Learn Hardcore Filipino: Ang pupuntahan nating istasyon ay malapit, kaya darating tayo nang maaga kahit may trapiko. - The station we are going to is near, so we will arrive early even if there is traffic.

ay is an inversion/topic marker that splits the sentence into Topic → Comment: Ang pupuntahan nating istasyon (Topic) ay malapit (Comment).
It’s common in formal or written Filipino. In everyday speech, many speakers drop it and use neutral order: Malapit ang pupuntahan nating istasyon.
You cannot start with Ay malapit…; the ay must come after the topicalized phrase.
All of these are fine and mean the same:
- Ang pupuntahan nating istasyon ay malapit.
- Malapit ang pupuntahan nating istasyon.
- Colloquial: Malapit yung istasyong pupuntahan natin.

Why is it pupuntahan and not pupunta?

pupunta is actor-focus (“will go”), and the destination is marked with sa: Pupunta tayo sa istasyon.
pupuntahan is the -AN (locative/goal) focus: it makes the place the grammatical focus, which is perfect for relative clauses like “the station that we will go to”: Ang istasyong pupuntahan natin…
In short:
- Actor-focus statement: Pupunta tayo sa istasyon.
- Place-focused/relative form: Ang istasyong pupuntahan natin…

Why is there no sa before istasyon?

Because the verb is pupuntahan (locative focus). The location (the station) is already the grammatical focus, so you don’t mark it with sa inside this relative-clause structure. If you used actor focus (pupunta), you would need sa (Pupunta tayo sa istasyon).

What exactly does nating mean here, and why not natin, namin, or ating?

nating = natin + -ng (the linker). The linker attaches to the pronoun because the whole clause pupuntahan natin is modifying istasyon. So you get pupuntahan nating istasyon.
natin is the inclusive “our/we (including the listener)” in genitive form. With the linker, it becomes nating before a noun.
If the listener is excluded, use namin → naming: Ang pupuntahan naming istasyon…
ating is an attributive “our” used for possession (e.g., ating bahay, “our house”). It’s not the right form for the actor inside a relative clause here.

Could I say Ang istasyong pupuntahan natin ay malapit instead of Ang pupuntahan nating istasyon ay malapit?

Yes. Both are grammatical and natural. They differ only in which part you front:

Ang istasyong pupuntahan natin ay malapit.
Ang pupuntahan nating istasyon ay malapit. Many speakers find the first slightly more common, but both are idiomatic.

Where is the linker in “pupuntahan nating istasyon,” and how does it work?

The linker -ng/na connects modifiers to the nouns they modify.
In this case, the modifier is the relative clause pupuntahan natin. The -ng attaches to the pronoun, giving nating: pupuntahan nating istasyon.
Compare: kakainin kong mansanas (the apple that I will eat), binili mong libro (the book you bought), istasyong malapit (station that’s near; istasyon + -ng = istasyong).

Why is it nang maaga and not ng maaga or maagang?

Use nang to link a verb to an adverbial modifier: darating tayo nang maaga (“arrive early”).
ng is the object/case marker (e.g., bumili ako ng libro) and is not used for this adverbial function.
maagang (with linker) modifies nouns: maagang biyahe (“an early trip”), but as an adverb after a verb, you use nang maaga.
You could front it for emphasis: Maagang darating tayo, but the default/neutral is verb + nang
- adverb: Darating tayo nang maaga.

Does kaya mean “so/therefore” here? How is it different from dahil “because”?

Yes, kaya introduces a result: “…is near, so we will arrive early…”
dahil introduces the cause:
- Cause → result: Dahil malapit ang pupuntahan nating istasyon, darating tayo nang maaga kahit may trapiko.
- Result introduced by kaya: Malapit ang… kaya darating tayo…
In careful writing, avoid using both together in one sentence (Dahil… kaya…) even though it’s common in casual speech.

Can I move the kahit clause to the front?

Yes. kahit (“even though/although”) clauses are mobile:

Kahit may trapiko, darating tayo nang maaga.
Darating tayo nang maaga kahit may trapiko. Both are natural; fronting kahit often emphasizes the concession.

Is there a difference between kahit and kahit na (or maski)?

kahit and kahit na are both fine; kahit na can sound a bit more formal/emphatic.
- kahit may trapiko / kahit na may trapiko
maski is a common synonym of kahit in many regions: maski may trapiko.

What’s the difference between tayo/natin and kami/namin here?

tayo / natin = inclusive “we/our” (includes the listener).
kami / namin = exclusive (excludes the listener).
Keep the pair consistent:
- Inclusive: Darating tayo… / pupuntahan nating istasyon
- Exclusive: Darating kami… / pupuntahan naming istasyon

How is darating formed, and what are its other aspects?

The root is dating (“to arrive”) with the actor-focus -um- paradigm:

Completed: dumating (“arrived”)
Progressive/Imperfective: dumarating (“is/are arriving; arrives regularly”)
Contemplated/Future: darating (“will arrive”) Example: Kahapon, dumating siya; ngayon, dumarating sila nang huli; bukas, darating tayo nang maaga.

Could I use aabot instead of darating?

Yes, but the meaning shifts:

darating = “will arrive.”
aabot = “will make it/reach in time” (focus on meeting a deadline or catching something): Aabot tayo nang maaga kahit may trapiko. Use darating when you simply mean the act of arriving; use aabot to stress “we’ll still make it (on time).”

Is trapiko the usual word? I’ve seen trapik and matrapik too.

trapiko is the standard noun “traffic”: may trapiko (“there is traffic”).
trapik is a common colloquial variant of the noun.
matrapik is an adjective (“traffic-y”/“congested”): Kahit matrapik, darating tayo nang maaga. All are widely understood; trapiko is the safest in neutral/formal contexts.

How is pupuntahan built, and where is the stress?

Root: punta (“go”).
Locative -an suffix (appears as -han here for ease of pronunciation) + reduplication for contemplated aspect → pupuntahan (“place that will be gone to”).
Typical stress: pu-pun-ta-HAN (final syllable). Many speakers stress the last syllable in forms like puntahán / pupuntahán.