Learn Hardcore Filipino: Sinabi ng doktor na huwag kalimutan ang gamot sa umaga at gabi. - The doctor said not to forget the medicine in the morning and evening.

ng marks:
- the doer (actor) of an action when the verb is in object-focus, and
- the object when the verb is in actor-focus.
ni is similar, but it is used only for personal names or proper nouns.

So:

Sinabi ng doktor… – “(It) was said by the doctor…”
Sinabi ni Maria… – “(It) was said by Maria…”

You can’t use ni with doktor because doktor is a common noun, not a personal name.

Why does the sentence start with Sinabi and not with Ang doktor?

Tagalog is typically verb-initial. The most natural, neutral order is:

Verb + (ng/ni) actor + (ang) topic

So:

Sinabi ng doktor… – “(Was) said by the doctor…”

You can say:

Ang doktor ay nagsabi na…

This is grammatically correct but sounds:

more formal or bookish, and
a bit less natural in casual speech.

Everyday Filipino strongly prefers verb-first: Sinabi ng doktor…

What does na do in Sinabi ng doktor na huwag kalimutan…?

In this sentence, na functions as a complementizer, roughly like English “that” in “The doctor said that…”.

Sinabi ng doktor na… – “The doctor said that…”

So the structure is:

Sinabi ng doktor – “The doctor said”
na – introduces what was said (“that…”)
huwag kalimutan ang gamot sa umaga at gabi – “…not to forget the medicine in the morning and at night.”

Note: na has many other uses in Filipino (linker, “already,” “now”), but here it is just linking the main verb “said” to the content of what was said.

What is the difference between huwag and hindi? Why is it huwag kalimutan here?

Both huwag and hindi are negators, but they are used in different contexts:

hindi – general negation for statements:
- Hindi ko alam. – “I don’t know.”
- Hindi siya doktor. – “He/She is not a doctor.”
huwag – used in commands, requests, prohibitions (negative imperative):
- Huwag umalis. – “Don’t leave.”
- Huwag kalimutan ang gamot. – “Don’t forget the medicine.”

In this sentence, the doctor is telling someone not to do something, so huwag is correct:

…na huwag kalimutan ang gamot…
“…not to forget the medicine…”

What form of the verb is kalimutan, and why isn’t there a mo (“you”) after it?

Kalimutan is the base / infinitive / command form of a object-focus verb meaning “to forget (something).”

Root: often given as limot (“forgetfulness”), with the verb form kalimutan = “to forget (something) / to leave something out.”

In commands or prohibitions introduced by huwag, it is very common to use this base form without an explicit subject:

Huwag kalimutan ang gamot. – “Don’t forget the medicine.” (subject “you” is understood from context)
Huwag kumain dito. – “Don’t eat here.”

If you want to be explicit and say “you,” you can add a pronoun:

Huwag mong kalimutan ang gamot. – “Don’t (you) forget the medicine.”

Here, mong = mo + ng, attaching the pronoun mo (“you”) to the verb. The original sentence simply leaves “you” implied.

Why is it ang gamot and not ng gamot after kalimutan?

In huwag kalimutan ang gamot, the verb kalimutan is in object-focus. In object-focus constructions:

the thing affected (the object) is usually marked by ang (topic marker).

So:

ang gamot – the medicine is the thing you must not forget.

Compare:

Kalimutan mo ang problema. – “Forget the problem.”
Huwag kalimutan ang gamot. – “Don’t forget the medicine.”

If the verb were in actor-focus, ng would more likely mark the object:

Huwag kang magkakalimot ng gamot. – roughly “Don’t be someone who forgets medicine.” (different structure and nuance)

In the original sentence, ang correctly marks the specific thing being talked about: the medicine.

Does ang gamot mean “the medicine” in general, or a specific medicine?

