Malaki ang lamesa sa kusina.

The table in the kitchen is big.

Breakdown of Malaki ang lamesa sa kusina.

• ay: to be
• lamesa: the table
• sa: in
• kusina: the kitchen
• malaki: big

Questions & Answers about Malaki ang lamesa sa kusina.

What does the particle bold ang do here?

Bold ang marks the topic (often the “subject”) of the sentence. It often corresponds to “the” in English. For a plural topic, use bold ang mga (e.g., bold ang mga lamesa). For personal names, use bold si/sina instead of bold ang.

Why does the adjective bold Malaki come before the noun?

Filipino is naturally predicate-initial. Descriptive sentences usually start with the description (the predicate) followed by the topic: bold Malaki ang lamesa…. You can also say the more formal inversion bold Ang lamesa … ay malaki, but the original order is the everyday pattern.

Do I need a “to be” verb or the particle bold ay here?

No. Filipino doesn’t require a “to be” verb. The particle bold ay is optional and mostly formal or for emphasis: bold Ang lamesa sa kusina ay malaki. The version without bold ay is more common in speech.

What exactly does bold sa kusina modify?

It most naturally modifies bold lamesa, specifying which table you’re talking about: “the table in the kitchen.” If you want to say “the table is located in the kitchen,” you would use bold Nasa kusina ang lamesa (location predicate). If you want a “kitchen’s table”/“kitchen table” as a type, you can say bold lamesa ng kusina or bold lamesang pangkusina.

Should there be a linker between bold malaki and bold lamesa?

Not in this sentence, because bold malaki is the predicate, not directly modifying the noun. If you want the attributive phrase “big table,” you need the linker: bold malaking lamesa. Linker rules:

• If the first word ends in a vowel: add bold -ng (bold malaki → malaking lamesa).
• If it ends in n: drop n and add bold -ng (bold ilan → bold ilang araw).
• If it ends in another consonant: use bold na (bold mabait na bata).

How do I turn this into a yes–no question?

Add bold ba after the predicate (first element): bold Malaki ba ang lamesa sa kusina?

How do I negate it?

Put bold hindi before the predicate: bold Hindi malaki ang lamesa sa kusina. For a contrast, you can say bold Hindi malaki; maliit ito.

How do I make it plural?

Mark the noun as plural with bold mga and typically pluralize the adjective by reduplication: bold Malalaki ang mga lamesa sa kusina. (You’ll also hear bold Malaki ang mga lamesa…, but bold malalaki sounds more natural with a plural topic.)

What’s the difference between bold sa and bold ng after a noun like bold lamesa?

• bold sa often marks location or direction: bold lamesa sa kusina = table in/at the kitchen.
• bold ng often marks possession, origin, or classification: bold lamesa ng kusina = the kitchen’s table / a kitchen table (type). For “intended for” meaning, you can also use bold pang-: bold lamesang pangkusina (kitchen-use table).

Can I move bold sa kusina to the beginning?

Yes, for emphasis or topic-setting: bold Sa kusina, malaki ang lamesa. A formal variant is bold Sa kusina ay malaki ang lamesa. The meaning stays the same; you’re just foregrounding the location.

Can I add politeness or other particles?

Yes. Common placements (after the first element/predicate):

• Politeness: bold Malaki po ang lamesa sa kusina.
• Yes–no: bold Malaki ba ang lamesa sa kusina?
• Also/too: bold Malaki rin ang lamesa sa kusina. Enclitic particles like bold po/ba/rin usually appear right after the first word or predicate.

Is bold lamesa the only word for “table”? What about bold mesa?

Both bold lamesa and bold mesa are understood; bold lamesa is more common in everyday Tagalog. For “dining table,” a specific term is bold hapag-kainan.