The root pili centers on choosing one option from alternatives. Pumili selects the chooser, piliin selects the chosen person or thing, and nasal-substituted mamili presents shopping or selection among available items. The same family also includes result forms such as napili and the property word mapili “choosy.”
English uses choose, select, shop, chosen, and choosy. Filipino connects these ideas while keeping their aspect and participant frames distinct. Memorizing pili = choose is not enough: a natural clause requires a whole construction.
Core forms and functions
| Family and pivot | Basic | Completed | Incompleted | Contemplated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| chooser, actor voice | pumili | pumili | pumipili | pipili |
| chosen item/person, patient voice | piliin | pinili | pinipili | pipiliin |
| chooser comparing or shopping, actor voice | mamili | namili | namimili | mamimili |
| selection result or possibility | mapili | napili | napipili | mapipili |
| choosy/selective property | mapili | |||
Two distinct constructions are spelled mapili in ordinary text. In Sana mapili siya, it belongs to a result/potential family: “I hope she is selected.” In Mapili siya sa pagkain, it is a property word: “She is choosy about food.” Only the first participates in the napili—napipili—mapipili series.
Pumili versus piliin
Actor-voice pumili selects the person making the choice. The chosen item is normally ng-marked, and the set or source of alternatives can appear in a sa phrase.
Pumili si Celso ng payak na disenyo mula sa tatlong mungkahi.
Celso chose a simple design from the three proposals. (chooser pivot)
Patient-voice piliin selects the chosen alternative. The chooser takes an ng/ni form.
Pinili ni Celso ang payak na disenyong may pinakamalinaw na teksto.
Celso chose the simple design with the clearest text. (chosen-item pivot)
Now hold the participants constant:
Pumili si Celso ng berdeng sobre para sa paanyaya.
Celso chose a green envelope for the invitation. (chooser pivot)
Pinili ni Celso ang berdeng sobre para sa paanyaya.
Celso chose the green envelope for the invitation. (chosen-item pivot)
The actor-voice clause anchors the report in Celso's decision and marks the envelope with ng. The patient-voice clause anchors it in ang berdeng sobre and changes Celso to ni Celso. The English translations differ in likely definiteness, but ang and ng are not simply the and a; discourse and referentiality also matter.
Aspect in the two main voice frames
The actor basic and completed forms are both pumili. A directive and a completed report are distinguished by clause type and context. Incompleted pumipili presents choosing as ongoing, repeated, or habitual. Contemplated pipili presents it as unbegun.
Pumipili pa ang lupon ng tatlong kalahok para sa huling panayam.
The committee is still choosing three participants for the final interview. (incompleted actor voice)
Hindi pipili ang tagapagsanay hangga't hindi niya nakikita ang lahat ng aplikante.
The coach will not choose until seeing all the applicants. (negative contemplated actor voice)
Patient forms retain the selected item or person as pivot across aspect. Pinipili can be ongoing or habitual, while pipiliin is contemplated.
Pipiliin ng mga residente ang proyektong kayang matapos bago tag-ulan.
The residents will choose the project that can be completed before the rainy season. (contemplated patient voice)
Time does not map mechanically onto aspect. In Kapag pumili na sila bukas..., completed pumili can occur inside a future sequence because the choice is viewed as complete before the next event.
Mamili: compare options or shop
Mamili is an actor-voice family shaped by nasal substitution: the initial p of pili is replaced by m. It often suggests looking through alternatives, selecting several items, or shopping. Its forms are mamili—namili—namimili—mamimili.
Namimili si Aida ng mga halamang kayang mabuhay sa loob ng bahay.
Aida is selecting plants that can survive indoors. (ongoing comparison)
The same spelling can belong historically to bili “buy/shop,” so context matters. Namili ng telang matibay may foreground selection; namili sa palengke commonly means went shopping. Ordinary spelling does not show the possible stress distinction. This is genuine lexical convergence, not careless usage.
Mamimili is also the noun “shopper/consumer.” Syntax distinguishes contemplated predicate Mamimili si Aida bukas from noun predicate Maingat na mamimili si Aida. The page on nasal substitution explains why forms such as mangpili and nangpili are not the established paradigm.
Result, possibility, and choosiness
Completed napili presents selection as an attained result and often leaves the selector unexpressed or backgrounded. Mapipili can mean “will be selected” or “can be selected,” with modal context resolving the reading.
Napili ang panukala ng aming pangkat para sa pampublikong pagtatanghal.
Our group's proposal was selected for the public presentation. (attained result)
Dalawa lamang ang mapipili sa sampung mahusay na kandidato.
Only two can be selected from ten excellent candidates. (selection possibility)
Property mapili means selective or hard to please. It commonly takes sa for the domain of selectiveness.
Mapili sa isda ang anak ko, pero kinakain niya ang anumang gulay.
My child is choosy about fish, but eats any vegetable. (property predicate)
Do not use this property word merely to mean that someone has the ability to choose. Maaari siyang pumili means “She can choose”; Mapili siya means “She is choosy.”
Collocations and connected usage
- pumili sa pagitan ng dalawa — choose between two
- piliin nang mabuti — choose carefully; nang introduces manner
- pagpipilian — set of choices or options
- walang pinipili — indiscriminate; applying to anyone or anything
- mapili sa pagkain/damit — choosy about food/clothing
- piling kalahok — selected participants
—Alin ang pipiliin mo, ang maagang biyahe o ang mas murang pamasahe? —Ang maagang biyahe; ayokong mahuli sa pulong.
—Which will you choose, the early trip or the cheaper fare? —The early trip; I don't want to be late for the meeting. (neutral conversation)
Question word alin stands for the unknown selected pivot, so patient-voice pipiliin is natural. The answer can be a recoverable noun phrase rather than a full repeated clause.
Common Mistakes
Keeping an ang-form chooser with patient voice
❌ Pinili si Celso ang berdeng sobre para sa liham.
Incorrect — pinili selects the envelope, so Celso takes the ni form.
✅ Pinili ni Celso ang berdeng sobre para sa liham.
Celso chose the green envelope for the letter.
Giving an actor-voice verb an ang-marked chosen item
❌ Pumili si Celso ang berdeng sobre para sa liham.
Incorrect — pumili selects Celso; the chosen non-pivot takes ng.
✅ Pumili si Celso ng berdeng sobre para sa liham.
Celso chose a green envelope for the letter.
Using mapili for the ability to choose
❌ Mapili ka ng anumang upuan sa harap.
Wrong for ‘You may choose’ — mapili describes choosiness or belongs to a selection-result frame.
✅ Maaari kang pumili ng anumang upuan sa harap.
You may choose any seat at the front.
Misspelling the patient form
❌ Pilin mo ang petsang puwedeng dumalo ang lahat.
Incorrect standard form — the root-final i remains before -in.
✅ Piliin mo ang petsang puwedeng dumalo ang lahat.
Choose the date when everyone can attend.
Key Takeaways
- Pumili selects the chooser; piliin selects the chosen person or thing.
- Mamili often foregrounds comparison, selection among goods, or shopping and has a nasal-substituted paradigm.
- Napili/mapipili present selection as a result or possibility; property mapili means choosy.
- Mamili can connect with either pili or bili in ordinary spelling, so context and collocations matter.
- Learn the root-centered network with markers and principal parts rather than translating every form as “choose.”
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