Some common Filipino forms cannot be generated by copying the visible first syllable of a dictionary citation form. Kunin has kinukuha and kukunin; dalhin has dinadala and dadalhin; gawin has ginagawa and gagawin. The reduplication is systematic inside each family, but the stem itself alternates.
“Irregular” therefore covers several phenomena: contraction, a different stem allomorph, a lexicalized paradigm, or competing accepted sites for the copy. It does not mean that any unexpected form is permissible. Learn principal parts and marker frames together. All unlabelled examples below are neutral contemporary Filipino.
High-Frequency Principal Parts
| Basic | Completed | Incompleted | Contemplated | Main alternation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| bilhin | binili | binibili | bibilhin | bili reappears in begun forms |
| kunin | kinuha | kinukuha | kukunin | kun- / kuha stem alternation |
| dalhin | dinala | dinadala | dadalhin | contracted dalh- versus dala |
| gawin | ginawa | ginagawa | gagawin | gaw- / gawa alternation |
| sabihin | sinabi | sinasabi | sasabihin | suffixal and stem-shape alternation |
| maging | naging | nagiging | magiging | lexicalized aspect family |
These forms are related; they are not true go/went-style suppletion. What must be stored is which stem appears in which part of the paradigm.
The larger distinction between genuine replacement and stem alternation is explained in suppletive and highly irregular verb families.
Kuha: Do Not Reduplicate Kunin Mechanically
Kukunin ni Mara ang sobre sa tanggapan bukas.
Mara will collect the envelope from the office tomorrow. (contemplated; neutral)
Kinukuha pa ni Mara ang mga kalakip na dokumento sa kabinet.
Mara is still retrieving the attached documents from the cabinet. (incompleted; neutral)
The contemplated cell uses kuku- + nin, while the incompleted cell restores kuha inside kinukuha. An invented kinukunin wrongly treats kunin as an invariant stem. Kuhanin is also an accepted basic variant in contemporary dictionaries, but that does not remove the need to learn the compact kunin paradigm.
Dala, Gawa, and Sabi Rebuild Different Stems
Dadalhin ng mga tanod ang sirang mesa sa pagawaan mamaya.
The community guards will bring the broken table to the workshop later. (contemplated; neutral)
Sinasabi ng nars ang bawat tagubilin nang malinaw.
The nurse states each instruction clearly. (incompleted/habitual; neutral)
Dadalhin retains the contracted basic stem dalh-, but dinadala restores the final vowel of dala. Sasabihin retains -hin, while sinasabi uses the fuller sabi material.
The gawa family shows clearly why aspect is not tense. Both examples below are past because of kahapon, but the viewpoint differs.
Kahapon, ginagawa ni Enzo ang aparador nang maputol ang lagari.
Yesterday, Enzo was making the cabinet when the saw broke. (incompleted; neutral)
Kahapon, ginawa ni Enzo ang aparador at inilagay niya iyon sa silid.
Yesterday, Enzo made the cabinet and put it in the room. (completed; neutral)
Ginagawa is not a present tense, and ginawa is not selected merely because the time is past. The first looks inside the work; the second presents it as complete.
Maging Is a Stored High-Frequency Family
Nagiging madulas ang daan kapag tuloy-tuloy ang ulan.
The road becomes slippery when the rain continues. (incompleted/recurrent; neutral)
Magiging handa ang bulwagan bago dumating ang mga panauhin.
The hall will be ready before the guests arrive. (contemplated; neutral)
The forms naging, nagiging, magiging are conventional. Do not treat magiging as simple full repetition or attempt to derive it from an independent root ging. Its aspect morphology belongs to the lexical family of maging.
Accepted Competing Copy Sites
Complex maka-/naka- ability forms allow established variation. Widespread contemporary speech uses prefix-copy nakakarinig / makakarinig. Root-copy nakaririnig / makaririnig is also accepted and is especially visible in (formal) or (literary) usage.