With ang, gamot is treated as a specific, identifiable item in the context, so the most natural English translation is:

“the medicine” (the one previously mentioned or given to you)

If you wanted to talk about medicine in general, without a specific one in mind, you might say:

Huwag kalimutan uminom ng gamot. – “Don’t forget to take medicine.” (in general)
Huwag kalimutan ang mga gamot. – “Don’t forget the medicines.” (plural, specific set)

In this sentence, ang gamot suggests “the medicine (your prescribed medicine).”

Why is it sa umaga at gabi and not ng umaga at gabi?

Sa and ng can both appear with time expressions, but they have different common uses:

sa is used like “at / in / on” for specific times:
- sa umaga – in the morning
- sa gabi – at night
- sa Lunes – on Monday
ng is often used for:
- marking when something happened (“on / at”), or
- in some fixed expressions, or
- to mean “every” in certain contexts.

For telling someone when to take the medicine as a schedule, sa is natural:

…ang gamot sa umaga at gabi.
“…the medicine in the morning and at night.”

If you said umaga’t gabi (from umaga at gabi) without sa, that can sound more like “morning and night (in general / all the time).”
But sa umaga at gabi clearly gives a routine time: in the morning and at night.

Should it be sa umaga at sa gabi, with sa repeated?

Both are acceptable:

sa umaga at sa gabi
sa umaga at gabi

In Filipino, when you list items with at (“and”), it is common to omit the repeated preposition after the first item, especially in speech:

sa bahay at opisina – at home and at the office
sa umaga at gabi – in the morning and at night

Adding the second sa (sa umaga at sa gabi) is a bit more careful or emphatic, but not necessary for correctness.

How would I explicitly say “The doctor told me not to forget my medicine in the morning and at night”?

You can make both the listener (“me”) and ownership (“my”) explicit:

Sinabi ng doktor sa akin na huwag kong kalimutan ang aking gamot sa umaga at gabi.

Breakdown:

Sinabi ng doktor – The doctor said
sa akin – to me
na – that
huwag kong kalimutan – that I should not forget
- huwag – don’t
- kong = ko + ng – my/I (as the actor attached to the verb)
ang aking gamot – my medicine
- aking – my
sa umaga at gabi – in the morning and at night

You could also shorten it slightly:

Sinabi ng doktor sa akin na huwag kong kalimutan ang gamot sa umaga at gabi.
(“the medicine” is clearly understood as my medicine from context)

What is the difference between Sinabi ng doktor… and Sabi ng doktor…?

Both are common, but there are nuance differences:

Sinabi ng doktor…
- uses the completed verb form sinabi
- a bit more formal or complete
- feels more like a full statement about a past action: “The doctor said…”
Sabi ng doktor…
- uses the noun/verb base sabi (“saying / say”)
- very common in informal, spoken Filipino
- similar to English “The doctor says / According to the doctor…”

In many casual contexts, you’ll hear:

Sabi ng doktor, huwag kalimutan ang gamot… – “The doctor says/did say not to forget the medicine…”

The original Sinabi ng doktor… is perfectly natural and slightly more “complete” in form.

What aspect/tense does sinabi express? Is it strictly past?

Sinabi is the completed aspect (perfective) of sabi. Filipino verbs primarily mark aspect (completed vs ongoing vs not-yet-started), not strict tense.

sinabi – completed: the act of saying is already done.
- Often translated as “said” (past)

Compare:

sasabihin – not-yet-started / future: “will say”
sinasabi – ongoing / habitual: “saying / (always) says”

In:

Sinabi ng doktor na huwag kalimutan ang gamot…

the idea is that at some time in the past, the doctor already gave this instruction. In English we naturally say “The doctor said not to forget the medicine…” so it maps well to a past tense.

Could we say Sinabi ng doktor na kalimutan ang gamot sa umaga at gabi? What would that mean?

Yes, that’s grammatically correct, but it changes the meaning completely:

Sinabi ng doktor na kalimutan ang gamot sa umaga at gabi.
= “The doctor said to forget the medicine in the morning and at night.”

Because you removed huwag, it is now a positive command: “forget the medicine.”
So:

huwag kalimutan – don’t forget
kalimutan – forget

This shows how important huwag is in negative commands.