Lutuin natin ang gulay para sa pamilya mamaya.

Let us cook the vegetables for the family later.

Breakdown of Lutuin natin ang gulay para sa pamilya mamaya.

• pamilya: the family
• para sa: for
• mamaya: later
• gulay: the vegetable
• natin: we
• lutuin: to cook

Questions & Answers about Lutuin natin ang gulay para sa pamilya mamaya.

Why use lutuin instead of magluto here?

• Lutuin is the patient-focus (object-focus) form of the verb. It highlights the thing being cooked (the vegetables), which then takes the ang marker.
• Magluto is actor-focus and highlights the doer. With magluto, the thing cooked is marked with ng.
• Nuance:
  • Lutuin natin ang gulay... = focuses the specific vegetables (definite).
  • Magluto tayo ng gulay... = focuses us as doers; the vegetables can be less specific or just “some vegetables.”

What exactly does natin mean? Does it include the listener?

• Natin = inclusive “we/our,” including the person spoken to.
• Contrast with namin = exclusive “we/our,” not including the listener.
• Here, natin makes it a “let’s” suggestion that includes the listener.

Why is ang used before gulay? Can I use ng instead?

• In patient-focus (lutuin), the focused noun (pivot) takes ang: ang gulay.
• Ng marks non-pivot objects, which you’d use in actor-focus: Magluto tayo ng gulay...
• So with lutuin, you need ang gulay; with magluto, you’d use ng gulay.

Is gulay singular or plural here? When do I use mga?

• Gulay can be generic (vegetable/vegetables) without explicitly stating number.
• If you want to be clearly plural, use mga: ang mga gulay = “the vegetables.”
• Without mga, context decides whether it’s a specific vegetable dish or vegetables in general.

What does para sa express, and when do I use para kay/kina?

• Para sa marks a beneficiary or purpose with common nouns: para sa pamilya (for the family).
• Use para kay with a single personal name: para kay Ana.
• Use para kina with multiple named persons: para kina Ana at Ben.
• For plural common nouns, keep para sa and add mga: para sa mga bata.

Can I drop para and just say sa pamilya?

• To express “for (the benefit of),” use para sa. Just sa pamilya is ambiguous and can sound like a location or association.
• Better: keep para sa, or switch to a benefactive verb (see next Q).

Could I use a benefactive verb instead of para sa, like ipagluto?

Yes. Benefactive voice encodes the beneficiary in the grammar:

• Ipagluto natin ang pamilya ng gulay mamaya.
  • Here, ang pamilya is the pivot (beneficiary), and ng gulay is what we’ll cook.
• This version emphasizes the family as the recipient, while the original emphasizes the vegetables as the focus.

What does mamaya mean exactly? How is it different from related time words?

• Mamaya = later (usually later today).
• Common variants:
  • Mamayang hapon/gabi = later this afternoon/evening.
  • Maya-maya = in a little while/soon.
  • Mamaya pa = much later (not soon).
  • Mamaya na = let’s do it later (postponing).
  • Bukas = tomorrow (not later today).

Where can mamaya go in the sentence?

• Flexible placement:
  • Mamaya, lutuin natin ang gulay para sa pamilya.
  • Lutuin natin ang gulay para sa pamilya mamaya.
  • Lutuin natin mamaya ang gulay para sa pamilya.
• Putting mamaya first sets the time frame up front; at the end, it feels like an afterthought or scheduling detail.

Is lutuin imperative or future? How do I show tense/aspect?

• Bare lutuin often functions as an imperative/hortative: “Let’s cook…”
• To mark aspect:
  • Future/intended: lulutuin (reduplication) — Lulutuin natin ang gulay mamaya.
  • Progressive: niluluto — Niluluto natin ang gulay.
  • Completed: niluto — Niluto natin ang gulay.

How do I say “let’s cook” using tayo instead of natin? Any nuance difference?

• Actor-focus with tayo: Magluto tayo ng gulay para sa pamilya mamaya.
• Patient-focus with natin: Lutuin natin ang gulay para sa pamilya mamaya.
• Nuance: tayo-sentence focuses the doers; natin-sentence focuses the specific vegetables being cooked.

Where do pronouns like natin go? Could I say Natin lutuin ang gulay?

• Short genitive pronouns (ko, mo, niya, natin, namin, ninyo, nila) typically follow the first word (or first particle) of the clause.
• Hence: Lutuin natin ang gulay... is natural. Natin lutuin... is generally ungrammatical in a main clause.

Does para sa pamilya mean “our family” or just “the family”? How do I make it explicit?

• Para sa pamilya is ambiguous and often understood as “(our) family” from context.
• To be explicit:
  • para sa pamilya natin = for our (inclusive) family.
  • para sa pamilya namin = for our (exclusive) family.
  • para sa pamilya nila = for their family.

Any common colloquial variants of the sentence?

• Lutuin natin yung gulay para sa pamilya mamaya. (colloquial yung for ang)
• Add particles for nuance:
  • Lutuin na natin ang gulay... (let’s cook now/already)
  • Lutuin muna natin ang gulay... (let’s cook first)
  • Lutuin na lang natin ang gulay... (let’s just cook the vegetables)
  • With politeness: Lutuin na po natin ang gulay...

Can I reorder the pieces, like moving para sa pamilya earlier?

Yes. Tagalog allows flexible word order as long as markers stay with their nouns:

• Lutuin natin para sa pamilya ang gulay mamaya.
• Para sa pamilya, lutuin natin ang gulay mamaya.
• The main constraint is that the verb usually comes first in neutral statements/commands.

Pronunciation tips for tricky words?

• lutuin: lu-tu-ín; stress tends to fall on the last syllable; pronounce all vowels clearly.
• natin: NA-tin (even stress in casual speech).
• gulay: GU-lay (lay rhymes with “lie”).
• mamaya: ma-ma-YA; the final syllable is stressed.

How would I negate this idea?

• For “let’s not (do X),” use huwag:
  • Huwag natin lutuin ang gulay mamaya. (Let’s not cook the vegetables later.)
  • Softer: Huwag muna natin lutuin ang gulay. (Let’s not cook yet.)
• For factual negation with tense:
  • Hindi natin lulutuin ang gulay mamaya. (We will not cook the vegetables later.)