Learn Hardcore Filipino: Nakikita mo ba ang larawan ni Ate sa likod ng pinto sa kwarto? - Do you see my older sister's picture behind the door in the bedroom?

Nakikita mo ba ang larawan ni Ate sa likod ng pinto sa kwarto?

Do you see my older sister's picture behind the door in the bedroom?

Breakdown of Nakikita mo ba ang larawan ni Ate sa likod ng pinto sa kwarto?

Elon.io is an online learning platform

We have an entire course teaching Filipino grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Filipino now

Questions & Answers about Nakikita mo ba ang larawan ni Ate sa likod ng pinto sa kwarto?

What exactly does nakikita mean here? Is it present tense, like “are seeing,” or something like “can see”?

Nakikita is the incomplete aspect of the verb makita (“to see”). It usually suggests:

an action happening now
or something that is generally/usually seen
and often carries a “can see / is able to see” nuance

So Nakikita mo ba…? can be understood as:

“Do you see…?”
and very naturally also as “Can you see…?” (as in “Is it visible to you right now?”)

It is not strictly progressive like English “are seeing,” but in context it often lines up with English present or present progressive.

How would the meaning change if we used nakita or makikita instead of nakikita?

Nakikita mo ba ang larawan…?
→ “Do you see / Can you see the picture… (now / in general)?”
Nakita mo ba ang larawan…?
→ “Did you see / Have you seen the picture…?”
This is completed aspect, asking about a past event.
Makikita mo ba ang larawan…?
→ “Will you see / Will you be able to see the picture…?”
This is contemplated (future) aspect, asking about something that might happen later.

So:

nakikita = present / habitual / (can) see now
nakita = already saw
makikita = will see / be able to see

What is the function of ba in this sentence?

Ba is a question particle used for yes–no questions.

It doesn’t translate directly to a word like “do” or “did.”
It just signals that the sentence is being asked as a question.

In Nakikita mo ba ang larawan…?:

Without ba: Nakikita mo ang larawan… = “You see the picture…” (statement)
With ba: Nakikita mo ba ang larawan…? = “Do you see the picture…?” (question)

Ba usually comes right after the word being questioned or focused on—in this case, mo (“you”).

Why is the word order Nakikita mo ba and not Mo ba nakikita?

In simple yes–no questions, Tagalog often keeps verb–pronoun order:

Nakikita mo ba…?
- Nakikita = verb
- mo = “you” (genitive/possessor form)
- ba = question marker

You can move things around for emphasis or in more complex sentences, but:

Mo ba nakikita…? is unusual and sounds awkward.
The most natural neutral order in this context is:
[Verb] + [Pronoun] + ba + [Rest of the sentence]
→ Nakikita mo ba ang larawan…?

What does ang do in ang larawan ni Ate?

Ang is a marker that shows the grammatical topic / focus of the sentence. It roughly marks what English would think of as the “main subject” or “emphasized noun.”

Here:

ang larawan ni Ate
→ “the picture of Ate / big sister”

So:

ang marks larawan (“picture”) as the main noun the sentence is about.
ni Ate modifies larawan by telling whose picture it is.

What’s the difference between si Ate and ni Ate, and why is ni used here?

Si and ni are both markers used with personal names or titles like Ate.

si Ate
- Used when Ate is the topic / subject (ang-form)
- Example: Si Ate ang nasa larawan. = “Ate is the one in the picture.”
ni Ate
- Used when Ate is in the genitive role (like a possessor, doer of an action, etc.)
- Example: ang larawan ni Ate = “the picture of Ate / Ate’s picture”

In ang larawan ni Ate, the picture is the topic (marked by ang), and Ate is just specifying whose picture, so ni is correct.

What exactly does Ate mean, and can it mean just “older female,” not literally my sister?

Ate literally means “older sister.” But culturally it has a broader use.

Literal:
- Your own older sister:
  - Ate ko = “my older sister”
Honorific / respectful title:
- Used to politely address a slightly older woman, even if she is not related to you.
- Similar to calling someone “Miss” or “big sister” in a friendly way.

