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Questions & Answers about Humingi ka ng tulong sa guro.
Can you break down the sentence Humingi ka ng tulong sa guro into its individual words and explain their functions?
Yes. Here’s the word‑by‑word breakdown:
- Humingi – “ask/request,” the actor‑focus form of the root hingi with the infix -um-
- ka – second‑person singular pronoun “you,” marking who does the asking
- ng – genitive/accusative particle linking the verb to its direct object
- tulong – “help,” the object being requested
- sa – preposition marking source or recipient (“from” in this context)
- guro – “teacher,” the person from whom you request help
Why does the verb have -um- in humingi instead of just hingi?
Tagalog uses the infix -um- to signal the actor‑focus voice for many verbs. In this case:
- Root: hingi (“to ask/request”)
- With infix: h‑um‑ingi → humingi
This form is required to show that you (the actor) are doing the asking, and it’s the correct shape for an imperative.
What role does ka play, and is it mandatory?
ka is the 2nd‑person singular pronoun, “you,” placed immediately after the verb in actor‑focus commands.
- It explicitly marks who should perform the action.
- You can sometimes drop it in very casual speech (Humingi ng tulong sa guro), but including ka makes the command clearer and more standard.
Why do we use ng before tulong, and why not nang?
- ng marks an indefinite direct object (here, tulong) and links it to the verb.
- It’s spelled ng (pronounced /ŋ/).
- nang (with an “a”) is a different linker used for manner, duration, or old‑style genitives. It does not mark direct objects in modern usage.
What does sa do before guro? Is it “to” or “from” the teacher?
In a humingi construction, sa marks the person or source from whom you request something. So sa guro here means “from the teacher.” While sa can also mean “to,” the verb humingi (“ask for”) takes sa to show the source of the help.
Can I use kay guro instead of sa guro?
No.
- kay is reserved for proper names or titles used as proper nouns (e.g., kay Maria, kay Señor).
- guro is a common noun, so you must use sa guro.
Why is the order Humingi ka ng tulong sa guro? Can I say Hingi ka ng tulong sa guro or Ka humingi ng tulong sa guro?
Standard actor‑focus imperatives follow:
Verb (+ infix) → pronoun → object phrase → source/destination.
- Dropping -um- (Hingi ka…) loses the actor‑focus imperative and is ungrammatical.
- Swapping ka to the front (Ka humingi…) breaks the normal flow and sounds awkward in everyday speech.
How can I make this request more polite or address more than one person?
You have several options:
- Add po for respect: Humingi ka po ng tulong sa guro.
- Use kayo for plural or a polite singular: Humingi kayo po ng tulong sa guro.
- Preface with paki- for a softer request: Pakihingi po ng tulong sa guro.
- Combine both: Paki‑humingi po kayo ng tulong sa guro.