Learn Hardcore Filipino: Mahusay siyang makipag-usap sa kaniyang suki sa palengke tungkol sa presyo ng gulay. - She is good at talking with her regular vendor in the market about the price of vegetables.

makipag-usap is a verb meaning “to talk with” or “to converse with.” It’s built from:
• prefix makipag‑ (indicates doing something with or to someone)
• root usap (means “talk”)

Together, makipag‑ + usap = makipag-usap, “to engage in conversation with.”

Why is there a hyphen in makipag-usap?

In Filipino orthography certain bound morphemes (like makipag‑, pag‑, nakipag‑) are joined to their roots with a hyphen. The hyphen:
• marks the boundary between affix and root
• helps prevent misreading when vowels or consonants meet

So makipag‑ + usap is written makipag‑usap.

What’s the difference between makipag-usap and mag-usap?

• makipag-usap – “to talk with / to converse with someone,” often implying negotiation or a two‑way exchange.
• mag-usap – “to talk” or “to have a talk,” more general; it doesn’t emphasize the “with someone” nuance.

Examples:
‑ Mag-usap tayo. (“Let’s talk.”)
‑ Makipag-usap siya sa manager. (“He/She will talk with the manager.”)

What does suki mean and how is it used?

suki means “regular customer” or “patron.” It’s a common colloquial term. Examples:
• May suki ako rito. (“I have a regular customer here.”)
• Suki siya sa tindahan. (“She’s a regular at the store.”)

In the sentence, kaniyang suki = “his/her regular customer.”

What does palengke mean? Is it the same as merkado?

palengke means “public market” or “marketplace” (especially a wet market for produce).
• merkado (from Spanish mercado) is virtually interchangeable.
• tindahan means “store” or “shop,” usually smaller.

Here, sa palengke = “at the market.”

Why do we say sa kaniyang suki? Could we use kay instead of sa?

With makipag-usap sa …, sa marks the person you talk to.
• Use sa before common nouns like suki.
• kay is a variant of sa used only before personal names or pronouns (e.g., kay Juan, kay Pedro).

Since suki is a common noun, we use sa, not kay: sa kaniyang suki.

What is kaniyang? How does it differ from niyang?

Both come from siya (“he/she”) and mean “his/her.” The difference:
• niya – short genitive form, used after ng, kay, para (e.g., ng kotse niya).
• kaniya – full genitive form, used before a noun; with linker -ng it becomes kaniyang (e.g., kaniyang suki).

So kaniyang suki = “his/her suki.”

What is the function of ng in presyo ng gulay? How is it different from ni?

ng is the genitive marker for common nouns, linking “the thing” to “what it belongs to”:
• presyo ng gulay – “price of the vegetables.”
ni is used for proper nouns or pronouns:
• presyo ni Juan – “Juan’s price.”

Why is tungkol sa used to mean “about”? Why can’t we drop sa?

tungkol means “about/regarding,” but it always requires the preposition sa before its object. It’s a fixed combination:
• tungkol sa proyekto – “about the project.”
Dropping sa would break the verb‑preposition pairing and sound ungrammatical.

Could I use the noun pakikipag-usap instead of the verb makipag-usap? What changes?

Yes. You can rephrase as:
Magaling siya sa pakikipag-usap sa kaniyang suki sa palengke tungkol sa presyo ng gulay.

• pakikipag-usap is a noun (“the act of talking”).
• Magaling siya sa pakikipag-usap… treats it as a skill noun phrase (“He/She is good in the act of talking…”).
• Original mahusay siyang makipag-usap… uses the verb directly (“He/She is good at talking…”).

Both are correct; the difference is mainly stylistic.