Questions & Answers about Pakiabot mo ang aklat kay Juan.
The prefix paki- is a polite request marker. When you attach it to a verb root (here abot, “reach/pass”), it softens the command into a courteous “please do X.”
-mo is the second‑person singular enclitic pronoun meaning you. In Tagalog, pronouns often attach to verbs rather than stand alone. So pakiabot mo literally addresses “you” as the doer: “you please pass.”
- ang marks the definite direct object (“the book”).
- kay marks a personal recipient or beneficiary (“to Juan”).
Together, ang aklat = “the book” and kay Juan = “to Juan.”
Yes. You can say Pakiabot ang aklat kay Juan and it still means “Please pass the book to Juan.” The pronoun -mo is optional here; including it simply clarifies that you’re addressing the listener directly.
kay is the form of sa used before personal names and personal pronouns. You say kay Juan (“to Juan”) but sa guro (“to the teacher”) or sa tindera (“to the vendor”).
Absolutely. Tagalog has flexible word order. Pakiabot kay Juan ang aklat is perfectly grammatical and puts a bit more emphasis on Juan by mentioning him earlier.
Use ng instead of ang for an indefinite object:
Pakiabot mo ng aklat kay Juan.
This reads “Please pass a book to Juan.”
- pakiabot (paki-
- abot) is a polite “please pass/hand (it).”
- ipaabot (i-
- pa-
- abot) is an object‑focused request meaning “please have it passed” (focus on the thing being passed).
- pa-
- pakibigay (paki-
- bigay) is “please give (it),” more general than “hand over.”
All three overlap, but abot emphasizes reaching/handing, while bigay is broader “give.”
- bigay) is “please give (it),” more general than “hand over.”