Third-Person Plural sila, nila, and kanila | Filipino Grammar

Filipino uses three principal third-person plural forms according to phrase function: sila for an ang-form pivot, nila for a ng-form non-pivot actor or possessor, and (sa) kanila for oblique and long possessive functions. English they/them/their is not a dependable map because Filipino voice, not English subject–object position, determines the form.

The three-form set

Series	Form	Main functions	Full noun-phrase comparison
ang-form	sila	Plural pivot; independent or early pronoun	ang mga boluntaryo
ng-form	nila	Non-pivot actor; possessor after a noun	ng mga boluntaryo
sa-form	sa kanila	Recipient, destination, beneficiary, other oblique	sa mga boluntaryo
Long possessive	kanila, kanilang	“theirs”; pre-head “their”	pag-aari ng mga boluntaryo

None of these forms distinguishes gender. Sila can refer to women, men, or a mixed group.

Replace the whole phrase, not one English word

Compare a full actor-pivot noun phrase with its pronoun replacement:

Dumating ang mga boluntaryo bago mag-alas-otso.

The volunteers arrived before eight o'clock.

Dumating sila bago mag-alas-otso.

They arrived before eight o'clock.

Actor-voice/intransitive dumating selects the arriving group as pivot, so ang mga boluntaryo becomes sila. Do not add ang before it; the pronoun already carries the ang-form relation.

Under patient voice, the same people as actors take nila:

Inihanda ng mga boluntaryo ang mga kahon para sa pamamahagi.

The volunteers prepared the boxes for distribution.

Inihanda nila ang mga kahon para sa pamamahagi.

They prepared the boxes for distribution.

The boxes are the patient pivot. English still uses subject they, but Filipino uses non-pivot actor nila.

For an oblique recipient, use sa kanila:

Nagpadala ako ng pagkain sa mga boluntaryo.

I sent food to the volunteers.

Nagpadala ako ng pagkain sa kanila.

I sent food to them.

💡

Replace the complete marked phrase: ang mga tao → sila, ng mga tao → nila, and sa mga tao → sa kanila. English pronoun position is secondary.

Sila as pivot

Sila can be the actor pivot of an actor-voice verb, the patient pivot of a patient-voice verb, or the pivot of a nonverbal predicate.

Pagod sila matapos ang maghapong paglilinis.

They are tired after cleaning all day.

Tinawagan sila ng tagapamahala kaninang tanghali.

The manager called them at noon.

The second example is the crucial English contrast: them is an English object, but sila is the Filipino patient pivot selected by tinawagan. Ng tagapamahala is the non-pivot actor.

Plural personal pronouns prototypically refer to people and other salient animate beings. Contemporary speakers also extend sila to salient inanimate referents, especially in conversation (informal/conversational). In careful neutral prose, a demonstrative phrase such as ang mga iyon is often the clearer choice for ordinary objects. Affectionate reference to pets readily patterns like personal reference (informal).

Nila as actor and possessor

As an actor clitic, nila normally appears early after the predicate or negator.

Hindi pa nila binubuksan ang pangunahing pinto.

They have not opened the main door yet.

The natural early sequence is hindi + pa + nila in this clause. Contemporary speakers also produce ordering variation with some particle–pronoun combinations, but the dedicated pronoun position page gives the careful patterns.

As a possessor, nila follows the possessed noun.

Nasa silid sa dulo ang mga gamit nila.

Their belongings are in the room at the end.

The same form has a different host: in gamit nila, it belongs inside the noun phrase rather than the clause's initial clitic cluster.

Kanila in oblique and possessive constructions

After relational words such as para, the overt sa is retained.

Para sa kanila ang mga pagkaing walang karne.

The meat-free dishes are for them.

Bare kanila can be a possessive predicate, while kanilang precedes a noun with linker -ng.

Kanila ang maliit na tindahan sa kanto.

The small shop on the corner is theirs.

Kanilang mungkahi ang sinunod ng lupon.

The committee followed their proposal.

The pre-head long form is natural in deliberate or formal prose (formal); everyday conversation often prefers mungkahi nila.

Omission and connected discourse

An established argument can be omitted when the verb and context make it recoverable.

—Nakita mo ba ang mga bata? —Oo, nakita ko sa palaruan.

—Did you see the children? —Yes, I saw them at the playground.

The reply does not require overt sila: patient-voice nakita ko permits the understood patient pivot to remain unspoken. Repeating sila is possible when contrast or clarity requires it.

Nasa labas ba sila, o umuwi na?

Are they outside, or have they gone home already?

The second coordinated clause omits sila because the referent continues unchanged. Formal writing (formal) repeats a noun or pronoun sooner when several plural groups could compete for reference.

💡

Filipino often omits an established participant. Do not insert sila into every clause just because English repeats they; repeat it when reference or contrast needs help.

Common Mistakes

Choosing sila because English has subject they

❌ Inayos sila ang mga sirang upuan.

Incorrect — patient voice requires a ng-form actor.

✅ Inayos nila ang mga sirang upuan.

They repaired the broken chairs.

The chairs are the patient pivot. The actors are non-pivot nila despite English subject they.

Using nila after sa

❌ Ibinigay ko sa nila ang mga susi.

Incorrect — the plural oblique form is sa kanila.

✅ Ibinigay ko sa kanila ang mga susi.

I gave them the keys.

Do not combine sa with the short ng-form pronoun.

Adding ang before sila

❌ Ang sila ang namamahala sa talaan.

Incorrect — sila already belongs to the ang-form series.

✅ Sila ang namamahala sa talaan.

They are the ones managing the list.

Ordinary noun markers do not stack before an ang-form personal pronoun.

Using an ng-form as an inanimate pivot

❌ Basa nila kaya inilagay ko sa araw ang mga tuwalya.

Incorrect for 'They are wet' — nila cannot serve as the pivot of basa.

✅ Basa ang mga iyon kaya inilagay ko sa araw ang mga tuwalya.

Those are wet, so I put the towels in the sun.

Ang mga iyon is a reliable careful choice for ordinary objects. Conversational Basa sila also occurs when the objects are highly salient, but that extension still uses ang-form sila, never ng-form nila as the pivot.

Key Takeaways

Use sila for a plural personal pivot, nila for a non-pivot actor or post-noun possessor, and sa kanila for an oblique. Bare kanila means “theirs,” while kanilang can precede a noun. Voice and clitic syntax—not English they/them/their labels—select the form, and established plural referents can be omitted when context remains clear.

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