Verb Reference: dala | Filipino Grammar

The root dala describes carrying or bringing something along. Its central network contrasts magdala with a carrier pivot, dalhin with the carried thing as pivot, dalhan with a recipient or destination as pivot, and lexicalized ipadala “send” with the sent item as pivot. The last construction usually describes arranged conveyance, not the sender personally accompanying the item.

All unlabelled examples are neutral contemporary Filipino. The irregular-form guide explains why dala must be learned through principal parts.

Core Paradigms

Family and pivot	Basic	Completed	Incompleted	Contemplated
carrier pivot, actor voice	magdala	nagdala	nagdadala	magdadala
carried-theme pivot, patient voice	dalhin	dinala	dinadala	dadalhin
recipient/destination pivot	dalhan	dinalhan	dinadalhan	dadalhan
sent-theme pivot, lexicalized causative/conveyance	ipadala	ipinadala	ipinapadala / ipinadadala	ipapadala / ipadadala

Basic dalhin loses the final a of dala. Completed dinala and incompleted dinadala restore the fuller root shape, while contemplated dadalhin uses the contracted stem again. Do not invent dalahin for the ordinary verb “bring.”

The ipa- family permits both causative-copy ipinapadala/ipapadala and root-copy ipinadadala/ipadadala. These accepted variants keep the sent theme as pivot; they are not permission to blend the paradigm into unattested ipidinala forms.

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Learn dalhin—dinala—dinadala—dadalhin as four principal parts. The stem alternation is more reliable than a letter-by-letter suffix rule.

Carrier Pivot versus Carried-Theme Pivot

Nagdala si Pio ng termos ng kape sa pulong.

Pio brought a thermos of coffee to the meeting. (carrier pivot)

Dinala ni Pio sa pulong ang termos ng kape.

Pio brought the thermos of coffee to the meeting. (carried-theme pivot)

Both clauses describe Pio accompanying the thermos. Actor-voice nagdala selects si Pio and uses ng for the theme. Patient-voice dinala selects ang termos ng kape and uses ni Pio for the carrier.

Magdala ka ng payong dahil makulimlim sa may bundok.

Bring an umbrella because it is cloudy near the mountain.

This command uses basic magdala because the addressee is the actor pivot. If a particular umbrella is selected, use Dalhin mo ang malaking payong.

Dinadala ng nars ang mga gamot sa silid ng bawat pasyente tuwing umaga.

The nurse takes the medicines to each patient's room every morning.

Incompleted dinadala is habitual here. Filipino dala can correspond to English bring or take because the language does not obligatorily encode motion toward versus away from the speaker in the verb itself. Destination and viewpoint supply the interpretation.

Selecting a Recipient or Destination

Dinalhan ni Pio ng mainit na sabaw ang kapitbahay na may sakit.

Pio brought hot soup to the sick neighbor. (recipient pivot)

Ang kapitbahay is the selected recipient, ni Pio the carrier, and ng mainit na sabaw the carried theme.

Dadalhan namin ng karagdagang kumot ang sentro ng paglikas mamayang gabi.

We will bring additional blankets to the evacuation center tonight.

An institution or place can be construed as the receiving endpoint. This is lexical locative/recipient voice, not an instruction to promote every destination to pivot.

Dala versus Ipadala

Ipapadala ni Pio sa bus ang dalawang kahon bukas ng umaga.

Pio will send the two boxes by bus tomorrow morning.

Ipadala presents the item as being sent through an intermediary or transport arrangement. Pio need not travel with it. By contrast, Dadalhin ni Pio ang dalawang kahon normally presents Pio as the person who will carry or bring them.

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Choose magdala/dalhin when the relevant carrier accompanies the theme. Choose ipadala when someone dispatches the theme through another person or transport service.

—Naipadala mo na ba sa probinsiya ang mga dokumento? —Oo, ipinadala ko sa pamamagitan ng rehistradong koreo.

—Have you managed to send the documents to the province? —Yes, I sent them by registered mail.

The question uses attainment naipadala; the answer uses ordinary completed ipinadala. The phrase sa pamamagitan ng rehistradong koreo is appropriate here because it names the means, not an ordinary actor disguised as an English by-phrase.

Bare Dala and Common Extensions

Bare dala can function as a stative or possessive-like predicate:

Dala ko ang resibo, pero naiwan ko sa sasakyan ang sobre.

I have the receipt with me, but I left the envelope in the vehicle.

The related existential pattern May dala akong resibo means “I have a receipt with me.” Neither is an aspect form. Dala-dala niya ang lumang kamera emphasizes that the person has the camera along or keeps carrying it.

The causal expression dala ng means “because of/due to,” especially in written reporting: Dala ng malakas na ulan, ipinagpaliban ang laro. It is (formal-neutral written) and should not be confused with non-pivot marker ng after a verb.

Lexicalized nadala may mean “got carried away” or “was put off by a bad experience,” especially in conversation. Its interpretation must be learned from context; it is not simply the completed patient form dinala.

Negation and Aspect

Hindi dadalhin ni Pio ang mabibigat na kahon hangga't hindi dumarating ang trak.

Pio will not take the heavy boxes until the truck arrives.

Contemplated dadalhin remains patient voice under hindi. The clause with hangga't hindi sets a boundary; it does not change voice.

Common Mistakes

Regularizing dalhin

❌ Dalahin mo ang tubig sa mga naghihintay.

Incorrect—the ordinary patient basic form is dalhin.

✅ Dalhin mo ang tubig sa mga naghihintay sa labas.

Bring the water to the people waiting outside.

Keeping an ang-form carrier with patient voice

❌ Dinala si Pio ang termos sa pagpupulong.

Incorrect—dinala selects the thermos, so Pio requires ni.

✅ Dinala ni Pio ang termos sa pagpupulong.

Pio brought the thermos to the meeting.

Marking a selected recipient with sa

❌ Dinalhan ni Pio ng sabaw sa kaniyang kapitbahay.

Incorrect as a complete recipient-pivot clause—dalhan selects the neighbor with ang.

✅ Dinalhan ni Pio ng sabaw ang kaniyang kapitbahay.

Pio brought his neighbor some soup.

Forming the incompleted send verb from dinadala

❌ Ipidinadala ng opisina ang mga liham tuwing Biyernes.

Incorrect hybrid—the accepted incompleted forms are ipinapadala and ipinadadala.

✅ Ipinapadala ng opisina ang mga liham tuwing Biyernes.

The office sends the letters every Friday.

Key Takeaways

Magdala selects the carrier; dalhin selects the carried theme; dalhan selects a recipient or destination.
Ipadala usually means “send” and does not imply that the sender accompanies the item.
The irregular principal parts dalhin—dinala—dinadala—dadalhin must be learned as a set.
Bare dala, may dala, dala-dala, and causal dala ng have their own constructions.
Aspect marks event phase, while time words and context distinguish one-time, ongoing, habitual, and projected readings.

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