Verb Reference: linis | Filipino Grammar

The root linis organizes a network around cleanliness. Property malinis describes a clean state, while a homographic potential/result family malinis—nalinis—nalilinis—malilinis presents successful or possible cleaning. Luminis presents a change into a clean state, maglinis selects the person doing the cleaning, and linisin selects what is cleaned. Causative forms add the idea of arranging for another person to do the work.

English often uses clean as both adjective and verb. Filipino makes the state–event distinction visible, then uses voice to choose which participant anchors the clause. Learning only “linis = clean” therefore hides the most useful grammar.

Core forms and functions

Family and pivot	Basic	Completed	Incompleted	Contemplated
clean property	malinis
thing successfully or possibly cleaned, potential patient voice	malinis	nalinis	nalilinis	malilinis
entity becoming cleaner, actor voice	luminis	luminis	lumilinis	lilinis
cleaner, actor voice	maglinis	naglinis	naglilinis	maglilinis
thing or place cleaned, patient voice	linisin	nilinis	nililinis	lilinisin
person arranging cleaning, actor voice	magpalinis	nagpalinis	nagpapalinis	magpapalinis
thing arranged to be cleaned, causative patient voice	ipalinis	ipinalinis	ipinapalinis / ipinalilinis	ipapalinis / ipalilinis

Bare linis also occurs as a noun in compounds and set expressions, but it is not an all-purpose infinitive. The table starts from attested whole words. This matters because the same root supports a property, a spontaneous change, an intentional activity, and a caused event—not one English verb with person endings.

💡

Use a four-way test: property malinis says what condition holds, luminis says that the condition changed, nilinis reports an intentional cleaning action on a selected patient, and potential/result malinis—nalinis says that cleaning is possible or was successfully accomplished.

Malinis versus luminis

Property predicate malinis carries no verbal aspect and needs no equivalent of English be. Time expressions can locate the state in the past, present, or future. Luminis, by contrast, belongs to an -um- event family and presents the pivot as becoming cleaner.

Malinis ang maliit na klinika kaninang umaga kahit maraming pasyente.

The small clinic was clean this morning even though there were many patients. (property state)

Luminis ang kanal matapos alisin ng mga residente ang mga nakabarang sanga.

The canal became cleaner after the residents removed the branches blocking it. (completed change of state)

Unti-unting lumilinis ang tubig habang dumaraan sa pansala.

The water is gradually becoming cleaner as it passes through the filter. (incompleted change)

The pivot of luminis need not be an intentional actor: a canal or water can undergo the change. This is why describing -um- simply as “active” is inadequate. The contrast is explained more broadly under stative versus eventive readings.

Maglinis: select the cleaner

Actor-voice maglinis selects the person or group doing the work. The affected room, object, or area normally takes ng, while a location that merely situates the event takes sa.

Naglilinis si Dario ng mga salamin sa tindahan tuwing Biyernes.

Dario cleans the mirrors in the shop every Friday. (habitual actor voice)

Maglilinis kami ng bodega bukas bago dumating ang bagong suplay.

We will clean the warehouse tomorrow before the new supplies arrive. (contemplated actor voice)

Incompleted naglilinis can mean cleaning right now or cleaning habitually; tuwing Biyernes supplies the habitual reading. Contemplated maglilinis presents the event as not begun. Neither form is simply a present or future tense.

An affected thing can be omitted when the activity itself is enough: Naglilinis pa si Dario “Dario is still cleaning.” The actor remains the pivot.

Linisin: select what is cleaned

Patient-voice linisin selects the affected object, surface, body part, or place. The cleaner takes an ng/ni form.

Nilinis ni Dario ang mga salaming may bakas ng daliri.

Dario cleaned the mirrors that had fingerprints on them. (completed patient voice)

Hindi pa nililinis ng tagapangasiwa ang silid na gagamitin natin.

The administrator is not cleaning the room we will use yet. (negative incompleted patient voice)

The negative sentence retains patient voice: ang silid is still the selected patient, and ng tagapangasiwa is still the actor. Hindi pa changes polarity and phase, not the voice frame.

Hold the participants constant for a controlled comparison:

Naglilinis si Dario ng kusina bago magbukas ang karinderya.

Dario is cleaning a kitchen before the eatery opens. (cleaner pivot)

Nililinis ni Dario ang kusina bago magbukas ang karinderya.

Dario is cleaning the kitchen before the eatery opens. (kitchen pivot)

Both clauses can describe the same physical activity. Actor voice selects si Dario and leaves the kitchen ng-marked; patient voice selects ang kusina and changes Dario to ni Dario. The English definite/indefinite contrast is only a likely discourse effect, not a fixed translation of ang versus ng.

