Sabay tayong mangolekta ng kalat.

Filipino often does not use a single separate word that exactly matches English let’s. Instead, it commonly uses tayo plus a verb.

So tayong mangolekta gives the sense of let’s collect because tayo includes both the speaker and the listener.

Tayong is tayo plus the linker -ng.

Filipino often uses a linker to connect words that belong closely together. Since tayo ends in a vowel, the linker appears as -ng, giving tayong mangolekta.

Without the linker, the sentence would sound less natural in standard Filipino.

Tayo means we, including you.
Kami means we, not including you.

This sentence uses tayo because the speaker is inviting the listener to join in. That is why it matches the English idea of let’s so well.

It sounds more like an inclusive suggestion or invitation than a strict command.

Because the speaker includes themself with tayo, the tone is closer to:

• Let’s do it together
• Come on, let’s collect litter

So it is cooperative rather than bossy.

Mangolekta is the verb to collect in a form that focuses on the doer of the action.

It comes from the root kolekta with the prefix mang-. In practical terms, you can read mangolekta here simply as collect in the phrase let’s collect.

This is because of a common sound change when prefixes are added.

The verb is built from:

• mang-
• kolekta

When this prefix combines with some roots beginning with k, the k can drop, so:

mang- + kolekta → mangolekta

This kind of change is normal in Filipino word formation.

Here, ng marks the object of the verb.

So kalat is the thing being collected. In other words:

• mangolekta = collect
• ng kalat = litter / trash / mess as the thing being collected

A helpful beginner way to think about it is that ng often marks the what of the action.

Not exactly.

• basura usually means garbage or trash
• kalat often means mess, clutter, or litter scattered around

In this sentence, kalat is understood as litter or trash lying around. So it fits well if people are cleaning up an area.

Because kalat can already be understood in a general or mass sense, like litter or trash in English.

Filipino often does not need a plural marker when the meaning is already clear from context. Adding mga is possible in some situations, but here it is not necessary.

Filipino does not use articles in the same way English does.

So ng kalat can naturally mean:

• trash
• the litter
• some litter

The exact meaning depends on the situation, not on a required article.

The sentence is understandable and grammatical.

That said, if you mean pick up litter, many speakers might more naturally say mamulot ng kalat rather than mangolekta ng kalat, because mamulot specifically suggests picking things up from the ground.

So:

• mangolekta ng kalat = collect litter
• mamulot ng kalat = pick up litter

Both work, but mamulot may sound more natural in a cleanup context.

Yes, Filipino word order is somewhat flexible, but the emphasis changes.

Starting with sabay puts focus on doing the action together. That makes Sabay tayong mangolekta ng kalat sound natural and encouraging.

If you move words around, the sentence may still be understandable, but it may sound less smooth or give a different emphasis.

A simple guide:

• tayong is roughly ta-yong
• the final ng sounds like the ng in sing
• the particle ng before kalat is commonly pronounced like nang

So the sentence flows roughly like:

sa-bay ta-yong ma-ngo-lek-ta nang ka-lat

The important thing is that ng is not pronounced with a hard g sound.