed.
First Person Plural Inclusive Tagalog Pronouns
First person plural inclusive pronouns? What are these? These would refer to you and the people you are with the listener or listeners. These pronouns are inclusive of all who the speech is directed at, not just the group the speaker is representing. This is an important point since lots of beginners Tagalog learners often mix up inclusive and exclusive pronouns. These pronouns are tayo, natin and atin. Let’s go straight to the examples to illustrate this.
Using the Tagalog pronoun “tayo”
Tayo mean “us” or “we”. It’s an inclusive pronoun so it refers to both you, the other people you represent and those of the people you are speaking with.
All of us (who are listening) are the owners of this roast pig. = Tayo ang may-ari ng lechon na ito.
Let’s both go to the beach. = Punta tayo sa tabing-dagat.
Let’s all go to the beach. = Punta tayo sa tabing-dagat.
Using the Tagalog pronoun “natin”
Natin means “us” or “our” in English, inclusive of the person or persons being spoken to.
Let us go to the bank. = Puntahan natin and bangko.
Our mother cooked the rice. = Nanay natin ang nagluto ng bigas,
Using the Tagalog pronoun “atin”
Atin means “us” in English, inclusive of the person or persons being spoken to. Atin signifies possession over something but it cannot directly modify a noun.
This money belongs to us = Atin ang pera na ito.
Tell Manuel to give money back to us. = Sabihin mo kay Manuel ibalik niya ang pera sa atin
Tip on sa atin: in rapid speak sa atin is usually pronounced “satin” but it is never spelled this way (like what I did just now).
First Person Plural Exclusive Tagalog Pronouns
These are pronouns that refer to you and one or more people you represent. Unlike the inclusive pronouns, the exclude the person being spoken to. These pronouns are kami, namin and amin.
Using the Tagalog pronoun “kami”
Since kami is typically used as a subject you’ll typically see it at the front or middle of the sentence. It means “we” excluding the person being spoken to,
We (not you) will do the work. = Kami ang gagawa ng trabaho.
We have already eaten. = Kumain na kami.
Using the Tagalog pronoun “namin”
Namin means “our” or “we” not including the person or persons being spoken to. It can be used either as a modifying word like “our” money, or as a straight out pronoun replacing the word “us”. These two usages might be a bit confusing so it is good to keep this is mind.
It was our mother who worked (not your mother). = Nanay namin ang nagtrabaho. (Whose mother? Our mother)
We are going to the moon tomorrow. = Pupuntahan namin ang buwan bukas. (Who is going? We are going)
Using the Tagalog pronoun “amin”
Give the money to us. = Ibigigay mo ang pera sa amin.
The words aming and naming are amin plus the suffix ng and namin plus the suffix ng. Like the word ating (atin + ng) this is usually reserved for formal speech.
Our family is happy. (my and the people I represent’s family) = Masaya ang aming pamilya.
It’s much more casual to say: Our family is happy. = Masaya ang pamilya namin.
You’ll never find aming at the end of a sentence, as it always precedes the word it is expressing possession over. Meanwhile, the word namin comes right after the word it is expressing possession over.
Don’t be confused by the word naming. It is namin with an ng attached to it.
John is our (not your) kind friend. = Si John ay ang kaibigan naming mabait.
Second Person Tagalog Pronouns
Second person Tagalog pronouns can be mind-bending to study. They are used used to replace words that refer to the person or persons you are speaking to. You gotta’ get a good grip of them, so you can say stuff like: I love you. = Mahal kita. They can be rather complex to the uninitiated so a good approach would be just to drive straight into some example.
Second Person Singular Tagalog Pronouns
Second person singular Tagalog pronouns are words used when referring to the person you are speaking to.The English second person singular Tagalog pronouns would be: you, your, yours and yourself. These awesomely useful Tagalog pronouns are: ikaw, ka, mo, and iyo. Here are some sentences you can use as guides in constructing your own.
Using the Tagalog pronoun “ikaw”
Second person singular Tagalog pronouns can be a bit confusing, so studying some sentence patterns can be useful here. Ikaw is typically used at the start of the sentence as the subject. Sometimes, native speakers will use the word ikaw at the end of the sentence to emphasize that they are referring to the speaker.
