Filipino uses the root sabi in several reporting frames. Predicate sabi ni/niya is especially common in conversation, verbal sinabi ni/niya integrates the report into a clause, and ayon kay/sa provides explicit attribution in formal prose. A report may reproduce exact words or embed their content, but Filipino does not automatically copy English tense backshift or English word order.
The main reporting frames
| Frame | Typical use | Register |
|---|---|---|
| Sabi ni Mara, … | Introduces what a named person said | Neutral, especially conversational |
| Ang sabi niya, … | Makes the reported content or formulation topical | Neutral |
| Sinabi ni Mara na… | Embeds propositional content after a completed reporting event | Neutral in speech and writing |
| Sinabi niyang… | Compact report with niya + -ng | Neutral |
| Ayon kay Mara / ayon sa ulat… | Names a personal or documentary source | Formal, academic, journalistic |
| reported clause + daw/raw | Marks information as coming from another source | Neutral; common in conversation and news retelling |
With a personal name, the source after sabi is marked by ni; with a pronoun, use the ng-series form niya, nila, namin, and so on.
Sabi ni Mara, maagang magsisimula ang pagpupulong bukas.
Mara says the meeting will start early tomorrow.
Ang sabi nila, kailangan munang suriin ang tulay bago ito buksan.
What they said is that the bridge must first be inspected before it is opened.
Sabi in these frames is a predicate, not an English verb requiring a subject before it. Ni Mara identifies the source; it is not the actor phrase of a finite English-style “said.”
Direct quotation versus embedded content
An independent statement can be reported without changing its internal Filipino structure:
Magbubukas ang bagong klinika sa unang linggo ng Hunyo.
The new clinic will open in the first week of June.
As a direct quotation, those exact words appear inside quotation marks:
Sinabi ng alkalde, “Magbubukas ang bagong klinika sa unang linggo ng Hunyo.”
The mayor said, “The new clinic will open in the first week of June.”
As indirect speech, na links the reporting predicate to the proposition:
Sinabi ng alkalde na magbubukas ang bagong klinika sa unang linggo ng Hunyo.
The mayor said that the new clinic would open in the first week of June.
The English translation uses would because English commonly backshifts after a past reporting verb. Filipino retains contemplated magbubukas because the opening was prospective from the reported viewpoint. The page on Complement Clauses with na explains the linker allomorphs.
When the source is a pronoun, the linker can attach to it:
Sinabi niyang hindi pa handa ang lahat ng silid para sa mga pasyente.
She said that not all the rooms were ready for the patients yet.
This is niya + -ng, not a special form of sabi. The negative predicate hindi pa handa belongs inside the reported content.
Sabi with daw/raw
Daw/raw can relay a report without a separate speech verb, or it can occur inside content whose source has already been named.
Ayon kay Mila, ipapadala raw ng tanggapan ang bagong iskedyul mamayang hapon.
According to Mila, the office will reportedly send the new schedule this afternoon.
Sabi ng kapitan, ligtas na raw ang kalsada sa may ilog.
The barangay captain says the road by the river is reportedly safe now.
The explicit source and the reportive particle may seem redundant in English, but the combination is natural: the source phrase identifies who spoke, while raw marks the following proposition as reported rather than directly vouched for by the current speaker. In careful allomorphy, use raw after a vowel or w/y, and daw after other consonants. Established contemporary variation is discussed on daw and raw: Reported Information.
If the report concerns only one embedded proposition, particle placement helps show its scope:
Sinabi ni Rina na bukas daw ang botika hanggang alas-diyes.
Rina said that the pharmacy was reportedly open until ten.
Putting raw with the matrix predicate—Sinabi raw ni Rina…—instead attributes the act of Rina’s saying to another source: “Rina reportedly said…”. The two sentences need not have the same evidential structure.
Reporting questions and instructions
A reported yes–no question is normally embedded with kung, not copied with direct-question ba.
Tinanong ni Joel kung nakarating na ang mga dokumento sa embahada.
Joel asked whether the documents had reached the embassy.
With a question word, retain that word inside the embedded question:
Tinanong ng tagapangasiwa kung bakit hindi gumagana ang ilaw sa pasilyo.
The administrator asked why the hallway light was not working.
