Learn Hardcore Filipino: May tanong ako tungkol sa telepono mo.

“May” is the existential marker meaning “there is/are” or “have.” So May tanong ako is literally “There is a question [with] me,” i.e., “I have a question.”

Use may before nouns/adjectives: May tanong ako, May malaking problema.
Use mayroon/meron before pronouns or when it would stand alone: Mayroon akong tanong / Meron akong tanong; Wala ka? Meron.
Avoid May ako tanong; say May tanong ako or Mayroon akong tanong.

Why is it “May tanong ako” and not “Ako ay may tanong”?

Tagalog is typically predicate-first. May tanong is the predicate, and ako (I) follows it: May tanong ako.
Ako ay may tanong is a formal/inverted style (often written or emphatic), also correct but less common in casual speech.

Why isn’t there an article like “ang” or “ng” before “tanong”?

After may, the noun is indefinite and usually appears bare. So May tanong ako is normal.
If you specify number, you can say May isang tanong ako (“I have one question”). You wouldn’t use ang here.

Can I say “Mayroon akong tanong tungkol sa telepono mo”? Is it the same?

Yes. May tanong ako tungkol sa telepono mo and Mayroon akong tanong tungkol sa telepono mo (or Meron akong tanong…) are all natural. The latter is slightly more common when a pronoun follows (hence the linker in akong).

What does “tungkol sa” do? Could I use just “sa”?

Tungkol sa means “about/regarding.” You need tungkol to express “about.”

May tanong ako tungkol sa telepono mo = “I have a question about your phone.”
Using only sa (e.g., May tanong ako sa telepono mo) sounds like “I have a question at/to your phone,” which is odd or ambiguous.

When do I use “tungkol sa” vs “tungkol kay/kina”?

Use tungkol sa for common nouns and pronouns: tungkol sa telepono, tungkol sa kanya, tungkol sa iyo.
Use tungkol kay before a singular proper name: tungkol kay Maria.
Use tungkol kina before multiple proper names: tungkol kina Juan at Ana.

Why is it “telepono mo” and not “mo telepono”?

Genitive (possessive) pronouns like mo/ko/niya follow the noun: telepono mo, tanong ko, bahay niya.
If you want a pre-nominal “your,” you can use iyong with a linker or case marker, e.g., sa iyong telepono, ang iyong telepono (more formal).

What’s the difference among “mo,” “iyo,” “inyo,” and “ninyo”?

mo: informal singular “your” (genitive) after a noun: telepono mo.
iyo: used after sa or as a stand-alone possessive: sa iyo / sa’yo, iyo ito (“this is yours”).
inyo: “your” (plural or polite), often after sa: sa inyo, or pre-nominal: ang inyong telepono.
ninyo: genitive plural/polite after a noun: telepono ninyo.
Polite version of the sentence: May tanong po ako tungkol sa telepono ninyo.

How can I make it more polite or softer?

Add po/ho: May tanong po ako tungkol sa telepono ninyo.
Add softeners like lang or muna: May tanong lang ako…, May tanong muna ako…
Use a request form: Pwede po ba kitang tanungin tungkol sa telepono ninyo?

How do I say I have multiple questions?

Use mga or a number:

May mga tanong ako tungkol sa telepono mo. (I have questions…)
May dalawang tanong ako… (I have two questions…)

What’s the nuance difference between “May tanong ako” and “May itatanong ako”?

May tanong ako treats “question” as a noun: “I have a question.”
May itatanong ako uses a verb form (“something I will/plan to ask”): “I have something to ask.”
Both are natural; the verb form can feel more action-oriented or immediate.

How do I negate it?

Use wala (the negative of “may”):

Wala akong tanong tungkol sa telepono mo.
With wala, the pronoun often takes the linker: akong.

Where do little particles like “ba,” “na,” “rin/din,” and “lang” go?

They generally appear after the first word or phrase of the predicate:

May tanong ka ba tungkol sa telepono ko? (Do you have a question about my phone?)
May tanong na ako… (I already have a question…)
May tanong rin/din ako… (I also have a question…)
May tanong lang ako… (I just have a question…)

Is “May tanong ako tungkol sa telepono mo” itself a question?

No, it’s a statement often used as a polite preface before asking the actual question. To ask directly, you might say:

Pwede ba kitang tanungin tungkol sa telepono mo?
May itatanong ako tungkol sa telepono mo—ok lang?

Pronunciation tips?

May = like “my” [maj].
tanong = stress the last syllable: ta-NONG [tɐˈnoŋ].
tungkol = stress the last syllable: tung-KOL [tʊŋˈkol].
telepono = stress the second syllable: te-LE-po-no [tɛˈlɛpono]. (You’ll also hear te-le-PO-no, but the standard stress is on “le.”)

Is “telepono” the most common word? What about “cellphone/phone”?

In everyday speech, people often say cellphone/selpon or simply phone (code-switching). All are widely understood:

May tanong ako tungkol sa cellphone mo.
May tanong ako tungkol sa phone mo.
Formal/standard Filipino uses telepono (device/telephone).

Can I front or move “tungkol sa telepono mo” for emphasis?

Yes. Fronting for emphasis is fine:

Tungkol sa telepono mo, may tanong ako.
The neutral, most common order is still May tanong ako tungkol sa telepono mo.

Is “May tanong ako sa telepono mo” acceptable?

It’s not the usual way to mean “about your phone.” Without tungkol, sa telepono mo can sound like a location/goal phrase (“at/to your phone”). Use tungkol sa to mean “about.”