You are my everything. = Ikaw ang lahat sa akin.
You are the only one I know here. = Ikaw lang kilala ko dito.
You are the biggest person here. = Ikaw ang pinakamalaking tao dito.
The most important person here is you. = Ang pinakamahalagang tao dito ay ikaw. (The sentences construction with the word ikaw at the end is used for emphasis, “it is you not someone else.”)
Using the Tagalog pronoun “ka”
You’ll probably use ka the most of all Tagalog pronouns. It can help replace the word “you” in many instances. It’ll probably make its way to many of the sentences you’ll have in the natural course of speech.
Do you like fish? = Mahilig ka ba sa isda?
You are grown up now. = Malaki ka na.
The doctor is coming tomorrow to look at you. = Pupunta ang doktor bukas para tignan ka.
Are you coming along? = Sasama ka?
You aren’t with anyone here. = Wala kang kasama dito. (Kang is ka with the suffix ng)
Remember that ka is never used at the start of a sentence. This is in contrast with ikaw which is usually at the start of a sentence.
Using the Tagalog pronoun “mo”
The Tagalog pronoun mo is never used at the start of a sentence, but can be practically anywhere else. It can act as a pronoun or can denote the ownership of the person you are speaking to over something.
Have you watched this movie? = Napanood mo na ba ang sine na ito?
Do you love me? = Mahal mo ba ako?
Get the food from the ref. = Kunin mo ang pagkain sa ref.
Do you understand? = Naiintindihan mo ba?
Ben wants to get to know you beautiful friend. = Gusto ni Ben makilala ang kaibigan mong maganda. (Mong is mo with the suffix ng)
Using the Tagalog pronoun “iyo”
Iyo is a second singular pronoun which means it refers to the person you are speaking to, like “you” or “yours” in English. This pronoun is used for emphasizing ownership of the person you are speaking to, that something is being giving or sent to that person. The single pronoun iyo can be made plural by turning into the plural niyo or ninyo which will be covered in later parts of this article.
This is yours. = Iyo ito.
My heart is yours. = Iyo ang puso ko.
James gave you the money. = Binigay ni James sa iyo yung pera.
Don’t be confused by the word sayo. Sayo is sa + iyo
These are your shoes. = Sa iyo ang sapatos na ito. = Sayo ang sapatos na ito.
Also iyong is iyo with the suffix ng (iyong). Like used in a more formal register of speech.
Your friend is about to arrive. = Ang iyong kaibigan ay darating na.
But you could use a more casual mo instead of iyong the pronoun is signifiying possession over.
Your friend is about to arrive. = Ang kaibigan mo ay darating na.
Direct second person with indirect first person Tagalog pronoun “kita”
The pronoun kita is sometimes lumped into its own catageory. This us because Kita is second person pronoun only used when the speaker (first person) is doing something wherein the object of his actions are the person he is speaking to (second person) . It can be translated into the word “you”. Of course, the best example of the word kita is:
I love you. = Mahal kita.
Well, here are some other samples.
You are my girlfriend. = Nobia kita.
I will give you money. = Bibigyan kita ng pera.
Can I kiss you? = Pwede ba kita halikan?
I’m going to port you to the police = Isususmbong kita sa pulis.
Beware that the pronoun kita is different from the the word kita (profits) and kita (to see); both of the later kita (profits) and kita (see) are homonyms/sound alike. In you can say Kita kita sa mall kahapon. (Shortened for Nakita kita….). Or you can say kita-kits (slang for kita kita (“to see” then the pronoun) meaning “see you around”).
I want to get to know you. = Gusto kitang makilala. (Kitang is kita plus the suffix ng)
Second Person Plural Tagalog Pronouns
There is a lot that we could do with second person plural Tagalog pronouns: kayo, ninyo/niyo, and inyo. You can you use it for addressing groups of people at parties, public speaking, at the bar, or an intimate gathering of friends or family.
