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Questions & Answers about Sino ang tumawag kanina?
What does each word do in Sino ang tumawag kanina?
- Sino: who (asks for a person)
- ang: marks the grammatical pivot/topic (the thing you’re asking about)
- tumawag: called; actor-focus, completed aspect of the root tawag (to call)
- kanina: earlier/a while ago (earlier today, not on a previous day)
Why is actor-focus (tumawag) used here?
Because the question asks for the doer/agent (the caller). Actor-focus highlights the person who performed the action. If you want the recipient (the person called) as the focus, you’d switch to a different voice (see below).
How would I ask “Who did you call earlier?” or “Who was called earlier?”
- Who did you call earlier? — Sino ang tinawagan mo kanina? (patient/locative focus on the person called)
- Who was called earlier? — Sino ang tinawagan kanina? (agent omitted/unknown; more natural with an agent: Sino ang tinawagan niya kanina?)
Can I drop ang or is there a contraction?
You’ll usually contract Sino ang to Sinong (often written Sinong or Sino’ng):
- Sinong tumawag kanina? Dropping ang entirely (e.g., Sino tumawag kanina?) occurs in casual speech but the standard form uses ang or the contraction.
What’s the difference between tumawag, tumatawag, and tatawag?
- tumawag: completed (called)
- tumatawag: incomplete/ongoing or habitual (is/was calling; keeps calling)
- tatawag: contemplated/future (will call) With kanina (earlier today), use tumawag for a finished event, or tumatawag if it was ongoing earlier.
What exactly does kanina mean, and how is it different from similar words?
- kanina: earlier today / a while ago (today)
- kanina lang: just a moment ago
- kanina pa: since earlier and still relevant/ongoing (e.g., waiting since earlier)
- kaninang umaga/hapon/gabi: earlier this morning/afternoon/evening
- noon/noong: back then/on (a past time not limited to today) So you wouldn’t use kanina for yesterday or last week.
Where can kanina go in the sentence?
Commonly at the end: Sino ang tumawag kanina? You can front it for emphasis: Kanina, sino ang tumawag? Both are natural.
How do I answer this question naturally?
- Name: Si Ana (ang tumawag kanina).
- Common noun: Ang boss ko.
- Unknown: Hindi ko alam.
- No one: Walang tumawag kanina. Using si before a person’s name is required in Tagalog.
How do I say “Who called you earlier?” vs “Who did you call earlier?”
- Who called you earlier? — Sino ang tumawag sa iyo (sayo) kanina?
- Who did you call earlier? — Sino ang tinawagan mo kanina? Note the preposition sa with the recipient in the actor-focus version.
How can I make the question more polite?
Add po (politeness particle):
- Sino po ang tumawag kanina? You can also soften it with ba for a more conversational tone:
- Sino ba ang tumawag kanina?
Is it okay to use yung instead of ang in speech?
Yes, in casual speech:
- Sino yung tumawag kanina? It’s very common in conversation; ang is more formal/neutral.
What’s the difference between sino and kanino?
- sino: who (as subject/pivot), e.g., Sino ang tumawag kanina? (Who called?)
- kanino: to whom/from whom (with the preposition sa implied), e.g., Kanino tumawag si Mark kanina? (To whom did Mark call earlier?)
How do I say “Someone called earlier” if I don’t know who?
- May tumawag kanina. Optionally add purpose/for whom: May tumawag para sa iyo kanina.
How do I pronounce the sentence?
- Sino: SEE-noh
- ang: ahng (ng as in sing)
- tumawag: too-MA-wag (light g)
- kanina: kah-NEE-nah Stress placement can vary slightly by speaker, but this will be understood.