Questions & Answers about Mataas ang gusali sa lungsod.
Filipino usually puts the predicate first and the subject after it.
- Mataas is the predicate (it says something about the subject).
- ang gusali is the subject (the thing being talked about).
So:
- Mataas ang gusali. ≈ Tall the building (literally) → The building is tall.
This predicate-first order is the most natural, everyday pattern in Filipino.
You can put the subject first (see the next question), but the neutral order is predicate → subject.
Filipino uses markers instead of word order to show a noun’s role in the sentence.
- ang marks the subject/topic (often the “main thing” being talked about).
- ang gusali → the building (as the subject/topic)
- sa marks many oblique roles, most commonly:
- location (in, at, on)
- direction (to)
- sometimes “indirect object”
In Mataas ang gusali sa lungsod:
- ang gusali = the subject (the building)
- sa lungsod = a location phrase (in the city)
So a rough structure is:
- Mataas (predicate) ang gusali (subject) sa lungsod (location).
Yes, that sentence is correct.
- Ang gusali sa lungsod ay mataas.
- Mataas ang gusali sa lungsod.
Both can mean the same thing.
Differences in feel:
Mataas ang gusali sa lungsod.
– Predicate-first; sounds more neutral and conversational.Ang gusali sa lungsod ay mataas.
– Subject-first with ay; sounds more formal or slightly emphatic/contrastive, often used in writing, speeches, or careful speech.
Meaningwise, for a learner, you can treat them as equivalent; the main difference is style and emphasis.
Sa lungsod is a locative phrase meaning roughly in the city / at the city.
In this sentence, it is most naturally understood as the location of the building:
- ang gusali sa lungsod → the building that is in the city
- whole sentence → the (city) building is tall / the building in the city is tall
Technically, sa lungsod can attach to the whole clause (the situation happens in the city), but in ordinary interpretation, listeners will understand it as describing where the building is.
Not as a simple one-word replacement in the same position.
- sa is a general oblique marker.
- nasa is more like a locative predicate meaning is at / is in.
Compare:
- Nasa lungsod ang gusali. → The building is in the city.
(nasa lungsod is the predicate.) - Mataas ang gusali sa lungsod. → The building in the city is tall.
(mataas is the predicate; sa lungsod is just a location phrase.)
If you want to keep mataas as the main predicate and still use nasa, you need a different structure, for example:
- Mataas ang gusaling nasa lungsod.
→ The building that is in the city is tall.
So for your original sentence pattern, sa lungsod is the natural choice.
Add the plural marker mga before gusali:
- Mataas ang mga gusali sa lungsod.
→ The buildings in the city are tall.
Notes:
- mga (pronounced manga) is an unchanging plural marker.
- The adjective mataas does not change for plural; it stays the same in singular and plural.
Mataas means high / tall in a general sense, but usage depends on what you’re describing.
Typical patterns:
- For people’s height: usually matangkad
- Matangkad siya. → He/She is tall.
- For buildings, mountains, walls, trees, prices, levels, ranks, etc.:
- mataas na gusali → tall building
- mataas na bundok → high mountain
- mataas ang presyo → the price is high
- mataas na posisyon → high position (rank)
You can hear mataas na tao, but that often suggests high rank/status, or sounds unusual for physical height. For physical tallness of a person, prefer matangkad.
You can add degree modifiers before mataas:
- Napakataas ang gusali sa lungsod.
→ The building in the city is very / extremely tall. - Sobrang taas ng gusali sa lungsod. (more colloquial)
→ The building is so tall / super tall. - Masyadong mataas ang gusali sa lungsod.
→ The building is too tall. - Medyo mataas ang gusali sa lungsod.
→ The building is quite / somewhat tall.
Notice:
- Some adverbs attach directly: napakataas, masyadong mataas, medyo mataas.
- sobrang taas uses taas (noun form) plus sobrang.
Filipino usually does not use a separate word for “to be” in sentences like this.
- Mataas ang gusali.
literally: Tall the building.
functionally: The building is tall.
Here, mataas itself acts as a stative verb/predicate meaning is tall / is high.
So you don’t need (and normally don’t add) a separate word like is.
As written, the sentence has no explicit tense marking. It’s understood from context and time expressions.
For general/present meaning:
- Mataas ang gusali sa lungsod.
→ The building (in the city) is tall / is tall in general.
To make the time clearer, you normally add time expressions or use a change-of-state verb:
Past / “was tall” (describing a past situation):
- Noon, mataas ang gusali sa lungsod.
→ Before/in the past, the building was tall. - Noong nakatira pa ako doon, mataas na ang gusali sa lungsod.
→ When I still lived there, the building in the city was already tall.
Future / “will be tall” (after it is built or changed):
- Magiging mataas ang gusali sa lungsod.
→ The building in the city will become tall. - Pag natapos ito, mataas na ang gusali sa lungsod.
→ When this is finished, the building in the city will already be tall.
So the adjective mataas itself doesn’t carry tense; time is shown by context, time words, or change-of-state verbs like magiging.
Yes, Filipino word order is quite flexible, especially for phrases like sa lungsod.
All of these are possible:
- Mataas ang gusali sa lungsod.
- Sa lungsod, mataas ang gusali.
- Mataas sa lungsod ang gusali. (possible but a bit marked/unusual in isolation)
Most natural are:
- Mataas ang gusali sa lungsod. (neutral, straightforward)
- Sa lungsod, mataas ang gusali. (fronts sa lungsod for emphasis or contrast: As for the city, the building there is tall.)
The meaning stays basically the same; you just shift what you are emphasizing.