Using the Tagalog pronoun “kayo”
This Tagalog pronoun kayo is a word that refers to two or more people you are speaking to.
You (plural) are blocking the way. = Nakaharang kayo sa daan.
You will decide what will happen. = Kayo ang magdedesisyon kung anong mangyayari.
(You, plural) Hold on tight. = Kapit kayo ng mabuti.
You (plural) are smart. = Kayo ay matalino. = Matalino kayo. The structure with kayo at the end is lot more natural sound. The one with kayo at the beginning sounds formal.
Take note that kayong is kayo + ng. Don’t (you) run. = Huwag kayong tumakbo.
You Filipinos are a happy people. = Kayong mga Pilipino ay masiyahin na tao.
Literally: Don’t you have hands? = Wala ba kayong mga kamay? (This vernacular set phrase is used in informal gatherings where an emcee or host will request for a group of people to clap after a speech or performance, similar to “Let’s give him/her a round of applause”.)
Note that there is an obsolete Tagalog word kayo which means cloth, which still comes up in the expression balat-kayo which means to pretend to be something else. This word has no relation to the pronoun.
Using the Tagalog pronoun “ninyo/niyo”
Ninyo and niyo are the same word. They typically signify possession of the persons you are speaking to over something, though they can also stand in alone as a pronoun, such as during a command, request or imperative. The formal version is ninyo and is still widely used, but you may hear the contraction niyo more often during speech. Both pronouns are perfectly interchangeable with affecting much, if at all, the meaning or tone of speech. Both ninyo and niyo will be used interchangeably in this article as well. Perhaps, the only time one might consider favoring ninyo is over niyo is during a formal written message or public speech. Just note that you will never find these pronouns at the start of a sentence.
This is your food. = Pagkain ninyo ito.
Your (plural) money was lost. = Nawala ang pera niyo (No emphasis) = Pera niyo ang nawala. (Emphasizing it was their money which was lost)
You (plural) gave Frank a problem = Binigyan ninyo si Frank ng problema.
(You, plural) get the water on the table. = Kunin niyo yung tubig sa mesa.
You (plural) will look for the chicken tomorrow. = Hahanapin ninyo ang manok bukas.
Frank wants to buy your big dog. = Gusto ni Frank bilhin ang aso mong malaki. (Mong is mo with the suffix ng)
Using the Tagalog pronoun “inyo”
Inyo is the plural of iyo. If iyo is the second person singular pronoun often signifying possession, inyo is second person singular pronoun. These Tagalog pronouns could be translated into plural “your” or “yours” depending on the usage. Just like iyo which has iyong, the pronoun inyong is inyo plus the suffix ng.
Your things have been prepared. (talking to two or more people) = Nakahanda na ang inyong gamit.
This is yours. (talking to two or more people) = Inyo ito.
Jack and Jill, the ball is yours. = Jack and Jill, inyo ang bola.
I don’t know with you guys. = Hindi ko alam sa inyo.
Bring your umbrella. = Dahlin mo ang iyong payong. (Iyong is rather formal. Iyong is iyo plus the suffix ng. A more conversation way of saying this would be “Dalhin mo ang payong mo“.)
Inyo and niyo can be confusing for some learners.
Third Person Tagalog Pronouns
Welcome to the world of third person Tagalog pronouns! They are called third person pronouns since they represent the third person being spoken to – the first person is the speaker and the people he or she represents; the second person is the person or persons being spoken to, and the third person is about the other people they are speaking about.
They’re quite useful in engaging in the favorite past-time of the human species – talking about others. Just like in first and second person Tagalog pronouns, third person Tagalog pronouns can be singular or plural, and have a lot of other variations.
Third Person Singular Tagalog Pronouns
The third person singular Tagalog pronouns are: siya, niya, and kaniya/kanya. In English, third person singular pronouns would be: he, him, his, himself, she, her, hers, herself, it, its, and itself. Unlike in English and many other languages, Tagalog pronuns have no gender. The same forms are used whether the subject is male or female.
