Learn Hardcore Filipino: Gusto kong magtanim ng gulay sa hardin bukas ng umaga. - I want to plant vegetables in the garden tomorrow morning.

gusto ko ng magtanim
but in standard Filipino, the ng linker attaches to the word before it:
gusto ko + ng + magtanim → gusto kong magtanim

So:

gusto kong magtanim ≈ I want to plant

Here ng is not the object marker; it is the linker that ties gusto ko to the verb phrase magtanim ng gulay.

What does the mag- in magtanim do?

Mag- is a very common verb prefix. Among its main roles:

It marks an actor-focus verb (the doer of the action is in focus).
The form mag + root is used as an infinitive / imperative form (“to do / do!”) and also as a base for other aspects.

For the root tanim (plant):

mag-tanim – to plant (infinitive / dictionary form)
nag-tanim – planted (completed aspect)
nag-ta-tanim – is/was planting (incomplete / progressive)
mag-ta-tanim – will plant (contemplated / future)

In Gusto kong magtanim, magtanim is the infinitive form: to plant.

Why is it magtanim ng gulay and not just magtanim gulay?

You need ng here as the object marker.

magtanim – to plant
ng – marks the direct object (not in focus)
gulay – vegetable(s)

So:

magtanim ng gulay = to plant vegetables

Without ng, the object gulay would be “floating” and the phrase sounds incomplete or wrong to native ears. Ng tells us that gulay is what is being planted.

Do I need to say mga gulay if I mean “vegetables” (plural)?

You can, but you don’t have to.

gulay – vegetable / vegetables (mass or generic)
mga gulay – plural, emphasizes that there are multiple separate vegetables or kinds

In this sentence:

magtanim ng gulay already naturally means to plant vegetables in general.
magtanim ng mga gulay could suggest various vegetables or emphasize the plurality, but it’s not required for normal speech.

Filipino often leaves number (singular/plural) to context unless it’s important to be explicit.

Why is it sa hardin and not ng hardin?

Because sa is the usual marker for location, while ng here is used for objects (or as a linker).

sa – in, at, on, to (place/time marker)
ng – marks non-focus objects, or acts as a linker

In this sentence:

sa hardin = in the garden
ng gulay = vegetables (as the thing being planted)

If you said magtanim ng gulay ng hardin, it would sound like “to plant the garden’s vegetables” (and is still awkward). To express a place, you use sa:

sa hardin – in the garden
sa opisina – at the office
sa bahay – at home / in the house

Where in the sentence can I put bukas ng umaga? Can I move it around?

Yes, Filipino word order is quite flexible for time expressions. All of these are acceptable, with slightly different emphasis:

Gusto kong magtanim ng gulay sa hardin bukas ng umaga.
Neutral: states what you want to do, then when.
Bukas ng umaga, gusto kong magtanim ng gulay sa hardin.
Emphasizes tomorrow morning first.
Gusto kong bukas ng umaga magtanim ng gulay sa hardin.
Still understandable; focus shifts a bit to the timing inside what you want.

All are grammatically fine; (1) and (2) are the most natural for learners to copy.

What is the difference between bukas and bukas ng umaga?

bukas on its own means tomorrow.
umaga means morning.
bukas ng umaga literally is “tomorrow ng morning” → tomorrow morning.

Here ng is again acting like a linker, connecting the broader time word (bukas) with the more specific part of the day (umaga).

So:

bukas – tomorrow (unspecified time)
bukas ng umaga – tomorrow morning

How is future time expressed here if the verb is just magtanim, not magtatanim?

Future meaning comes from a combination of elements:

magtanim is in the infinitive form (to plant), used after gusto.
The explicit time phrase bukas ng umaga adds the future time.

So the structure is essentially:

Gusto kong [to plant vegetables in the garden] [tomorrow morning].

If you changed it to Magtatanim ako ng gulay sa hardin bukas ng umaga, then magtatanim itself is the future (contemplated) verb: I will plant vegetables…

But after gusto, you normally keep the infinitive:

Gusto kong magtanim… – I want to plant…
Ayaw kong magtanim… – I don’t want to plant…
Kailangan kong magtanim… – I need to plant…

Would Gusto kong magtatanim ng gulay sa hardin bukas ng umaga be correct?

This is not natural and is generally considered incorrect.

After verbs like:

gusto (want)
ayaw (don’t want)
kailangan (need)

you almost always use the infinitive/base form:

maglinis (to clean), not maglilinis
kumain (to eat), not kakain
magtanim (to plant), not magtatanim

So you should say:

Gusto kong magtanim ng gulay sa hardin bukas ng umaga. ✅
I want to plant vegetables in the garden tomorrow morning.

If you use magtatanim, it normally stands as the main verb itself:

Magtatanim ako ng gulay sa hardin bukas ng umaga. ✅
I will plant vegetables in the garden tomorrow morning.

Why is there no ako in the sentence? How do we know it means “I”?

The pronoun ko already tells us the subject is I:

ko = I / my (genitive)
ako = I (subject form)

In Gusto kong magtanim…, the “I” is understood from ko, so you don’t need a separate ako.

You could make a more formal or emphatic version using ako, but the structure changes:

Ako ay gustong magtanim ng gulay sa hardin bukas ng umaga.
Literally: As for me, wanting to plant vegetables in the garden tomorrow morning.

This sounds formal or written. The everyday, natural version is simply:

Gusto kong magtanim ng gulay sa hardin bukas ng umaga.

How formal or informal is this sentence, and is there a more formal alternative?

Gusto kong magtanim ng gulay sa hardin bukas ng umaga. is neutral–informal, very natural in spoken Filipino and fine in casual writing.

For something more formal or polite (e.g., written announcements, speeches), you might hear:

Nais kong magtanim ng gulay sa hardin bukas ng umaga.
(nais is a more formal word for “desire/wish”.)

You could also say:

Balak kong magtanim ng gulay sa hardin bukas ng umaga.
(I plan to plant vegetables in the garden tomorrow morning.)

But for everyday conversation, gusto kong magtanim… is perfectly appropriate.