Linisin muna ang lababo, saka magkabit ng kandado.

Linisin is the object-focus form of the verb linis (to clean). In this sentence, the thing being cleaned—ang lababo—is the main marked noun, so linisin is the natural choice.

• Linisin ang lababo. = Clean the sink.
• Maglinis would be more like to do cleaning / clean something with more attention on the doer of the action.

So the sentence highlights the sink as the thing to be cleaned, which is why linisin fits well.

Yes. Here linisin is being used as an imperative (a command).

Filipino commands often use the same form as what learners may first meet as a verb form rather than having a completely separate special imperative ending.

So:

• Linisin ang lababo. = Clean the sink.
• It is understood that the subject is you, even though you is not said.

Muna means something like first, for now, or before anything else.

In this sentence, it tells you to do that action before the next one:

• Linisin muna ang lababo = Clean the sink first

It often gives the feeling of do this first, then we’ll deal with the next step. In conversation, muna can also soften a command a little.

Ang marks the noun that is in focus in the clause. With linisin, the focused noun is the thing being acted on, so you get:

• linisin ang lababo

Here, ang lababo is the thing being cleaned.

A useful way to think about it is:

• ang often marks the main noun that the verb form is built around
• with linisin, that main noun is the object/patient

So ang lababo is not just the sink in a general sense—it is the sink as the central noun of that clause.

Because magkabit is an actor-focus verb form. With actor-focus verbs, the thing being acted on is commonly marked by ng, not ang.

So:

• magkabit ng kandado = attach/install a lock
• ng kandado is the object of the action

If you wanted kandado to be the focused noun, you could use an object-focus form instead, such as:

• Ikabit ang kandado. = Attach the lock.

So the contrast is roughly:

• magkabit ng kandado → actor-focus
• ikabit ang kandado → object-focus

Saka means then, after that, or and then.

It links the two actions in sequence:

1. Linisin muna ang lababo
2. saka magkabit ng kandado

So it signals that the second action happens after the first one.

In many contexts, saka is very natural for giving steps or instructions.

Because Filipino often leaves out pronouns when they are already understood from context.

This sentence is clearly giving instructions, so the listener naturally understands that the subject is you:

• Linisin muna ang lababo = You clean the sink first
• saka magkabit ng kandado = then you attach a lock

Including ikaw would usually sound unnecessary here unless you wanted extra emphasis.

Yes. Magkabit here is also being used as an imperative.

Just like in the first clause, the command is understood without explicitly saying you.

So:

• magkabit ng kandado = attach/install a lock

In instructions, Filipino often uses these bare verb forms naturally as commands.

Because Filipino verbs can shift focus depending on what the speaker wants to highlight.

In the first clause:

• linisin ang lababo
• the focused noun is ang lababo
• so an object-focus form is used

In the second clause:

• magkabit ng kandado
• the action is presented with an actor-focus verb
• the object is marked with ng

English learners often expect one single verb pattern throughout, but Filipino allows different focus choices even in the same sentence.

Yes, absolutely.

That would also be grammatical, but it shifts the focus:

• magkabit ng kandado = actor-focus wording
• ikabit ang kandado = object-focus wording

Both can mean something very similar in English, but they organize the sentence differently in Filipino.

So this sentence could have been phrased differently, but the given version is perfectly natural.

Here the correct form is ng, not nang.

In magkabit ng kandado, ng is marking the object kandado.

Very broadly:

• ng often marks objects, possessors, or certain modifiers
• nang is used in other functions, often related to adverbial expressions or to link repeated actions, manner, and so on

So in this sentence:

• ng kandado = a lock / the lock as the object of magkabit

The comma helps separate the two instruction steps:

• Linisin muna ang lababo,
• saka magkabit ng kandado.

It makes the sequence easier to read and reflects a natural pause. In informal writing, people may not always punctuate carefully, but the comma is helpful and standard here.

Usually kandado refers specifically to a padlock or a lock device of that type, though in some contexts learners may see it translated simply as lock.

So magkabit ng kandado often suggests putting on / installing a lock or padlock.

The exact English wording can depend on context, but grammatically the Filipino part is straightforward.

Filipino word order is somewhat flexible, but this order is very natural for instructions.

• Linisin muna ang lababo, saka magkabit ng kandado.

This sounds like a clear sequence of steps. If you rearranged parts, the sentence might still be grammatical, but it could sound less natural or place emphasis differently.

For learners, this is a good pattern to remember for giving instructions:

• Verb + muna + ang/ng phrase, saka + next verb

It can mean both, depending on context.

In this sentence, muna most naturally means first, because another action follows:

• Clean the sink first, then attach a lock.

But in other contexts, muna can feel more like for now:

• Dito ka muna. = Stay here for now.

So the core idea is often temporarily before the next step. Here, that becomes first.