nito, niyan, and niyon as Ng-Forms | Filipino Grammar

Nito, niyan, and niyon are the ng-form demonstratives. They can replace an ng + noun phrase as a non-pivot theme, express possession after a noun, or identify another participant that the construction assigns to the ng series. Their distance contrast remains three-way: near the speaker, near the addressee, and away from both.

English often translates these forms with “this/that,” “of this/that,” or “its.” None of those glosses chooses the Filipino form by itself. Voice and phrase structure decide whether the entity should be ang-form ito, ng-form nito, or locative dito.

This alignment extends the role system explained on the ng marker page; the demonstrative form replaces the entire marked phrase rather than following a separate ng.

Forms and linked variants

Distance	Standalone or post-noun	Before a noun	Illustrative phrase
near the speaker	nito	nitong	takip nito / kulay nitong tela
near the addressee	niyan	niyang	hawakan niyan / presyo niyang bag
away from both	niyon	niyong	bubong niyon / bintana niyong bahay

The linked forms follow the regular rule: vowel-final nito takes -ng, while forms ending in n take -g. Written niyang is ambiguous between demonstrative niyan + -g and personal possessive niya + -ng “his/her.” A fuller noun phrase—ng bag na iyan or ng bag niya—can remove ambiguity.

The distal form noon also remains current beside niyon, especially in established temporal or discourse expressions such as pagkatapos noon “after that.” Because contemporary noon is strongly associated with past time—“then/when”—this page uses niyon for ordinary concrete distal entity relations. That choice prevents ambiguity in standard expository writing without treating noon as obsolete.

Non-pivot themes under actor voice

An actor-voice predicate selects its actor as pivot and commonly assigns the affected or selected item to the ng series.

Kumuha ako nito para ipakita sa tagapangasiwa.

I took one of these/some of this to show the administrator.

Tumikim ka niyan bago ka kumuha ng buong hiwa.

Taste some of that by you before taking a whole slice.

Gumamit sila niyon sa pagkukumpuni ng lumang bangka.

They used that over there to repair the old boat.

In these actor-voice clauses, ako, ka, and sila are actor pivots. The demonstrated item appears as nito, niyan, or niyon. Adding separate ng would be redundant because the demonstrative itself encodes the ng-form relation.

A controlled comparison isolates distance:

Kumuha ka nito kung gusto mo ang maanghang; kumuha ka niyan kung gusto mo ang matamis.

Take some of this by me if you want the spicy one; take some of that by you if you want the sweet one.

The verb and role stay the same. Only the location of the available food relative to speaker and addressee changes.

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With actor voice, a demonstrated non-pivot item often uses nito/niyan/niyon. With patient voice selecting that item, switch to ito/iyan/iyon.

Voice changes the form

Compare an actor-voice clause with a patient-voice clause referring to the same nearby item:

Gumamit ako nito para buksan ang kahon.

I used this to open the box.

Ginamit ko ito para buksan ang kahon.

I used this to open the box.

Actor-voice gumamit selects ako as pivot and uses ng-form nito for the instrument/theme. Patient-voice ginamit selects the demonstrated item as pivot, so it becomes ang-form ito; actor ako correspondingly becomes ko. English gives both clauses the same subject and object structure, hiding the Filipino alternation.

Ng-form demonstratives can also identify a non-pivot actor or causer when context licenses an inanimate agent:

Sinira nito ang manipis na tela habang umiikot.

This machine/thing tore the thin fabric while it was spinning.

The referent must already be visible or established. For a known person, use a personal name, role, or personal pronoun rather than routinely reducing the person to nito/niyan/niyon.

Possession and part–whole relations

After a possessed noun, an ng-form demonstrative can mean “of this/that” or natural English “its.”

Maluwag na ang takip nito, kaya madaling tumapon ang laman.

Its lid is loose now, so the contents spill easily.

Napunit ba ang bulsa niyan habang naglalakad ka?

Did the pocket of that by you tear while you were walking?

Kupas na ang pintura niyon dahil laging bilad sa araw.

The paint on that over there has faded because it is always exposed to the sun.

The demonstrative does not encode grammatical gender. English “its” is chosen only because the referent is inanimate.

Before the possessed noun, use the linked forms:

Nagustuhan ko ang kulay nitong kurtina sa tabi ko.

I liked the color of this curtain beside me.

Hindi malinaw ang bilang sa gilid niyong kahon sa bodega.

The number on the side of that box over there in the storeroom is unclear.

The alternatives kulay ng kurtinang ito and gilid ng kahong iyon are also standard and often easier for learners to parse. The two orders package the same deictic relation differently.

Questions, negation, and a short exchange

—Gusto mo ba nito o niyan? —Nito na lang; mas sariwa ang amoy.

—Do you want some of this by me or that by you? —This one; it smells fresher.

The answer uses ng-form nito because the omitted frame is gusto ko nito. This is a genuine ng-form environment licensed by gusto, not an English object rule.

Hindi ako gagamit niyon hangga't hindi natin nasusuri kung ligtas.

I will not use that over there until we have checked whether it is safe.

Negation does not change the demonstrated item's ng-form relation with actor-voice gagamit. Inclusive natin shows that the addressee joins the safety check.

Nito is an entity relation; dito is a location

The initial consonant distinguishes a central grammatical contrast:

Bumili kami nito sa tindahang malapit sa terminal.

We bought this at the shop near the terminal.

Dito kami bumili bago sumakay ng bus.

We bought it here before boarding the bus.

Nito is the item bought; dito is the place of buying. The second clause can omit the bought item because context supplies it. English may use “this” for both an object and a place phrase, but Filipino selects different series.

The shortened n'yan is common (informal) in messages and rapid speech. Careful writing uses niyan. Distal niyon may alternate with temporal-looking noon, especially in established time and discourse expressions, but niyon is the clearest form for an ordinary concrete demonstrative relation.

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After a noun, ask whether the relation means “of this/that”: takip nito, bulsa niyan, pintura niyon. For “here/there,” choose the locative series instead.

Common Mistakes

Using an ang-form item after an actor-voice verb

❌ Bumili ako ito sa palengke kaninang umaga.

Incorrect — actor-voice bumili assigns the bought item to the ng series.

✅ Bumili ako nito sa palengke kaninang umaga.

I bought this at the market this morning.

Keeping an ng-form item as a patient-voice pivot

❌ Inayos ko nito bago dumating ang may-ari.

Incorrect for ‘I repaired this’ — patient-voice inayos selects the item as pivot.

✅ Inayos ko ito bago dumating ang may-ari.

I repaired this before the owner arrived.

Using an entity form for possession

❌ Sira na ang hawakan ito.

Incorrect — ‘the handle of this’ requires the ng-form demonstrative.

✅ Sira na ang hawakan nito.

The handle of this is already broken.

Using a locative when the intended referent is an item

❌ Kumuha siya dito para sa meryenda.

Wrong for ‘He/She took some of this’ — dito identifies a location.

✅ Kumuha siya nito para sa meryenda.

He/She took some of this for a snack.

Omitting the linker before a following noun

❌ Hindi ko gusto ang amoy nito sabon.

Incorrect — nito must link to the following noun.

✅ Hindi ko gusto ang amoy nitong sabon.

I do not like the smell of this soap.

Key Takeaways

Nito, niyan, and niyon encode ng-form relations at the three deictic distances.
They can mark non-pivot themes, possessors, and contextually licensed actors or causers.
Voice controls nito versus ito: gumamit ako nito but ginamit ko ito.
Link a pre-noun form: nitong, niyang, and niyong.
Use niyon for ordinary distal reference; noon is now strongly associated with past time.

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