Laban sa marks opposition to a proposal, person, force, condition, or opponent. It also appears in descriptions of protection and remedies: bakuna laban sa trangkaso “a vaccine against influenza.” The shared idea is counteraction, resistance, or an opposing side.
English against also describes physical contact, comparison, and time pressure. Those meanings do not automatically use laban sa. Filipino selects a construction that describes the actual relation: nakasandal sa pader “leaning against the wall,” kumpara sa “compared with,” or hinahabol ang oras “racing against time.”
Core opposition patterns
| Pattern | Function | Example meaning |
|---|---|---|
| laban sa + issue/thing/group | opposed to | against the proposal |
| laban kay + name | against one named person | against Mara |
| laban kina + names | against a named group | against Mara and Lino |
| laban sa + sa-form pronoun | personal pronominal opponent | laban sa kaniya |
| proteksiyon/gamot laban sa... | countermeasure or prevention | protection/remedy against |
| lumaban sa/kay... | verb of resisting or fighting | fight against |
Neutral laban sa is common across speech and writing. Kontra sa is widespread in conversation and journalism (informal/neutral journalistic); tutol sa means “opposed to,” while salungat sa often means “contrary to” in careful or (formal) prose. These overlap without being exact synonyms in every clause.
Stance toward an issue
Laban sa panukalang putulin ang matatandang puno ang maraming residente.
Many residents oppose the proposal to cut down the old trees.
The predicate phrase laban sa panukala... comes first; ang maraming residente is the pivot. No copula is needed. The linker -ng connects panukala to the modifying action.
Hindi ako laban sa pagbabago, pero kailangan nating pag-aralan ang epekto nito.
I am not against change, but we need to study its effects.
Hindi negates the stance predicate. Wala would express absence, not lack of opposition.
A matching positive stance often uses pabor sa:
Pabor ang samahan sa dagdag na biyahe ngunit laban sa pagtaas ng pamasahe.
The association supports additional trips but opposes a fare increase.
Both phrases take sa complements, but their lexical heads give opposite orientations.
Personal opponents and markers
One named opponent takes kay; a coordinated named group takes kina.
Makikipagtalo si Celia kay Arturo tungkol sa mungkahing badyet.
Celia will argue with Arturo about the proposed budget.
The verb makikipagtalo already encodes reciprocal participation; personal opponent kay Arturo fills its oblique relation. A more explicit opposition phrase is makikipagtalo laban kay Arturo, but this can sound like a contest framing rather than an ordinary disagreement.
Lalaban ang aming koponan kina Nilo at Ben sa huling laro.
Our team will compete against Nilo and Ben in the final game.
For pronouns, keep sa:
Ayokong makipagtalo laban sa iyo dahil magkapangkat tayo.
I don't want to argue against you because we're on the same team.
In ordinary interaction, makipagtalo sa iyo is often enough; adding laban foregrounds adversarial alignment. This accepted variation changes framing, not grammatical person.
Protection, treatment, and prevention
Naglagay sila ng harang laban sa pagpasok ng tubig-baha.
They installed a barrier against floodwater entering.
May libreng bakuna laban sa trangkaso sa sentro ng kalusugan.
Free influenza vaccine is available at the health center.
The protected person need not be stated. Laban sa identifies the threat or condition counteracted. For a remedy used for a symptom, Filipino may instead choose gamot sa ubo “medicine for cough.” Both gamot sa... and gamot laban sa... occur, but laban sa emphasizes combating or preventing the condition.
Physical contact does not use laban
Nakasandal sa pader ang bisikleta.
The bicycle is leaning against the wall.
The wall is a physical support/location, so broad sa is enough. Laban sa pader would suggest opposition to the wall, not mere contact.
Likewise, comparison uses a comparison construction:
Mas mababa ang gastos ngayong taon kumpara sa nakaraang taon.
Costs are lower this year compared with last year.
English can say measured against last year, but literal laban sa nakaraang taon would wrongly personify the earlier year as an opponent.
Questions and scope
Laban saan ang bagong patakarang ito?
What is this new policy intended to counter?
For a personal opponent, use laban kanino:
—Laban kanino ang susunod ninyong laro? —Laban kina Rosa at Pilar mula sa kabilang barangay.
—Who are you playing against next? —Against Rosa and Pilar from the neighboring barangay.
Kanino already carries the personal oblique relation, so laban sa sino is not the careful standard form.
Negation can apply to the stance or to the complement contrast:
Hindi laban sa mga manggagawa ang reklamo kundi laban sa paraang ipinatupad ng pamunuan.
The complaint is not against the workers but against the method used by management.
The hindi... kundi... frame explicitly corrects the target of opposition.
A connected context
Pabor si Mila sa bagong tulay, pero laban siya sa pagputol ng mga punong nasa tabing-ilog. Para sa kaniya, dapat humanap ang inhinyero ng ibang ruta.
Mila supports the new bridge, but she opposes cutting the trees along the river. In her view, the engineer should find another route.
The second clause uses laban siya sa... with an ang-form pronoun pivot. Para sa kaniya shifts from opposition to viewpoint; English for her and against do not map onto one Filipino marker each.
For the broader marker logic, see sa as a general relator.
Common Mistakes
Using laban for physical contact
❌ Nakasandal laban sa puno ang hagdan.
Incorrect for simple physical support — laban frames opposition, not contact.
✅ Nakasandal sa puno ang hagdan.
The ladder is leaning against the tree.
Keeping sa before a personal name
❌ Lalaban si Mico sa Daniel sa paligsahan.
Incorrect standard personal marking — one named opponent takes kay.
✅ Lalaban si Mico kay Daniel sa paligsahan.
Mico will compete against Daniel in the contest.
Using laban sa for comparison
❌ Mas mabilis ang serbisyo laban sa dati.
Incorrect English-preposition transfer — the intended relation is comparison, not opposition.
✅ Mas mabilis ang serbisyo kumpara sa dati.
The service is faster than before.
Key Takeaways
Use laban sa for opposition, an adversary, or a countermeasure; use laban kay/kina with personal names and laban sa kaniya with a pronoun. Keep it separate from physical-contact sa, comparison kumpara sa, and other English uses of against. Pabor sa, tutol sa, kontra sa, and salungat sa overlap with different nuances and registers.
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- kina for Plural Personal ObliquesA1 — Use kina before a coordinated or associated personal group in recipient, destination, source, and other oblique roles.
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