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Alas siyete na sa relo ko; magsimula na tayo.

Alas siyete na sa relo ko; magsimula na tayo.
It is seven o'clock on my watch; let's start now.

Breakdown of Alas siyete na sa relo ko; magsimula na tayo.

ay
to be
na
already
tayo
we
sa
on
ko
my
alas siyete
seven o'clock
relo
the watch
magsimula
to start
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Questions & Answers about Alas siyete na sa relo ko; magsimula na tayo.

What does the particle na mean here, and why is it used twice?
  • In Alas siyete na sa relo ko, na means “already/now,” signaling that the time has reached seven.
  • In magsimula na tayo, na adds urgency or immediacy: “let’s start now.”
  • This is not redundant; the two na serve different clauses and are both natural.
Why is it alas siyete and not just pito or ika-pito?
  • Filipino uses the Spanish-influenced pattern ala-/alas + number to tell clock time: ala-una (1:00), alas dos (2:00), …, alas siyete (7:00).
  • Using plain pito (“seven”) without alas does not express clock time.
  • Ika-pito is an ordinal (“seventh”) and is not used to tell the hour.
Do I need to write a hyphen, like alas-siyete?
  • In careful or formal writing, many style guides prefer the hyphen: ala-una, alas-dos, alas-siyete.
  • In everyday text, a space (alas siyete) is widely seen and acceptable. Be consistent within a document.
Is the spelling siyete, syete, or siete correct?
  • All appear, but Filipino-oriented spellings siyete or syete are most common today.
  • Siete is the Spanish form; it can look old-fashioned or Spanish-leaning in Filipino contexts.
  • Pick one Filipino spelling and stick to it for consistency; siyete is a safe choice.
What does sa relo ko add? Could I say ayon sa relo ko or use orasan?
  • Sa relo ko means “on my watch (according to my watch),” attributing the time reading to your device.
  • Ayon sa relo ko is a more explicit/neutral “according to my watch.”
  • Relo = watch. Orasan = clock (often wall/desk clock). So you can say sa orasan if you’re reading a clock, and sa orasan ko if it’s your own clock.
  • Don’t use sa oras ko here; that suggests “by my schedule,” not the device.
Is the semicolon natural in Filipino, or should I use something else?
  • A semicolon is fine in formal writing to join closely related clauses.
  • Common alternatives:
    • Period: Alas-siyete na sa relo ko. Magsimula na tayo.
    • With a connector: Alas-siyete na sa relo ko, kaya magsimula na tayo.
    • Conversational cue: Alas-siyete na sa relo ko. Tara, magsimula na tayo.
What’s the difference between magsimula and simulan?
  • Magsimula is intransitive, actor-focus: “to start (begin).” Example: Magsimula na tayo.
  • Simulan is transitive, patient-focus: “to start something.” Example: Simulan na natin ang pulong. (“Let’s start the meeting.”)
  • Use magsimula when you’re just beginning, and simulan when you name the thing being started.
Why tayo and not kami?
  • Tayo = inclusive “we” (speaker + listener). Magsimula na tayo means “Let’s (you and I/you all and I) start.”
  • Kami = exclusive “we” (speaker + others, not the listener). Magsimula na kami implies “We’ll start (without you).”
Can I move na to a different position, like sentence-initial?
  • No. Enclitic particles like na normally appear right after the first major element of the clause.
    • Correct: Alas siyete na sa relo ko.
    • Unnatural: Na alas siyete sa relo ko.
  • Same with the second clause: Magsimula na tayo (not “Na magsimula tayo”).
Should I add a time-of-day marker like ng umaga or ng gabi?
  • If context doesn’t make it clear, yes. Examples:
    • Alas-siyete na ng umaga sa relo ko; magsimula na tayo.
    • Alas-siyete na ng gabi sa relo ko; magsimula na tayo.
  • Common options: ng umaga (morning), ng hapon (afternoon), ng gabi (evening), ng madaling-araw (pre-dawn).
How do I make this more polite?
  • Add the politeness particle po (or ho in some regions):
    • Alas-siyete na po sa relo ko; magsimula na po tayo.
  • Positioning with na is natural as na po: Magsimula na po tayo.
Could I drop sa relo ko?
  • Yes. Alas-siyete na; magsimula na tayo. This simply states the time without attributing it to your watch.
  • Use sa relo ko if you want to imply “according to my watch” (e.g., clocks may disagree).
If I want to say “Let’s begin at seven” (not “It’s seven now”), how would I phrase it?
  • Magsimula tayo nang alas-siyete.
  • Or with the transitive verb: Simulan natin (ito/ang pulong) nang alas-siyete.
  • Note the linker nang before time expressions of manner/specific time.
Is there a more casual synonym for magsimula?
  • Yes: mag-umpisa. Examples:
    • Intransitive: Mag-umpisa na tayo.
    • Transitive: Umpisahan na natin ang pulong.
  • Magsimula tends to sound a bit more neutral/formal; mag-umpisa/umpisahan is very common in conversation.
Any pronunciation tips for tricky words here?
  • siyete/syete: stress the second syllable (si-YE-te or sye-TE), approximating “SYE-teh.”
  • simula/magsimula: stress the last syllable: si-mu-LA; mag-si-mu-LA.
  • relo: re-LO.