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Mayroon ba kayong relo, lola?

Mayroon ba kayong relo, lola?
Do you have a watch, grandmother?
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Questions & Answers about Mayroon ba kayong relo, lola?

Why is it kayong and not just kayo?

Because of the linker -ng. In existential “have” sentences with may/mayroon, a nominative pronoun links to the possessed noun with -ng:

  • Mayroon akong relo.
  • Mayroon kayong relo. If there’s no noun after the pronoun, the linker disappears: Mayroon kayo. Note: When ba sits between the pronoun and the noun, the linker attaches to ba as bang: Meron ka bang relo?
What does ba do, and where does it go?

Ba turns the sentence into a yes–no question and clings to the first prosodic unit (second position).

  • With mayroon/meron: Mayroon ba/ Meron ba kayong relo?
  • With may
    • noun: May relo ba kayo? (not ✗May ba kayo...) You can omit ba and use rising intonation, but ba is the clear, neutral way to mark a yes–no question.
What’s the difference between may, mayroon, and meron?
  • May: Common before nouns/quantifiers/adjectives. Example: May relo ba kayo?
  • Mayroon: More formal; often used when a pronoun follows or when you want to host clitics (like ba, po) right after it. Example: Mayroon ba kayong relo?
  • Meron: Colloquial form of mayroon. Example: Meron ka bang relo? Only mayroon/meron can stand alone as a short answer: Meron (po).
Does kayo mean plural “you” here, or polite “you”?
It can mean either, but here it’s polite singular “you,” addressing an elder respectfully (like French “vous”). If you were speaking casually to a peer, you’d use ka/ikaw: Meron ka bang relo?
Where do I put po/ho for politeness?

Put it with the clitic cluster near the start:

  • Mayroon po ba kayong relo, Lola?
  • May relo po ba kayo, Lola? You will also hear Meron po ba kayong relo, Lola? In everyday speech, po ba is extremely common; you may also hear ba po—don’t stress over the order.
Is this the way to ask someone for the time?

Not usually. Mayroon ba kayong relo? literally asks whether the person has a watch. To ask the time, say:

  • Anong oras na (po)? (What time is it?)
  • May oras (po) ba kayo? (Do you have the time?)
Can I rephrase it? For example: May relo ba kayo, lola? or Meron ka bang relo, lola?

Yes:

  • May relo ba kayo, lola? Same meaning; very natural.
  • Meron ka bang relo, lola? Informal singular (not respectful); use only with someone you’d normally address as ikaw/ka.
  • You can also front the address term: Lola, mayroon po ba kayong relo?
Why use relo and not orasan?
  • Relo = watch (wristwatch). Often also used for small clocks.
  • Orasan = clock (wall/desk/alarm). In many areas orasan is for larger timepieces. If you just want the time, ask Anong oras na (po)? rather than talking about a watch.
Why is there a comma before lola? Should Lola be capitalized?

The comma marks direct address (a vocative). You can put the address term at the end or start:

  • Mayroon ba kayong relo, lola?
  • Lola, mayroon ba kayong relo? Capitalize Lola when it stands in for a name/title (e.g., Lola Maria, or when you call your own grandmother simply Lola).
How do I say “no” to this? Do I use hindi?

Use wala, not hindi, to negate may/mayroon:

  • Wala (po) akong relo.
  • Wala (po) kaming relo. Short answers: Wala (po). / Meron/Mayroon (po).
Why not use ninyo for “your,” as in Mayroon ba ninyong relo?

With may/mayroon to express possession, Tagalog typically uses a nominative pronoun plus linker before the noun: Mayroon kayong relo / May relo kayo.
Use ninyo in other structures:

  • Ang inyong relo (your watch; possessive determiner)
  • Relo ninyo ito. (This is your watch.)
Do I need an article/marker before relo?
No. After may/mayroon, the possessed noun is typically bare and indefinite: May relo…, Mayroon bang relo… You don’t use ang/si/ng there.
How is mayroon pronounced? What about relo?
  • Mayroon: often pronounced like meron in everyday speech; careful speech has three syllables: may-ro-on.
  • Relo: stress is typically on the last syllable: re-ló. Both mayroon and meron are fine; meron sounds more casual.
Is there anything special about the -ng linker I should remember?

Yes:

  • Use -ng after a word ending in a vowel; use na after a consonant (except that many words ending in n become -ng by assimilation).
  • In this pattern, the pronoun gets the linker: akong/kayong/siyang/kaming/silang
    • noun.
  • If ba intervenes, the linker attaches to ba: ka bang, siya bang, etc. Example: Meron ka bang relo?