I can’t really blame them. After all, even some native Tagalog speakers use them interchangeably without realizing the differences in their usage (I sometimes end up doing that too when I’m not paying attention to what I’m writing), so today I will be writing about when to use “ng” and when to use “nang” when constructing Tagalog sentences.
Ng
“Ng” is a Tagalog article that is equivalent to the English article “a.” Aside from being an article, it also functions as a preposition that indicates possession similar to the English word “of.”
Examples:
1. Kumuha ako ng silya. (I took a chair)
kumuha = took / got
ako = I
ng = a
silya = chair
2. Siya ay dating estudyante / mag-aaral ng nanay ko. (He/She is a former student of my mother.
siya = he/she
ay = is
dating = former
mag-aaral = student (native Tagalog)
estudyante = student (Spanish loanword)
nanay = mother
ko = my
ng = of
3. Siya ay nag-aaral sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas. (He / She is studying at the University of the Philippines).
siya = He/She
nag-aaral = studying
unibersidad = university
ng = of
Nang
In contrast to “ng,” “nang” is used to turn adjectives into adverbs by indicating in what manner or up to how much degree something was done.
Examples:
1. Sinipa niya nang malakas ang pinto (He/She kicked the door forcefully).
sinipa = kicked
niya = he/she
malakas = strong/forceful
2. Ikinuwento niya sa amin nang dahan-dahan kung ano ang nangyari. (He/she slowly told us what happened).
ikinuwento = told <the story>
sa = to
amin = us
dahan-dahan = slowly
kung ano = what
nangyari = happened
3. Itinago niya nang mabilis ang dokumento bago may makakita sa kanya. (He / She quickly hid the document before someone can see him /her).
Itinago = hid
niya = he/she
mabilis = fast/quick
dokumento = document
bago = before
may = used to indicate the existence of something
makakita = can see / be able to see
sa = to
kanya = him /her
In some cases, “nang” can also be used to express purpose or intent like the English phrase “so that.”
Example:
Bakit hindi ka magsalita nang maging malinaw ang lahat? (Why don’t you speak so that everything will become clear?)
bakit = why
hindi = no/not
magsalita = speak
maging = become
malinaw= clea
ang = the
lahat = everything
There you have it; the basic differences between “ng” and “nang.” They’re not exactly something that you should worry about if you’ve just recently started learning Tagalog as most Tagalog speakers will forgive you for confusing one for the other or might not even notice the slip at all, but they do change the meaning of sentences depending on which one you used, so it’s something that you may want to take note of for future reference. 🙂
