Hindi umandar ang makina dahil sa lumang baterya.

Hindi is the basic negator for statements in Filipino. It usually comes before the word or phrase being negated.

So:

• umandar = started / ran / worked
• hindi umandar = did not start / did not run / did not work

Putting hindi first is normal when the sentence begins with a verb phrase.

Umandar is a verb that can mean to start running, to work, to operate, to move, or to function, depending on context.

With makina (machine/engine), it usually means something like:

• started
• ran
• worked
• turned over / operated

So in this sentence, umandar ang makina means the machine or engine started working or running.

Andar is the root word. The -um- infix turns it into a verb form: umandar.

This -um- pattern is very common in Filipino verbs. It often marks an actor-focus verb.

Examples of the pattern:

• alis → umalis
• akyat → umakyat
• andar → umandar

So umandar is the normal verb form here, not just the bare root andar.

Not exactly in the same way English works. Filipino focuses more on aspect than strict tense.

Umandar is commonly understood as a completed form, but the exact time often depends on context. In a sentence like this, English usually translates it naturally as past:

• Hindi umandar ang makina = The engine didn’t start / The machine didn’t work

So while English uses past tense, Filipino is not marking time in quite the same way.

Ang marks the topic of the sentence. In many simple translations, the ang phrase often corresponds to the English subject.

Here:

• ang makina = the machine / the engine

In Hindi umandar ang makina, the thing being talked about as the main topic is the machine/engine.

A learner-friendly way to think of it is:

• ang often points to the main noun the sentence is about

Dahil sa is a very common phrase meaning because of. It is used before a noun phrase.

Here, the cause is a noun phrase:

• sa lumang baterya = because of the old battery

So:

• dahil sa lumang baterya = because of the old battery

If you want to use dahil without sa, it more naturally introduces a full clause, for example:

• dahil luma ang baterya = because the battery is old

So both are possible, but they are used differently.

Because Filipino uses a linker between an adjective and the noun it modifies.

The adjective is luma (old). Since it ends in a vowel, it takes the linker -ng before the noun:

• luma
  • -ng
    • baterya
• lumang baterya

This is a very common pattern:

• maganda → magandang bahay
• maliit → maliit na aso
• luma → lumang baterya

So lumang is just luma linked to the noun.

Yes. Filipino word order is flexible, though some orders sound more neutral than others.

The original sentence:

• Hindi umandar ang makina dahil sa lumang baterya.

This is very natural and common.

You could also say:

• Ang makina ay hindi umandar dahil sa lumang baterya.

That version is also correct, but it feels a bit more explicitly topic-fronted, and ay often sounds a little more formal or structured.

So the original verb-initial order is very natural in everyday Filipino.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Makina is a broad word that can refer to:

• a machine
• an engine
• mechanical equipment more generally

So in this sentence, the exact English word depends on what kind of makina is being discussed. If it is from a vehicle context, engine may be best. If it is industrial equipment, machine may fit better.

They are commonly used Filipino words, but they are loanwords.

• makina comes from Spanish máquina
• baterya is related to battery

This is very normal in Filipino. Many everyday words come from Spanish, English, and other languages, but they are fully standard in modern Filipino.

Yes. Both are grammatical, but they are structured differently.

• dahil sa lumang baterya = because of the old battery
  • noun phrase after dahil sa
• dahil luma ang baterya = because the battery is old
  • full clause after dahil

So the first one names the cause as a thing, while the second explains the cause as a statement.

They are very close in meaning, but not built the same way.