Filipino quantity phrases normally connect a number to the following noun with a linker: dalawang libro, apat na kahon. When a unit is present, the fuller pattern is number + linker + unit + ng + contents: dalawang kilo ng bigas. English speakers must learn both joins; English uses neither a linker after two nor a marker equivalent to ng before rice.
The full measure pattern
| Part | Job | Example |
|---|---|---|
| number | states count | dalawa |
| numerical linker | connects number and unit | -ng |
| unit/counter | names measure or grouping | kilo |
| ng phrase | names measured contents | ng bigas |
| complete phrase | one quantity | dalawang kilo ng bigas |
Bumili kami ng dalawang kilo ng bigas para sa isang linggo.
We bought two kilos of rice for one week. (neutral)
Pakidala ang apat na bote ng tubig sa mesa.
Please bring the four bottles of water to the table. (neutral)
The first ng before dalawang is the outer phrase marker selected by actor-voice bumili. Attached -ng in dalawang is the numerical linker. Separate ng before bigas identifies the contents. Similar spellings do not mean identical functions.
Choosing -ng, -g, or na
The final sound of the number expression determines the linker:
- vowel → attached -ng: isang tasa, dalawang metro, limang piraso;
- final n → attached -g: isandaang gramo;
- other consonant → separate na: apat na kahon, anim na litro.
Anim na litro ng pintura ang kailangan para sa dalawang silid.
Six liters of paint are needed for two rooms. (neutral)
Isandaang gramo ng keso ang ilagay mo sa sarsa.
Put one hundred grams of cheese in the sauce. (neutral instruction)
The linker is chosen before considering animacy, definiteness, or the unit's first letter. Review the general pattern in Measure and Classifier-Like Nouns.
Common units and what they count
| Unit | Use | Phrase |
|---|---|---|
| piraso | piece/item | tatlong piraso ng papel |
| pares | pair | dalawang pares ng medyas |
| bote, baso, tasa | container/serving | isang baso ng gatas |
| kilo, gramo, litro, metro | standard measure | limang metro ng lubid |
| kahon, sako, bungkos | container/group | isang bungkos ng pechay |
Kailangan ko ng tatlong metro ng tela para sa kurtina.
I need three meters of cloth for the curtain. (neutral)
Isang pares ng medyas lang ang dala niya.
They brought only one pair of socks. (neutral)
Filipino does not require a classifier for every discrete noun. Count whole items directly: tatlong mangga, limang aklat. Use piraso only when the item is conceptualized as a piece or generic unit.
Dalawang mangga at tatlong piraso ng pakwan ang binili ko.
I bought two mangoes and three pieces of watermelon. (neutral)
Lexical patterns and number traditions
Some grouping nouns link directly to the counted item: isang dosenang itlog “a dozen eggs.” Standard measures more often use separate ng: isang kilo ng itlog. Learn this second boundary with the unit; there is no universal English “of” formula.
Umorder sila ng isang dosenang itlog at dalawang kahon ng inumin.
They ordered a dozen eggs and two boxes of drinks. (neutral)
Native dalawang kilo is the safe standard Filipino form. Spanish-derived dos kilos occurs in established market speech, while English two kilos is common in informal or code-switched market and technical settings. When the surrounding syntax is Filipino, the native form supplies the clearest linker pattern. Written labels such as 2 kg omit spoken morphology; read within a Filipino sentence, they can still be realized as dalawang kilo.
This is a register choice, not a difference in physical measurement. A recipe, market exchange, and laboratory report may favor different spoken number systems while referring to the same quantity; the Filipino phrase structure remains clearest in dalawang kilo ng….
Exact, approximate, and interrogative quantities
An exact numeral normally excludes plural mga. Before a numeral, mga means “about”: mga tatlong litro “about three liters.”
Mga limang kahon ng gamot ang darating bukas.
About five boxes of medicine will arrive tomorrow. (neutral estimate)
Use ilan + linker to ask how many: ilang kilo, ilang bote, ilang piraso.
Ilang litro ng tubig ang kasya sa lalagyang ito?
How many liters of water fit in this container? (neutral question)
A short exchange
— Ilang tasang kape ang ihahanda ko? — Apat na tasa, pero isa lang ang walang asukal.
— How many cups of coffee should I prepare? — Four cups, but only one without sugar. (informal conversation)
Ilang tasang kape uses attached linkers at both boundaries; ilang tasa ng kape is also neutral and makes the contents boundary explicit. The answer omits the repeated coffee phrase because it is recoverable.
Common Mistakes
1. Omitting the numerical linker
❌ Nagdala siya ng tatlo litro ng mantika.
Incorrect — tatlo must link to litro.
✅ Nagdala siya ng tatlong litro ng mantika.
They brought three liters of cooking oil. (neutral)
2. Writing nang before contents
❌ Kailangan natin ng tatlong bote nang suka.
Incorrect — suka names the contents and takes ng.
✅ Kailangan natin ng tatlong bote ng suka.
We need three bottles of vinegar. (neutral)
3. Adding a foreign plural ending
❌ Apat na litros ng pintura ang binili nila.
Nonstandard in careful Filipino syntax—litro stays unchanged after a number.
✅ Apat na litro ng pintura ang binili nila.
They bought four liters of paint. (neutral)
4. Inserting piraso mechanically
❌ May tatlong piraso ng upuan sa silid.
Misleading for three intact chairs in an ordinary room description—piraso suggests pieces or specially counted units.
✅ May tatlong upuan sa silid.
There are three chairs in the room. (neutral)
Key Takeaways
- Use number + linker + unit + ng + contents for ordinary measures.
- Choose -ng, -g, or na from the number's final sound.
- Count ordinary whole nouns directly; counters add a meaningful unit.
- Units do not take English plural endings in careful Filipino syntax.
- Mga + numeral means approximation, not ordinary plurality.
Now practice Filipino
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Start learning Filipino →Related Topics
- Measure and Classifier-Like NounsA1 — Build quantities such as dalawang kilo ng bigas with a numeral, linker, measure noun, and ng-marked contents.
- Native Cardinal NumbersA1 — Count and build exact quantity phrases with native Filipino cardinals, their compound forms, and required linkers.
- Money and PricesA1 — Ask and state Philippine prices using piso, sentimo, native quantities, established Spanish-derived forms, and modern written notation.
- Linkers with NumbersA2 — Build exact, approximate, ordinal, and measure expressions by linking Filipino numbers to the nouns they count.
- When to Write ng and nangA1 — Choose ng for marked noun phrases and possession, and nang for time, manner, purpose, degree, and repeated actions.