Nakakarinig pa rin si Lolo ng kampana mula sa kabilang baryo.
Grandfather can still hear the bell from the next village. (widespread neutral contemporary form)
Nakaririnig pa rin si Lolo ng kampana mula sa kabilang baryo.
Grandfather can still hear the bell from the next village. (formal/literary root-copy variant)
These forms have the same aspect and actor-pivot alignment. Variation is not permission to combine both strategies into nakakaririnig. Preferences vary by speaker, word, and editorial tradition.
Some patient-voice families also preserve root-specific variants. Dakpin/dakipin “catch/arrest” has contemplated dadakpin; traditional darakipin and widespread contemporary dadakipin also occur. These forms must be labeled and learned for this family, not generalized into a free d/r rule.
A Short Exchange
—Bibilhin ba ninyo ang lumang kabinet? —Hindi pa; ginagawa pa ng karpintero ang kapalit.
—Will you buy the old cabinet? —Not yet; the carpenter is still making the replacement. (neutral conversation)
Contemplated bibilhin and incompleted ginagawa occur in the same present discussion. Their shapes come from separate stored families; neither agrees with the person or number of its actor.
Common Mistakes
Using the basic stem throughout the kuha paradigm
❌ Kinukunin ni Mara ang mga papeles ngayon.
Incorrect incompleted form — the established stem is kuha in kinukuha.
✅ Kinukuha ni Mara ang mga papeles ngayon.
Mara is collecting the papers now. (neutral)
Adding a regular suffix to the contemplated gawa form
❌ Gagawain ni Enzo ang istante bukas.
Incorrect stem formation — the established contemplated patient form is gagawin.
✅ Gagawin ni Enzo ang istante bukas.
Enzo will make the shelf tomorrow. (neutral)
Restoring the final vowel in the wrong dala cell
❌ Dadalain ng drayber ang mga kahon mamaya.
Incorrect contemplated form — the established contracted form is dadalhin.
✅ Dadalhin ng drayber ang mga kahon mamaya.
The driver will bring the boxes later. (neutral)
Blending prefix-copy and root-copy variants
❌ Nakakaririnig si Lolo ng mahinang tunog mula sa tore.
Incorrect hybrid — this combines two accepted copying strategies in one form.
✅ Nakakarinig si Lolo ng mahinang tunog mula sa tore.
Grandfather can hear a faint sound from the tower. (widespread neutral form)
The accepted root-copy alternative is nakaririnig, especially in (formal) or (literary) use.
Key Takeaways
- Most “irregular” reduplicated forms contain historically related but alternating stems.
- Learn principal parts for bilhin, kunin, dalhin, gawin, sabihin, and maging.
- Completed and incompleted forms still express viewpoint rather than English past and present tense.
- Some complex prefixes allow documented copy-site variation, with real register and speaker preferences.
Related Topics
- First-Syllable ReduplicationB1 — Form common incompleted and contemplated verbs by copying the initial prosodic material of an established root or stem rather than blindly repeating letters.
- Reduplication After PrefixesB1 — Locate aspectual reduplication inside prefixed verb families such as nagluluto, nagpapaluto, nakikipag-usap, and ipinapadala.
- Allomorphy After Vowels and GlidesB2 — Understand how Filipino verbal suffixes surface after vowel- and glide-final bases, including h insertion, contraction, vowel alternation, and lexical exceptions.
- Suppletive and Highly Irregular Verb FamiliesC1 — Learn the small set of Filipino predicate systems with replacement forms and the larger set of verb families with lexical stem alternations.
- The -in- patient voice: Incompleted-Aspect FormationB1 — Build incompleted -in patient-voice forms through infixation and reduplication for ongoing, habitual, and backgrounded events.
- The maka- ability: Incompleted-Aspect FormationB1 — Build common contemporary incompleted maka- forms with nakaka- for recurring perception and continuing access to an ability or opportunity.