Mahalaga ang mahalin ang pamilya.

It is important to love the family.

Breakdown of Mahalaga ang mahalin ang pamilya.

• ay: to be
• mahalin: to love
• pamilya: the family
• mahalaga: important

Questions & Answers about Mahalaga ang mahalin ang pamilya.

Why does the sentence have two ang markers?

In Filipino, ang can mark different parts of the sentence. The first ang after mahalaga marks the subject or topic ("It is important..."), and the second ang before pamilya marks the object ("to love the family").

How do I distinguish between mahal as “love” and mahalin as “to love”?

Mahal can function as both a noun and an adjective, meaning “love,” “dear,” or “expensive.” Meanwhile, mahalin is a verb in its imperative or infinitive form meaning “to love,” used when you want to talk about loving someone or something as an action. In this sentence, mahalin shows the action directed toward the family.

Why is there a second ang before pamilya even though it’s already mentioned that family is being loved?

Filipino often uses markers to clarify roles in a sentence. Here, ang pamilya is the direct object of the verb mahalin. Filipino sentence structure typically repeats ang for clarity, even if we’ve already mentioned an ang earlier for another part of the sentence.

Could I say Mahalaga na mahalin ang pamilya instead?

Yes! You often see both forms in Filipino:
• Mahalaga ang mahalin ang pamilya.
• Mahalaga na mahalin ang pamilya.
They both convey the idea that “It is important to love the family.” The use of na can sometimes make the sentence sound more natural or flow more smoothly, but both are grammatically acceptable.

Is Mahalaga ang mahalin ang pamilya a complete sentence by itself?

Yes, it is a complete sentence. It states the importance (Mahalaga) and then the action and object of importance (ang mahalin ang pamilya). Even though it might feel like it leaves out a subject like “it,” in Filipino structure, it’s understood and doesn’t need to be explicitly stated.