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Questions & Answers about Sino ang umorder ng kape at tinapay?
What does Sino mean, and can it refer to things?
Sino means who and is used only for people. For things, use ano (what); for choosing among things, use alin (which).
Why is ang used after Sino here?
Ang marks the topic of the sentence. In Sino ang umorder ng kape at tinapay?, the topic is ang umorder ng kape at tinapay (“the one who ordered coffee and bread”), and Sino is the predicate asking which person that topic is. You’ll also see the contraction Sino’ng or Sinong (from Sino + ang).
Can I drop ang and just say Sino umorder…?
In casual speech you’ll hear Sino umorder…? In careful or written Filipino, include ang (or use the contraction): Sino ang umorder…? / Sino’ng (Sinong) umorder…?
What does ng do in this sentence? Is it the same as nang?
Here ng marks the direct object(s): ng kape and (ng) tinapay. It is not the same as nang, which is a different word used as a linker/adverbial particle (when/as/so that/how). Don’t swap them in writing.
Why not use sa instead of ng before kape/tinapay?
Sa typically marks location, direction, time, or recipients. Ng marks direct objects in actor-focus sentences.
- Umorder siya ng kape. = He/She ordered coffee. (object)
- Umorder siya sa café. = He/She ordered at the café. (location)
What tense/aspect is umorder?
Umorder is perfective/completed: ordered. Other common forms:
- Progressive: umuorder = is/was ordering
- Contemplated/future: o-order or mag-o-order = will order/is going to order
Is umorder the only correct verb, or can I use nag-order?
Both are widely used with the loan root order. You’ll hear either the -um- pattern (umorder/umuorder) or the mag-/nag- pattern (mag-order/nag-order/nag-o-order). Choice varies by region and register; either is understood.
Do I need to repeat ng before both nouns?
It’s optional. Both are correct:
- Sino ang umorder ng kape at tinapay?
- Sino ang umorder ng kape at ng tinapay? (a bit more formal/emphatic)
How do I ask about multiple people (“Who all…” or “Which people”)?
Use the pluralized form sino-sino (also spelled sinu-sino):
- Sino-sino ang umorder ng kape at tinapay? = Which people / who all ordered coffee and bread?
How can I make this more polite or soften it?
Add po for politeness and optionally ba to sound less direct:
- Sino po ang umorder ng kape at tinapay?
- Sino ba ang umorder ng kape at tinapay? (seeking confirmation/reminder)
How do I pronounce the tricky parts?
- Sino = SEE-no
- umorder = oo-MOR-der (tap/roll the r)
- ng = a single nasal sound like the end of “song” [ng], no vowel
- kape = ka-PEH
- tinapay = tee-NAH-pie
- at (and) = aht
How would people answer this question?
Common answers:
- A name with si: Si Maria.
- A pronoun: Ako. (I did.) / Hindi ako. (Not me.)
- Full sentence: Si Maria ang umorder ng kape at tinapay.
- Nobody: Wala.
- Don’t know: Hindi ko alam.
What if I mean “the coffee and the bread” (specific items)? Can I still use this sentence?
Yes. Filipino doesn’t require ang on the object in actor-focus, even if the object is specific. You normally keep actor-focus:
- Sino ang umorder ng kape at tinapay? (context supplies “the”) If you truly want the items as the topic, switch to patient-focus for statements:
- Ang kape at tinapay ay inorder ni Maria. When asking “who ordered…,” speakers usually just stick with the actor-focus question above.