Learn Hardcore Filipino: Pakinggan mo ang bagong awit ngayong hapon.

pakinggan is the object‑focus form of the verb root -kinig (listen), built with the affixes pa– and –an to mean to listen to something. The pronoun mo is the second‑person singular marker you, so pakinggan mo literally means you listen to it or simply listen to it.

Why use mo instead of ka after the verb?

Tagalog distinguishes actor‑focus vs object‑focus. Object‑focus verbs like pakinggan take mo for you, while actor‑focus verbs like makinig take ka for you. Hence pakinggan mo vs makinig ka.

What role does ang play in ang bagong awit?

ang is the direct‑object/topic marker for common nouns in a verb’s focus. In an object‑focus sentence, ang marks bagong awit as the thing being acted upon — the new song.

Why is it bagong awit instead of bago awit?

Adjectives ending in a vowel link to nouns with the ligature –ng. Since bago ends in o, it becomes bagong, so bagong awit = new song.

How is ngayong hapon constructed and what does it mean?

ngayon means now or this, and hapon means afternoon. When linking ngayon to hapon, you add –ng → ngayong hapon, meaning this afternoon.

Can I rephrase this with makinig instead of pakinggan?

Yes. You could say Makinig ka sa bagong awit ngayong hapon. Here makinig is actor‑focus ma– + -inig (root), ka is you, and sa bagong awit uses sa for the prepositional object of an intransitive verb.

Is it okay to drop mo in the original sentence?

Yes. Pakinggan ang bagong awit ngayong hapon is also correct. Omitting mo makes the command more neutral since the subject you is understood.

Can the time phrase ngayong hapon go at the start of the sentence?

Definitely. You can say Ngayong hapon, pakinggan mo ang bagong awit. In Tagalog, adverbials like time expressions can appear at the beginning or end of a sentence.