Using the Tagalog pronoun “siya”
The Tagalog pronoun siya is used to refer to another person or object. While spelled siya, out in the wild in actual speech the first vowel is often dropped and the word is pronounced as sya or sha. It will always be spelled as siya though.
I heard that she has already separated with her spouse. = Balita ko nakipaghiwalay na siya sa asawa niya.
It is big. = Malaki siya.
He bought a car. = Bumili siya ng kotse.
I only like her. = Siya lang ang gusto ko.
Like many other Tagalog pronouns, you can also add ng as a suffix to siya.
It doesn’t have gasoline. = Wala siyang gasolina.
It’s real gold. = Totoo siyang ginto.
Using the Tagalog pronoun “niya”
This third person singular pronoun can describe possession or replace a person or object. Niya can replace: he, she, him, her or it. Just like in the pronoun siya, the first vowel of niya is not often pronounced in rapid everyday speech.
This is her bag. = Ito ang bag niya. = Bag niya ito.
He knows what he is doing. Alam niya ang ginagaw niya.
He is so handsome. = Ang guwapo niya!
Just like many of the pronouns, the suffix ng can be added to niya.
Paul is his Filipino friend. = Si Paul ang kaibigan niyang Pilipino.
James wore his read clothes. = Sinuot ni James and pula niyang damit.
Using the Tagalog pronoun “kaniya/kanya”
Kaniya and kanya are interchangeable.The situation with kaniya and kanya is similar to ninyo and niyo. The formal spelling of the word is kaniya but spelling kanya is widely accepted. During everyday speech, the middle vowel “i” is often dropped and the word is pronounced kanya. You might note that in siya, in speech is also usually pronounced sya with the “i” dropped in pronunciation. In this article I’ll use both.
This is his. = Kaniya ito.
The money is his. = Kanya ang pera.
This is not his. = Hindi ito sa kaniya.
I saw his dog. = Nakita ko ang kanyang aso.
You can also add the suffix ng, to make kanya into kanyang.
Maria placed the watch in her pocket. = Linigay ni Maria ang relo sa kanyang bulsa.
Tom found his child. = Natagpuan ni Tom ang kaniyang anak.
Third Person Plural Tagalog Pronouns
Third person plural Tagalog person pronouns are: sila, nila and kanila. They are used to refer to two or more people or objects other than the speaker and the person being spoken to. In English, third person plural pronouns would be: they, them, their, theirs, and themselves.
Using the Tagalog pronoun “sila”
Use sila when talking about groups of people or objects.
They are fast. = Mabilis sila.
They like rolling in the mud. = Mahilig sila gumulong sa putik.
They are Filipino. = Pilipino sila. = Sila ay Pilipino. (“Pilipino sila.” is more natural in this case, “Sila ay Pilipino.” would be used to emphasize it is they who are Filipinos.)
They are the people caught by the police/They were caught be the police. = Sila ang hinuli ng pulis. = Hinuli sila ng pulis. (Like in the above example, “Hinuli sila ng pulis.” is more natural.)
Adding ng in some cases will add fluency to the sentence. This will make turn sila into silang, but is not to be confused with the Tagalog word silang which means “to be born.”
They are fond of dancing. = Mahilig silang sumayaw. (Mahilig sila sumayaw. is also acceptable)
They went to the Philippines. = Pumunta silang Pilipinas. (Pumunta sila sa Pilipnas)
Using the Tagalog pronoun “nila”
Nila is another second person plural pronoun you would want to know how to use. This pronoun can mean: they, them or their.
They are getting the papers. = Kinukuha nila ang papeles
Jack and Jill rode their car. = Sumakay si Jack and Jill sa kotse nila.
They have to get the from the bank. Kailangan nila kunin ang pera sa bangko.
Their house burned. = Nasunog ang bahay nila.
This is their land. = Lupa nila ito.
The sibling asked for money from their rich father. = Humingi ang magkapatid ng pera sa tatay nilang mayaman. (Nilang is nila plus the suffix ng)
Using the Tagalog pronoun “kanila”
Kanila is a third person plural pronoun. It can also mean their, theirs or them in English, depending on its usage.
This is theirs. = Kanila ito.