Sabi can introduce a reported instruction, especially in conversation. The lower verb must still use the command or contemplated form appropriate to the intended action.
Sabi ni Tatay, dalhin natin sa pagawaan ang bisikleta bago lumala ang sira.
Dad said we should take the bicycle to the repair shop before the damage gets worse.
Here inclusive natin presents the current speaker and addressee as sharing the task. If the original instruction included different people, the pronoun must change when the report is retold.
Source, recipient, and voice
In a verbal reporting clause, the speaker is marked according to the verb’s voice and the content or message may be the pivot.
Sinabi ni Teresa sa mga magulang ang dahilan ng pagbabago sa iskedyul.
Teresa told the parents the reason for the schedule change.
Completed patient-voice sinabi presents ang dahilan as pivot, ni Teresa as actor/source, and sa mga magulang as recipient. When a clause supplies the content instead, it follows through the linker: Sinabi ni Teresa sa mga magulang na…. English tell someone something does not license changing these markers at will.
Formal attribution often avoids conversational sabi:
Ayon sa paunang ulat, nasira ang dalawang poste dahil sa malakas na hangin.
According to the preliminary report, two utility poles were damaged by the strong wind. (formal)
Ayon kay introduces a person; ayon sa introduces a document, institution, or nonpersonal source. Academic writing should also distinguish what a source states from what the current author infers.
Reporting in connected discourse
—Tuloy ba ang palihan sa Sabado? —Oo. Sabi ni Lani, kinumpirma na raw ng lahat ng tagapagsalita ang pagdalo nila.
—Is the workshop going ahead on Saturday? —Yes. Lani says that all the speakers have reportedly confirmed their attendance.
The response names Lani as the immediate source and uses raw after vowel-final na. Patient-voice kinumpirma makes ang pagdalo nila the pivot of the reported confirmation.
Common Mistakes
Marking a personal source with ng
❌ Sabi ng Amira, sarado ang tanggapan sa Lunes.
Incorrect—an unmodified personal name takes ni after sabi.
✅ Sabi ni Amira, sarado ang tanggapan sa Lunes.
Amira says the office is closed on Monday.
Translating English that as iyon
❌ Sinabi ni Arman iyon darating ang inspektor bukas.
Incorrect—iyon is a demonstrative, not a complement linker.
✅ Sinabi ni Arman na darating ang inspektor bukas.
Arman said that the inspector would arrive tomorrow.
Copying English backshift into Filipino aspect
❌ Sinabi ni Elena na dumating siya kinabukasan.
Incorrect for a still-prospective arrival—completed dumating presents the arrival as achieved.
✅ Sinabi ni Elena na darating siya kinabukasan.
Elena said that she would arrive the following day.
Retaining ba inside an embedded polar question
❌ Tinanong ni Luis na natapos na ba ang pagkukumpuni.
Incorrect indirect-question frame—na and embedded ba copy a direct question.
✅ Tinanong ni Luis kung natapos na ang pagkukumpuni.
Luis asked whether the repairs had been completed.
Key Takeaways
Use sabi ni/niya for common reporting, sinabi…na/-ng for an integrated content clause, and ayon kay/sa for explicit formal attribution. Preserve the embedded proposition’s Filipino aspect, voice, and markers rather than applying English backshift. Use kung for reported questions, place daw/raw according to its evidential scope, and track the current reporter, original speaker, and reported participants separately.
Related Topics
- Complement Clauses with naC1 — Learn how na and its linker allomorphs introduce statements embedded after predicates of knowledge, speech, belief, and evaluation.
- Indirect Speech and PerspectiveC1 — Shift person, place, time, politeness, and evidential perspective when retelling someone’s words in Filipino.
- Embedded Questions with kungC1 — Embed yes–no, alternative, and question-word content with kung while keeping matrix question force and lower-clause voice distinct.
- daw and raw: Reported InformationB1 — Use daw or raw to attribute information, questions, or instructions to another source while following careful allomorphy and enclitic order.
- Logophoric Effects in Reported DiscourseC2 — Track whose voice, beliefs, and perspective shape pronoun and deictic interpretation inside Filipino reported discourse.
- Academic FilipinoC2 — Build evidence-centered academic Filipino through explicit claims, disciplined terminology, coherent information structure, and purposeful language choice.