Learn Hardcore Filipino: Mag-alaga tayo ng ating aso at pusa sa bahay mamaya. - Let us take care of our dog and cat at home later.

mag- marks an actor-focus (AF) verb, highlighting the doer of the action.
mag-alaga means “to take care (of), to look after” with the focus on the actor (here, “we”).
Because the sentence uses tayo, it reads naturally as a friendly suggestion: “Let’s take care (of…)”.

Aspect forms you’ll actually see:

Why is it ng ating aso at pusa instead of ang ating aso at pusa?

In an actor-focus clause (with mag-), the object/patient is marked by ng, not ang.
So with AF: Mag-alaga tayo ng ating aso at pusa…
If you switch to patient-focus to spotlight the pets, you promote them to ang:
- Alagaan natin ang ating aso at pusa sa bahay mamaya.

Can I say Alagaan natin ang ating aso at pusa sa bahay mamaya? Is that better?

Yes. That’s the patient-focus version and is very natural when you’re talking about specific, known pets.
Subtle nuance:
- Mag-alaga tayo ng… = actor-focused, “let’s do the caring (of our dog and cat).”
- Alagaan natin ang… = patient-focused, “let’s take care of the dog and cat (as the main point).”
Both are correct; many speakers prefer the patient-focus version with definite objects.

What exactly does tayo mean? How is it different from kami?

Here, tayo makes it a collaborative suggestion: “Let’s … (you and I).”

Why is it ating and not natin? When do I use each?

ating is the prenominal possessive determiner (before the noun): ating aso = “our dog.”
natin is the postnominal possessive (after the noun): aso natin = “our dog.”
They’re equivalent in meaning (both inclusive “our”). Position is the difference:
- ng ating aso = ng aso natin
- ang ating aso = ang aso natin

What does sa bahay mean here—“at home” or “in the house”? Do I need to say whose house?

sa bahay can mean “at home / in the house.” It’s contextually understood as home.
If you need to specify whose house:
- inclusive “our”: sa bahay natin
- exclusive “our”: sa bahay namin
- my: sa bahay ko, your: sa bahay mo, etc.

Where can I put mamaya and sa bahay in the sentence? Are there word-order options?

Yes. Common, natural options:

Mag-alaga tayo ng ating aso at pusa sa bahay mamaya.
Mamaya sa bahay, mag-alaga tayo ng ating aso at pusa.
Sa bahay mamaya, mag-alaga tayo ng ating aso at pusa. All are fine; fronting time/place adds emphasis to that element.

Is ng ating aso at pusa singular or plural? Why no mga?

It refers to one dog and one cat (two specific pets), so each noun is singular.
You add mga if you mean more than one of a kind:
- several dogs and cats: ng ating mga aso at mga pusa (or often just first noun marked: mga aso’t pusa).

Can I drop ating and just say Mag-alaga tayo ng aso at pusa…? What changes?

Dropping ating makes it indefinite (“a dog and a cat” rather than “our dog and cat”).
If you mean your own pets, keep ating/natin to avoid ambiguity.

What’s the difference between ng and nang? Which one is correct here?

Use ng for:
- object/patient marker (as in this sentence),
- possessive linker (as in ating = atin + -g),
- quantities (e.g., tatlong aso).
Use nang for:
- adverbial “when/how/so that,” intensifiers, or linking repeated words. Here, ng (object marker) is correct: ng ating aso at pusa.

Is the hyphen in mag-alaga required?

Not strictly. You’ll see both mag-alaga and magalaga.
The hyphen is common and recommended before vowel-initial roots (like alaga) to aid readability.

How would I say “Let’s take care of our dog and cat first/only/also later at home”? Where do I put enclitics like muna, na lang, rin/din?

Place enclitics after the first prosodic word of the predicate:

How do I make it a yes–no question: “Shall we take care of our dog and cat later at home?”

Add ba after the first predicate element:

How do I say it in the future tense rather than as a suggestion?

Use the future (contemplated) forms:

AF future: Mag-aalaga tayo ng ating aso at pusa sa bahay mamaya.
PF future: Aalagaan natin ang ating aso at pusa sa bahay mamaya. These sound more like a plan/commitment than a suggestion.

Could I use sa to mark the thing being cared for: Mag-alaga tayo sa aso at pusa natin?

You’ll hear both mag-alaga ng [patient] and mag-alaga sa [beneficiary]. With pets, ng is the more neutral/standard choice.
With the patient-focus verb alagaan, you use ang for the thing cared for: Alagaan natin ang aso at pusa natin.

Does the sentence imply raising pets long-term or just looking after them later today?

mag-alaga ng aso/pusa can mean “to keep/raise” (long-term) or “to care for” (short-term). Here, mamaya pushes the reading toward a specific caregiving event later.
If you want to avoid any “raise/keep” ambiguity, use PF: Alagaan natin ang aso at pusa natin mamaya, or be specific: Pakainin/linisin/lakarin natin…

Can I invert it with ay (formal/written style)?

Yes:

Tayo ay mag-aalaga ng ating aso at pusa sa bahay mamaya.
Ang ating aso at pusa ay aalagaan natin sa bahay mamaya. This is more formal/literary than everyday speech.

Pronunciation tips—where is the stress?

mag-alaga: ma-ga-LA-ga (stress on “la”)
tayo: TA-yo
bahay: BA-hay
mamaya: ma-ma-YA Natural speech may reduce vowels slightly, but these stresses are a good guide.

Is aso’t pusa acceptable as a contraction?

Yes. ’t is a contraction of at:

AF: Mag-alaga tayo ng ating aso’t pusa sa bahay mamaya.
PF: Alagaan natin ang ating aso’t pusa sa bahay mamaya. Note: aso’t pusa can also appear in the idiom parang aso’t pusa (“like cats and dogs,” i.e., they quarrel), which is unrelated here.