Gusto kong magkabit ng kandado.

Ko becomes kong when it links smoothly to the next word. This -ng is a linker.

So:

• gusto ko = I want
• gusto kong magkabit = I want to install / attach

You will often see this pattern in Filipino:

• nais ko → nais kong
• ayaw ko → ayaw kong

It is not changing the core meaning of ko; it is just connecting it to what follows.

Gusto means want or like, depending on context.

In this sentence, it means want:

• Gusto kong magkabit ng kandado. = I want to install a lock.

Compare:

• Gusto ko ang kape. = I like coffee.
• Gusto kong uminom ng kape. = I want to drink coffee.

So when gusto is followed by an action, it usually means want to.

Magkabit means to attach, put on, connect, install, or fasten, depending on the object.

With kandado (lock), it means something like:

• to put a lock on
• to install a lock
• to attach a lock

It comes from the root kabit, which has the basic idea of attaching or fastening something.

Here, ng marks the object of the action.

So in:

• magkabit ng kandado

the kandado is the thing being installed or attached.

A very rough way to think of it is:

• magkabit = install / attach
• ng kandado = a lock

This ng is extremely common in Filipino after verbs when introducing the thing affected by the action.

By itself, ng kandado is usually understood as a lock in a general sense.

So this sentence most naturally means:

• I want to install a lock.

If you want to make it more specific, context usually does the work. Filipino often does not mark a and the the way English does.

So depending on context, kandado could sometimes be understood as the lock, but the default feel here is more like a lock.

Yes. The idea of I is expressed by ko.

In this pattern:

• Gusto ko = I want

So ko is the first-person singular form meaning my / me / I depending on structure. In this sentence, it is part of the expression meaning I want.

Filipino often structures things differently from English, so you do not always get a separate standalone word matching English I.

Because ko is the form that fits this construction.

A useful pair to remember is:

• ako = independent form
• ko = short form used in certain grammatical positions

With gusto, the normal pattern is:

• Gusto ko... = I want...

not:

• Gusto ako... ❌

So ko is the correct form here.

By itself, magkabit here does not force a single English tense the way English verbs do.

Because the sentence starts with Gusto kong..., the overall meaning is about a desired action:

• I want to install a lock.

That can refer to a present desire about a future action. In natural English, it often feels future-oriented, but grammatically the main idea is want to do something.

So the sentence is less about tense and more about intention/desire.

Filipino often builds sentences differently from English.

English:

• I want to install a lock.

Filipino:

• Gusto ko-ng magkabit ng kandado.

A literal breakdown is something like:

• want I-linker install object-marker lock

That sounds strange in English, but it is natural in Filipino. The key is to learn the whole pattern:

• Gusto kong + verb + ng + object

Examples:

• Gusto kong kumain ng mangga. = I want to eat mango.
• Gusto kong bumili ng libro. = I want to buy a book.

Yes, and it shifts the focus a bit.

• Gusto kong magkabit ng kandado = I want to install/put on a lock.
• Gusto kong ikabit ang kandado = I want to attach/install the lock.

A simple learner-friendly way to think about it:

• magkabit ng kandado focuses on doing the action of putting on a lock
• ikabit ang kandado focuses more directly on the specific thing being attached: the lock

Both can be natural, but they are not structured the same way.

Often, yes: kandado commonly refers to a padlock or lock in general.

In many contexts, Filipinos use kandado for the locking device itself. The exact English translation depends on the situation:

• padlock
• lock

So in your sentence, lock is a safe general translation unless the context clearly shows it is specifically a padlock.

Yes. You could replace gusto with nais for a more formal or literary tone:

• Nais kong magkabit ng kandado.

Both mean basically the same thing, but:

• gusto = more common in everyday speech
• nais = more formal

For normal conversation, gusto kong... is very natural.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• Gusto ≈ GOOS-toh
• kong ≈ kohng
• magkabit ≈ mahg-kah-BEET
• ng ≈ often like nang or a short nasal sound depending on speech
• kandado ≈ kahn-dah-DOH

A rough full pronunciation:

• GOOS-toh kohng mahg-kah-BEET nang kahn-dah-DOH

Stress is commonly on:

• gusTO
• magkaBIT
• kandaDO

Yes, it is very helpful to learn the root word separately.

The root is kabit, which has the idea of:

• attach
• fasten
• connect

Then different affixes create different forms:

• kabit = root
• magkabit = to attach / install
• ikabit = attach something
• nakakabit = attached / connected

Learning the root helps you recognize related words much more easily across different sentences.