Contemplated aspect presents an event as not yet begun relative to a reference point. Because speakers often discuss unbegun events in the future, English will is a common translation—but contemplated aspect is not a future tense. Predictions, intentions, conditions, past expectations, and projected habits all use the same event viewpoint.
All unlabelled uses are neutral contemporary Filipino.
Formation Across Common Families
| Family | Completed | Incompleted | Contemplated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actor -um-, kain | kumain | kumakain | kakain |
| Actor mag-, luto | nagluto | nagluluto | magluluto |
| Patient, basa | binasa | binabasa | babasahin |
| Locative, punta | pinuntahan | pinupuntahan | pupuntahan |
| Conveyed-theme i-, bigay | ibinigay | ibinibigay | ibibigay |
Reduplication is central, but suffixes and voice morphology differ by family. Learn babasahin, not a mechanical bababasa, and preserve the correct participant frame.
Magluluto si Nena ng pansit para sa salu-salo bukas.
Nena will cook noodles for the gathering tomorrow.
Babasahin ng lupon ang panukala sa susunod na pagpupulong.
The committee will read the proposal at the next meeting.
Future Time Can Contain Several Aspects
At one future reference point, one event may already be complete, another underway, and another still unbegun.
Pagdating mo bukas ng alas tres, naihanda na namin ang mga upuan.
When you arrive tomorrow at three, we will already have prepared the chairs.
Pagdating mo bukas ng alas tres, naghahanda pa kami ng ilaw sa entablado.
When you arrive tomorrow at three, we will still be setting up the stage lights.
Pagkatapos mong dumating, magsisimula kami ng pagsasanay.
After you arrive, we will begin the rehearsal.
Completed naihanda, incompleted naghahanda, and contemplated magsisimula all occur in a future-time scenario. Aspect describes each event's status relative to the future reference point.
The dedicated future completed-forms guide develops this sequencing.
Contemplated Forms in Past Expectations
Akala ko, aalis ang tren nang alas seis, pero naantala ito.
I thought the train would leave at six, but it was delayed.
Aalis was not yet begun relative to the earlier thought. The whole report is past, proving again that the form does not encode future time from the moment of speech.
Ipinangako ni Lito na dadalhin niya ang mga gamot kinabukasan.
Lito promised that he would bring the medicines the next day.
Contemplated dadalhin lies in the future of the past promise. Kinabukasan fixes the temporal relation.
Projection, Intention, and Possibility
The contemplated form is compatible with different modal forces. Context tells whether the event is a firm plan, forecast, willingness, or possibility.
Malamang uulan mamayang gabi, kaya ipasok natin ang mga damit.
It will probably rain tonight, so let us bring the clothes inside.
Talagang pupunta ako sa pagdinig kahit maaga itong magsimula.
I really will attend the hearing even if it starts early.
Malamang expresses probability; talaga strengthens commitment. Contemplated morphology itself does not encode certainty.
Basic Forms after Modals and in Commands
Balak naming magtanim ng mga punongkahoy sa Hunyo.
We plan to plant trees in June.
Basic magtanim is the complement of balak. It does not become magtatanim merely because June is later. An independent claim uses contemplated aspect:
Magtatanim kami ng mga punongkahoy sa Hunyo.
We will plant trees in June.
Directives likewise select the basic form:
Hindi mo ibibigay ang susi kay Nardo.
You will not give the key to Nardo.
Huwag mong ibigay ang susi kay Nardo.
Do not give the key to Nardo.
The contrast is constructional: hindi + contemplated rejects a projection, while huwag + basic issues a prohibition.
Negation, Questions, and a Short Exchange
Hindi kami sasakay sa unang bus dahil puno na raw iyon.
We will not take the first bus because it is reportedly already full.
—Sasama ba kayo sa amin bukas? —Oo, pero uuwi kami bago magdilim.
—Will you come with us tomorrow? —Yes, but we will go home before dark.
The question's kayo addresses a group. The reply's exclusive kami excludes the questioner; sa amin in the question refers to the speaker's group.
Lexical and Formation Limits
Contemplated formation belongs to a known voice family. Actor kakain and patient kakainin are different: the first selects the eater; the second selects what will be eaten. Vowel-initial, nasal-substituting, and complex-affix families have their own surface patterns.
Kakain si Olan ng mangga pagkatapos ng tanghalian.
Olan will eat a mango after lunch.
Kakainin ni Olan ang hinog na mangga pagkatapos ng tanghalian.
Olan will eat the ripe mango after lunch.
Do not infer voice from English word order. The affix family and the markers jointly reveal the alignment.
Common Mistakes
❌ Magluto si Nena ng pansit bukas.
Wrong for a neutral projected statement — basic magluto sounds directive, hortative, or dependent here.
✅ Magluluto si Nena ng pansit bukas para sa kaniyang mga bisita.
Nena will cook noodles tomorrow for her guests.
❌ Balak naming magtatanim ng kawayan sa Hunyo.
Incorrect — the event after balak is a dependent basic form.
✅ Balak naming magtanim ng kawayan sa Hunyo kapag nagsimula ang ulan.
We plan to plant bamboo in June when the rains begin.
❌ Aalis-ed ang tren nang alas seis ayon sa iskedyul.
Incorrect — English -ed cannot attach to contemplated aalis.
✅ Aalis ang tren nang alas seis ayon sa iskedyul.
The train will leave at six according to the schedule.
❌ Kakain ni Olan ang hinog na mangga mamaya.
Incorrect actor/patient mixing — a selected patient pivot requires kakainin.
✅ Kakainin ni Olan ang hinog na mangga mamaya.
Olan will eat the ripe mango later.
Key Takeaways
- Contemplated aspect presents an event as not yet begun, not simply future.
- A future-time frame can contain completed, incompleted, and contemplated events.
- Past expectations naturally use contemplated forms.
- Modal predicates and commands often select the basic form instead.
- Certainty, intention, and possibility come from the larger clause and discourse.
Related Topics
- Aspect Rather Than TenseB1 — Interpret Filipino verbs through completed, incompleted, and contemplated event viewpoints while letting context and time expressions locate the event.
- Infinitive and Contemplated FormsA2 — Distinguish aspect-neutral infinitive or basic verb forms from contemplated forms that present an event as not yet begun.
- Future Time with Completed Forms in ConditionalsB1 — Use completed forms in future-oriented conditional and temporal clauses when the result depends on reaching an event boundary.
- Aspect in CommandsB1 — Use basic verb forms for ordinary commands, contemplated forms for regular or emphatic directives, and huwag for prohibitions.
- Desire with gusto and naisB2 — Build desire and preference constructions with gusto and nais, including controller marking, voice, aspect, and register.
- Conditional Mood MeaningsB2 — Build open, predictive, inferred, polite, and counterfactual conditions through kung, aspect, particles, and context rather than a dedicated conditional conjugation.