Learn Hardcore Filipino: Nasa gilid ng pader ang larawan ng pamilya. - The picture of the family is at the side of the wall.

sa is a general preposition/marker for locations, directions, and some objects:
- sa pader = on the wall / at the wall
- sa bahay = at home / in the house
nasa is used when the whole phrase functions as a predicate (telling where something is):
- Nasa gilid ng pader ang larawan. ✅
- Ang larawan ay nasa gilid ng pader. ✅
- Ang larawan ay sa gilid ng pader. ❌ (very odd; Filipinos almost always use nasa here)

So you can think of nasa as na + sa, used specifically for “is at/in/on (a place)” in sentences like this.

Why does the sentence start with the place (Nasa gilid ng pader) instead of the picture (ang larawan ng pamilya)?

Tagalog often starts with what it wants to highlight or talk about first, not necessarily the grammatical “subject” as in English.

Nasa gilid ng pader ang larawan ng pamilya.
- First focus: the location (where is it?).
Ang larawan ng pamilya ay nasa gilid ng pader.
- First focus: the picture (what about the picture?).

Both sentences are natural and mean the same thing. The first sounds like you’re answering:

“Where is the family picture?” → Nasa gilid ng pader ang larawan ng pamilya.

The second sounds more like:

“What can you say about the family picture?” → Ang larawan ng pamilya ay nasa gilid ng pader.

Word order is more flexible in Tagalog; what comes first is often what is being emphasized or presented as the topic.

What exactly does gilid ng pader mean? Is it the same as “beside the wall”?

gilid literally means “side” or “edge.”

gilid ng pader = the side/edge of the wall

Depending on context, natural English translations can be:

at the side of the wall
at the edge of the wall
beside the wall

If you just want to say “beside the wall” in a more generic way, Filipinos also commonly say:

sa tabi ng pader = beside the wall / next to the wall

So:

gilid emphasizes the side/edge area of something.
tabi emphasizes being next to something.

In this sentence, “beside the wall” is a good, natural translation.

Why is it gilid ng pader, not gilid sa pader?

The pattern here is:

[location noun] + ng + [thing it belongs to]

So:

gilid ng pader = the side of the wall
gilid ng mesa = the side of the table
gilid ng kalsada = the side of the road

We normally do not say gilid sa pader to mean “side of the wall.”

However, you can say:

sa gilid ng pader = at the side of the wall

Notice the full pattern:

sa + gilid + ng + pader

In the sentence you gave:

nasa already carries the sa idea (“is at”), so you don’t add another sa before gilid:
- Nasa gilid ng pader ✅
- Nasa sa gilid ng pader ❌

So:

gilid ng pader = “side of the wall” (a noun phrase)
sa gilid ng pader = “at the side of the wall” (location phrase)
nasa gilid ng pader = “is at the side of the wall”

What is the role of ang and ng in this sentence?

In this sentence:

ang larawan ng pamilya
gilid ng pader

You see ang and ng, and they play different roles.

ang marks the topic/subject (the main thing being talked about):
- ang larawan ng pamilya = the family picture (topic/subject)
ng has two roles here, but it’s the same word:
a. To link a possessor / “of” phrase:
- larawan ng pamilya = picture of the family
- gilid ng pader = side of the wall
b. To mark non-topic nouns in other contexts (not the case we need to emphasize here, but it’s the same form).

So in your sentence:

ang = picks out the main noun being talked about (larawan).
ng = works like “of” in picture of the family and side of the wall.

Could we also say Ang larawan ng pamilya ay nasa gilid ng pader? Is there any difference?

Yes, that sentence is perfectly correct:

Ang larawan ng pamilya ay nasa gilid ng pader.

Differences:

Meaning: essentially the same. Both say the family picture is at the side of the wall.
Style / emphasis:
- Nasa gilid ng pader ang larawan ng pamilya.
  - Often used when answering “Where is it?”
  - Emphasis starts on the place.
- Ang larawan ng pamilya ay nasa gilid ng pader.
  - Often used when introducing or describing the picture itself.
  - Emphasis starts on the picture.

Both forms are very natural; which you choose depends more on what you’re stressing in the conversation.

What is the difference between larawan and litrato? Could we say litrato ng pamilya here?

You can absolutely say:

Nasa gilid ng pader ang litrato ng pamilya.

About the difference:

larawan
- Native Tagalog word.
- General word for picture, image, illustration.
- Can be a drawing, painting, photo, etc.
litrato
- Loanword (from Spanish retrato).
- Used more specifically for photographs, but in casual speech it often overlaps with larawan.

In daily conversation, many people will say:

family photo → litrato ng pamilya

But larawan ng pamilya is also correct and natural, and doesn’t necessarily specify whether it’s a photo, painting, etc.

Is larawan singular or plural here? How would I say “pictures of the family”?

In this sentence, larawan is singular:

ang larawan ng pamilya = the picture of the family

To make it plural, Tagalog usually adds mga before the noun:

ang mga larawan ng pamilya = the pictures of the family

The rest of the sentence stays the same:

Nasa gilid ng pader ang mga larawan ng pamilya.
= The pictures of the family are at the side of the wall.

So:

larawan = picture (singular)
mga larawan = pictures (plural)

Why is it larawan ng pamilya, not larawan sa pamilya or larawan ng mga pamilya?

Each version would mean something slightly different:

larawan ng pamilya
- Default and most natural: picture of the family / the family’s picture
- ng marks a kind of “of / belonging to” relationship.
larawan sa pamilya
- This sounds odd if you want “picture of the family.”
- sa here would sound more like “picture at/for the family,” which is not the usual way to express possession or “of” in this sense.
larawan ng mga pamilya
- mga pamilya = families (plural).
- larawan ng mga pamilya = picture(s) of families (more than one family).

For “the family picture / picture of the family”, the natural form is:

larawan ng pamilya

Because ng + noun is the standard way to say “picture of X”:

larawan ng aso = picture of a dog
larawan ng bahay = picture of a house
larawan ng pamilya = picture of the family

In gilid ng pader and larawan ng pamilya, why do we use ng and not nang?

ng and nang are two different words in Tagalog.

In gilid ng pader and larawan ng pamilya, we use ng because:

ng marks:
- “of” relationships → gilid ng pader (side of the wall)
- “of” relationships → larawan ng pamilya (picture of the family)

nang is used for other functions, such as:

Connecting verbs/adjectives to adverbs:
- tumakbo nang mabilis = ran quickly
Meaning when:
- Nang dumating siya, umalis ako. = When he arrived, I left.
As a filler for some older or more formal constructions.

So for “of the wall” and “of the family”, you must use ng, not nang.

Is pader the same as dingding?

Both can translate as “wall,” but they’re used a bit differently:

pader
- Often used for bigger, thicker, or external walls:
  - compound walls, perimeter walls, concrete walls, etc.
- Sounds more like a solid barrier.
dingding
- More commonly used for indoor walls (inside a house/room).
- Can feel a bit more “everyday / inside the house.”

In your sentence:

gilid ng pader sounds like you’re talking about the side of some more solid wall (like a boundary wall, building wall, etc.).

If you said:

Nasa gilid ng dingding ang larawan ng pamilya.

that would sound more like “at the side of the indoor wall” (e.g., near the corner of a room).