Learn Hardcore Filipino: Mainit ngayon sa bahay, pero malamig kagabi. - It is hot at home today, but it was cold last night.

In Filipino, adjectives like mainit (hot) and malamig (cold) can serve as the predicate of the sentence by themselves. There is usually no separate word for “is,” and impersonal “it” is not needed. So Mainit sa bahay literally reads as “Hot at home,” which is perfectly natural. If you want to name a subject, you can:

Mainit ang bahay. = The house is hot.
Ang bahay ay mainit. (more formal/inverted)

Is the word order “Mainit ngayon sa bahay” the only correct one?

No. Filipino allows flexible placement of time and location phrases. These are all fine:

Mainit ngayon sa bahay.
Mainit sa bahay ngayon.
Ngayon, mainit sa bahay.

Often, the element placed near the end feels a bit more emphasized. So ending with ngayon highlights “today/now,” while ending with sa bahay highlights “at home.”

How do we know the second clause is in the past?

The word kagabi (“last night”) marks past time. Adjectives like malamig don’t change form for tense; you rely on time words such as kagabi, kanina (earlier today), kahapon (yesterday), noon (back then), etc. You could also say noong kagabi with the same meaning as kagabi in most contexts.

What’s the difference between ngayon and ngayong?

ngayon is used by itself: Mainit ngayon.
ngayong is the linker form used before a following noun: ngayong gabi (tonight), ngayong araw (today), ngayong taon (this year). In your sentence, ngayon stands alone, so ngayon (not ngayong) is correct.

What’s the difference between kagabi and noong gabi?

kagabi = last night (the night immediately before now).
noong gabi = that night (a specific night previously mentioned or understood from context), not necessarily the immediate last night. You can also say noong kagabi, which usually just means “last night.”

Why is it sa bahay and not ang bahay or sa ang bahay?

sa marks location/oblique phrases, so you don’t add ang to it. sa bahay means “at home/at the house.” You use ang to mark a topic/subject noun phrase, e.g., Ang bahay ay mainit. But with a location phrase, it’s simply sa + place: sa bahay, sa opisina, sa Maynila.

What’s the difference between sa and nasa?

sa + place is a location phrase: Mainit sa bahay.
nasa + place is used when the location itself is the predicate: Nasa bahay ako. (I’m at home.) In your sentence, the predicate is the adjective (mainit/malamig), so you use sa for the location phrase: Mainit sa bahay.

Do I need to repeat “sa bahay” in the second clause?

No. Filipino often omits repeated information if it’s clear from context. Mainit ngayon sa bahay, pero malamig kagabi naturally implies “at home” in both clauses. If you need to be explicit (e.g., contrasting locations), you can repeat or specify: Mainit sa bahay ngayon, pero malamig sa labas kagabi.

How do I show whose house it is (my/our house)?

Add a possessor after bahay:

sa bahay ko = at my house
sa bahay namin = at our house (excluding the listener)
sa bahay natin = at our house (including the listener) Example: Mainit ngayon sa bahay namin, pero malamig kagabi.

How do I pronounce the tricky parts like ngayon and the initial ng?

ngayon: the ng is a single sound like the “ng” in “sing,” even at the start of a word. Stress is typically on the second syllable: nga-YON.
kagabi: stress on the last syllable: ka-ga-BI.
malamig: stress on the last syllable: ma-la-MIG (the final g is pronounced).
mainit: pronounced ma-IN-it (there’s a slight break between a and i); stress on the middle syllable.
bahay: BA-hay (stress on the first syllable).

What does the prefix ma- do in mainit and malamig?

ma- commonly forms adjectives meaning “having the quality of X” from noun roots:

init (heat) → mainit (hot)
lamig (cold/coldness) → malamig (cold) This pattern is very productive in Filipino.

How do I say “hotter/colder” or “very hot/very cold”?

Comparative: mas mainit (hotter), mas malamig (colder)
Superlative: pinakamainit (hottest), pinakamalamig (coldest)
Intensifiers: sobrang init, sobrang lamig, napakainit, napakalamig, or exclamatory Ang init! / Ang lamig! Example: Mas mainit sa bahay ngayon, pero mas malamig kagabi.

How do I negate the sentence?

Use hindi before the predicate:

Hindi mainit sa bahay ngayon, pero malamig kagabi. = It’s not hot at home today, but it was cold last night. You can add masyado (too) or gaano (how) as needed: Hindi gaanong mainit sa bahay ngayon.

Can I turn it into a question like “Is it hot at home today? Was it cold last night?”

Yes, add ba after the predicate:

Mainit ba sa bahay ngayon?
Malamig ba kagabi? With politeness: Mainit po ba sa bahay ngayon?

Could I say “Mainit ngayon, pero malamig kagabi” and drop “sa bahay”?

Yes, if the location is understood from context. Filipino readily omits information that’s already known or obvious. If you need to keep the location explicit, include sa bahay in one or both clauses.