In larawan ni Ate, context decides whether this is:

“the picture of my older sister,” or
“the picture of [that woman we respectfully call Ate].”

In many informal contexts, Ate is capitalized and treated like a name.

Why is it sa likod ng pinto and not just likod ng pinto?

Sa is a location marker (“in/at/on/to”), and likod means “back / behind.”

likod ng pinto literally = “the back of the door”
sa likod ng pinto = “at the back of the door / behind the door”

So:

sa turns the phrase into a prepositional location phrase:
- sa likod ng pinto → “behind the door”
Without sa, it sounds like a bare noun phrase, not a full location phrase.

What does ng do in sa likod ng pinto?

Ng (pronounced “nang”) marks a non-topic noun and often corresponds to English “of” in possessive-like structures.

likod ng pinto
→ literally “back of the door”

So in sa likod ng pinto:

sa = “at / in / on” (location marker)
likod = “back / behind”
ng pinto = “of the door”

Together: “behind the door.”

Why is there another sa in sa kwarto? What’s the difference between sa likod ng pinto and sa kwarto?

Both sa phrases mark locations, but they describe different levels of location:

sa likod ng pinto = “behind the door”
sa kwarto = “in the room”

The whole phrase sa likod ng pinto sa kwarto can be understood as:

“behind the door in the room”

So the picture is:

not just behind any door;
it’s behind the door that is in the room (or the door of that room).

You could also rephrase for clarity:

Nakikita mo ba ang larawan ni Ate sa kwarto, sa likod ng pinto?
→ “Do you see Ate’s picture in the room, behind the door?”

What is the role of mo here, and why not use ikaw?

Mo is the genitive form of “you” (2nd person singular). It’s used when:

you are the doer of the verb
but not marked as the topic by ang

In Nakikita mo ba ang larawan…?:

Nakikita = verb
mo = “you” as the one doing the seeing
ang larawan… = the topic/focus (the thing seen)

You would use ikaw when “you” is itself the topic:

Ikaw ba ang nakakita sa larawan?
→ “Are you the one who saw the picture?”

So:

mo = non-topic “you” (doer, possessor, etc.)
ikaw / ka = topic “you”

Is there any difference between larawan and litrato?

Both can translate as “picture” or “photo,” but with slight nuances:

larawan
- broader: image, picture, portrait (could be drawing, painting, representation)
- can be more formal or literary
litrato
- specifically a photograph (from Spanish retrato)
- very common in everyday speech

In this sentence:

ang larawan ni Ate
can mean “Ate’s picture,” and context decides whether it’s a photo, drawing, painting, etc.

If you want to emphasize “photo,” you can say ang litrato ni Ate.

How would I answer this question in Filipino?

Some natural answers:

Oo, nakikita ko.
→ “Yes, I see it.”
Hindi, hindi ko nakikita.
→ “No, I don’t see it.”

To be more specific:

Oo, nakikita ko ang larawan ni Ate sa likod ng pinto.
Hindi, wala akong nakikitang larawan ni Ate sa likod ng pinto.
→ “No, I don’t see any picture of Ate behind the door.”

How do I make this more polite, especially if I’m talking to someone older?

Add po (politeness marker) in a natural position, usually after the pronoun or after ba:

Nakikita mo po ba ang larawan ni Ate sa likod ng pinto sa kwarto?
or: Nakikita mo ba po ang larawan ni Ate…?

Both are understood as respectful. Using po or opo in answers also adds politeness:

Opo, nakikita ko po.
Hindi po, hindi ko po nakikita.

Why is there no word like “do” or “does”? English says “Do you see…,” but Filipino doesn’t.

Filipino doesn’t use a separate auxiliary verb like English “do/does/did” for questions.

Instead, it:

keeps the regular verb form (nakikita)
adds the question particle ba
and uses word order/intonation to mark it as a question

So:

Nakikita mo ang larawan… = “You see the picture…”
Nakikita mo ba ang larawan…? = “Do you see the picture…?”

There’s no direct equivalent to English “do”; ba plus context handles the job.