Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Filipino grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Mababa ang presyo ng kape.
Why is there no “is” or “to be” in Mababa ang presyo ng kape?
In Tagalog/Filipino, the copula (“is/are”) is typically omitted in predicate adjective constructions. You start with the adjective (predicate), then follow with the subject marked by ang. So Mababa ang presyo ng kape literally reads “Low the price of coffee.”
What role does ang play in Mababa ang presyo ng kape?
ang is the subject/topic marker. It signals that the noun phrase that follows—ang presyo ng kape—is what you’re describing. Think of it like “the price of coffee” in English.
What does ng do in presyo ng kape?
ng is a genitive (possessive/linker) marker. It links two nouns or a noun and a modifier. In presyo ng kape, it shows that the coffee “owns” the price, i.e. “price of coffee.”
Why does mababa start with the prefix ma-?
Adjectives in Filipino often use the ma- affix to express a quality or state. The root baba means “low,” and adding ma- yields mababa, “low (in quality/amount/price).”
I’ve seen adjectives link to nouns with -ng or na (e.g., murang kape, malinis na bahay). Why isn’t there a linker between mababa and ang?
Linkers like -ng or na appear only when an adjective directly modifies a noun within a noun phrase. Here, mababa is the predicate, not a pre-nominal modifier. In predicate structures (adjective + ang + subject), you omit the linker.
Can I express the same idea in a more formal or written style?
Yes. You can invert the order and use ay as a copula:
Ang presyo ng kape ay mababa.
This is common in formal writing or in “balagtasan”-style sentences.
Are there other ways to say “The price of coffee is low”?
Definitely. For example:
• May mababang presyo ang kape. (“The coffee has a low price.”)
• Murang kape. (“Cheap coffee.”) — this focuses on the coffee as cheap rather than explicitly on “price.”
What’s the difference between Mababa ang presyo ng kape and murang kape?
Mababa ang presyo ng kape emphasizes that the price itself is low. murang kape describes the coffee as cheap. In everyday speech they overlap, but grammatically one highlights the price, the other the product’s quality.
Is presyo a Spanish loanword?
Yes. presyo comes from Spanish precio. It’s fully integrated into Filipino grammar, so you treat it like any other Tagalog noun with ang, ng, mga, etc.
How would you talk about multiple coffee prices? For example, “Coffee prices are low.”
You simply pluralize presyo with mga:
Mababa ang mga presyo ng kape.
Note that in general discussions, the singular form ang presyo ng kape often conveys a general sense of “coffee prices” without needing mga.