This house is theirs. = Kanila ang bahay na ito.
Give the money to them. = Ibigay mo ang pera sa kanila.
Their house got damaged. = Nasira ang kanilang bahay.
Maria went to their house. = Pumunta si Maria sa kanilang bahay. (Kanilang is kanila with ng attached to it)
Their project was chosen by the leader. = Kanilang proyekto ang pinili ng pinuno. (Pinili ang proyeko nila ng pinuno. would be a more conversational way of saying this sentence.)
Formal and Polite Usage of Tagalog Pronouns
Like many other languages, the level of politeness you want to convey can affect the way you use Tagalog pronouns. You may want to use different Tagalog pronouns in situations where you want to keep a respectful distance or want to avoid coming of as overfamiliar, such as speaking to a stranger on the street. As foreign speaker, you may be forgiven for not conveying formality through pronouns, but never-the-less, it is good to be aware of them, since Tagalog might speakers might use them on you as well.
By the way, you may want to also use the word “po” (or the variant “ho“) if you want to add another indication of politeness. In this article, we’ll place the word po in parenthesis to indicate that the sentence will be grammatically correct without it. Remember that po can be in several possible locations in a sentence so don’t be take the suggested locations of po in the examples below as a hard and fast rule.
Using second or third person plural instead of single person pronouns.
When speaking to a person to whom you want to convey politeness, instead of using the second person singular, such as: mo, ikaw, ka or iyo. Instead, use second or third person plural pronouns, such as, kayo, sila, or ninyo/niyo.
Use “niyo/ninyo” or “nila” instead of “mo”
Using the word mo can sound overly-familiar or even confrontation to a native speaker, especially to someone older, uniformed personnel, a work superior, a public official or someone with a higher perceived status in society. You can swap out the word mo with nila, niyo or ninyo.
What is your name? = Anong pangalan mo? = More polite: Anong (pong) pangalan nila/ninyo? or Anong pangalan nila/niyo/ninyo po? (The pong here is po plus ng, while it is not necessary to make the sentence grammatically correct, it is always good to add the po to sentences when speaking someone respectfully, such as someone older.
Where is your house? = Saan ang bahay mo? = More polite: Saan (po) ang bahay nila? or Saan (po) ang bahay niyo/ninyo?
(You) get the money tomorrow. = Kunin mo ang pera bukas. = More polite: Kunin (po) nila/niyo/ninyo ang pera bukas.
You can pay for the drinks tomorrow. = Pwede mong bayaran yung inumin bukas. = More polite: Pwede (po) niyong/ninyong/nilang bayaran ang inumin bukas.
Use “kayo” or “sila” instead of “ikaw” or “ka”
Likewise, the second person singular pronouns ka or ikaw can sound confrontational. Swap these pronouns with kayo or sila to add some a respectful verbal space between you and the person you are speaking to.
Are you already hungry? = Gutom ka na ba? = More polite: Gutom na (po) kayo?
Where do you live? = Saan ka nakatira? = More polite: Saan (po) sila nakatira?
You are too tall for these pants. = Masyado kang matangkad para sa pantalon na ito. = More polite: Masyado kayong matangkad para sa pantalon na ito.
Are you lost? = Nawawala ka ba? = More polite: Nawawala (po) ba kayo/sila?
Are you the person I looking for? = Ikaw ba ang hinahanap ko? = More polite: Kayo/Sila (po) ba ang hinahanap ko?
You got my bag. = Ikaw ang kumuha ng bag ko. = More polite: Kayo/Sila po ang kumuha ng bag ko.
Closing Thoughts on Tagalog Pronouns
So this is it guys! Good luck with learning Tagalog pronouns. I hope this guide provided a good bird’s eye view on these pronouns. Throw caution to the wind and learn by using them, getting corrected and laughed at. Listen closely to native speakers and never be afraid to ask.
Start with simple sentence sentences structures, such as the ones you have here, and build up on them. Don’t just rely on what you find here, but keep your eyes and ears open to Tagalog spoken or written by native speakers. Learning isn’t always easy, but it’s in learning what is challenging that you get something valuable.