Potential and successful cleaning with malinis

A second, aspect-bearing ma- family is spelled like property malinis in its basic form. It selects the thing whose cleaning is possible or successfully achieved. The non-pivot cleaner takes an ng/ni form. Negation, aspect, and the participant frame normally distinguish this verb from the adjective.

Hindi ko malinis ang mantsa kahit kinuskos ko nang ilang beses.

I cannot remove the stain even though I scrubbed it several times. (basic potential patient voice)

Sa wakas, nalinis din ni Pio ang mantsa ng mantika sa sahig.

At last, Pio managed to remove the grease stain from the floor. (completed successful result)

Compare property Malinis ang sahig “The floor is clean” with potential Hindi ko malinis ang sahig “I cannot clean the floor.” The second construction licenses ko as the non-pivot actor because it is an aspect-bearing verb, not the property predicate.

Arranging for cleaning

Magpalinis selects the person arranging or requesting the service. Ipalinis selects the thing or place whose cleaning is arranged. An expressed cleaner or service provider normally takes sa/kay in the causative patient frame.

Nagpalinis si Myra ng aircon bago nagsimula ang tag-init.

Myra had the air conditioner cleaned before the hot season began. (causer pivot)

Ipinalinis ni Myra sa tekniko ang dalawang aircon sa opisina.

Myra had the technician clean the two air conditioners in the office. (cleaned-item pivot)

The first clause need not name who performed the service. The second selects the air conditioners, marks Myra as causer with ni, and marks the technician as causee with sa. Ipinapalinis/ipinalilinis and ipapalinis/ipalilinis are accepted contemporary alternatives produced by two reduplication patterns; do not blend them into a hybrid form. The dedicated ipa- causative page explains this variation.

Everyday extensions and collocations

malinis na tubig/hangin/konsensiya — clean water/air/conscience
maglinis ng bahay/bakuran — clean the house/yard
linisin nang mabuti — clean thoroughly; nang marks manner
paglilinis ng paligid — cleaning the surroundings
malinis na trabaho — clean, neat work; in context, also work done without visible complications
kalilinis lang / kakalinis lang — just cleaned; the recent-perfective variants are both accepted

Metaphorical uses are conventional but context-sensitive. Malinis ang rekord can mean that a record has no violations, and linisin ang pangalan can mean clear someone's name. Do not assume that every English figurative use of clean transfers automatically.

—Malinis na ba ang mesa sa likod? —Hindi pa; lilinisin ko iyon pagkatapos kong hugasan ang mga baso.

—Is the table at the back clean now? —Not yet; I'll clean it after I wash the glasses. (neutral conversation)

The question uses a property plus particle na “now/already.” The answer switches to contemplated patient voice because the cleaning event has not begun.

💡

In linisin nang mabuti, write nang because the following phrase describes manner. In linisin ng tagapaglinis, write ng because it marks the non-pivot actor.

Common Mistakes

Using a potential form for a completed cleaning event

❌ Malinis ni Pio ang estante kahapon.

Wrong for the intended ‘Pio cleaned the shelf yesterday’ — verbal malinis is basic/potential, not completed. It can mean that Pio can clean the shelf in an appropriate context.

✅ Nilinis ni Pio ang estante kahapon.

Pio cleaned the shelf yesterday.

Using change-of-state luminis for a cleaner acting on an object

❌ Luminis si Pio ng estante pagkaraan ng tanghalian.

Wrong for the intended cleaning activity — luminis would describe Pio becoming cleaner.

✅ Naglinis si Pio ng estante pagkaraan ng tanghalian.

Pio cleaned a shelf after lunch.

Keeping the actor in ang form with patient voice

❌ Nilinis si Pio ang estante bago isara ang tindahan.

Incorrect — nilinis selects the shelf, so Pio takes the ni form.

✅ Nilinis ni Pio ang estante bago isara ang tindahan.

Pio cleaned the shelf before the shop was closed.

Confusing ng and nang

❌ Linisin mo ng mabuti ang ilalim ng aparador.

Incorrect — ‘thoroughly’ is manner, not an ng-marked participant.

✅ Linisin mo nang mabuti ang ilalim ng aparador.

Clean underneath the cabinet thoroughly.

Key Takeaways

Property malinis describes cleanliness, while potential/result malinis—nalinis presents possible or successfully achieved cleaning.
Luminis presents a change into cleanliness.
Maglinis selects the cleaner, while linisin selects what is cleaned.
Magpalinis selects the person arranging a cleaning service; ipalinis selects the item or place to be cleaned.
Aspect distinguishes completed, ongoing/habitual, and unbegun events rather than English past, present, and future tense.
The linis root is best learned as a network of states, events, voices, and marker frames.

Now practice Filipino

Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.

Start learning Filipino →