Breakdown of Mababa ang presyo ng mga prutas kapag maagang pumupunta sa palengke.
kapag
when
sa
to
maaga
early
pumunta
to go
palengke
the market
presyo
the price
mababa
low
prutas
the fruit
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Questions & Answers about Mababa ang presyo ng mga prutas kapag maagang pumupunta sa palengke.
Why does the sentence start with Mababa instead of with the subject “the price of fruits”?
In Tagalog, sentences often place the predicate (what is said about the subject) before the subject for emphasis or style. Mababa (low) is the predicate adjective, and it’s placed first, followed by the subject phrase ang presyo ng mga prutas (the price of the fruits). This order is called predicate–subject or inverted word order and is very common in everyday Tagalog.
What do the particles ang and ng do in ang presyo ng mga prutas?
ang marks the focused or “topic” noun (here, presyo), showing that it’s the subject or main topic. ng marks a non-focus noun (here, mga prutas), indicating possession or relation (“of the fruits”). So ang presyo is “the price,” and ng mga prutas means “of the fruits.”
Why is it ng mga prutas and not just mga prutas or ang mga prutas?
You need ng because you’re showing a relationship (price of fruits). mga by itself simply pluralizes prutas, but without ng there’s no grammatical link to presyo. ang mga prutas would make “fruits” the subject, which changes the focus of the sentence.
What role does kapag play, and how is it different from kung?
kapag introduces a general or habitual conditional clause (“whenever” or “if” in a general sense). kung introduces a specific or hypothetical condition (more like “if” in that moment). Here we want a general rule — “whenever you go early.” That’s why we use kapag.
Why is the verb in the pumupunta form instead of the simple pumunta?
pumupunta is in the actor-focus, progressive/habitual aspect (the reduplication of “pu” plus infix -um-). It expresses a repeated or habitual action (“going regularly” or “go early as a routine”). With kapag, using pumupunta fits the sense of “whenever you go early.”
How does maagang function, and can it be placed differently in the clause?
maagang is the adverbial form of maaga (“early”) used to modify pumupunta. It’s placed right before the verb. You could also say pumupunta nang maaga (using nang), but maagang pumupunta is more direct and common.
Why is the phrase sa palengke used without ang or mga?
sa is the locative marker in Tagalog, showing direction or location (“to/at”). When you use sa, you don’t add ang before the noun. So sa palengke means “to/at the market” without any extra article.
Can I rephrase this sentence in a more “formal” or “neutral” word order?
Yes. A more formal or “neutral” order uses the linker ay: Ang presyo ng mga prutas ay mababa kapag maagang pumupunta sa palengke. Here ang presyo ng mga prutas is the subject, ay links it, and mababa is the predicate adjective.