Log inSign up

Bibilhan ko ng regalo si Ana sa kaarawan niya sa susunod na buwan.

Bibilhan ko ng regalo si Ana sa kaarawan niya sa susunod na buwan.
I will buy Ana a gift on her birthday next month.

Breakdown of Bibilhan ko ng regalo si Ana sa kaarawan niya sa susunod na buwan.

sa
on
ko
I
sa
in
niya
her
susunod
next
Ana
Ana
bilhan
to buy
regalo
a gift
kaarawan
the birthday
buwan
the month
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Filipino grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Filipino now

Questions & Answers about Bibilhan ko ng regalo si Ana sa kaarawan niya sa susunod na buwan.

What exactly does bibilhan mean, and how is it formed from the verb bili (“to buy”)?

Bibilhan comes from the root bili (to buy) plus the suffix -han, and it is in the future/“contemplated” aspect.

  • Root: bili = to buy
  • Focus suffix: -han = marks locative/beneficiary focus (the focus is where/for whom something is done)
  • Future formation: reduplicate the first syllable of the root (bi → bibilhan)

So bibilhan literally means something like “will be bought for (someone / some place)”.
In this sentence, the person being bought for (the beneficiary) is si Ana.

Why is it bibilhan ko and not bibili ako in this sentence?

Both are correct Filipino, but they focus on different things:

  • Bibili ako ng regalo para kay Ana.
    – bibili = actor-focus future (“I will buy”)
    – ako = I (actor is the grammatical subject / focus)
    – This focuses on you as the one doing the buying.

  • Bibilhan ko ng regalo si Ana.
    – bibilhan = beneficiary-focus future (“[someone] will be bought-for”)
    – ko = “I / me” in genitive form (the doer, but not the sentence focus)
    – si Ana = the focus, the one who will receive the gift

In your sentence, the emphasis is on Ana as the person you’re buying something for, not on you as the buyer. That’s why Filipino uses bibilhan ko (beneficiary-focus) rather than bibili ako (actor-focus).

Why do we use ko instead of ako in Bibilhan ko ng regalo si Ana…?

Filipino pronouns change form depending on their grammatical role:

  • ako = “I” as subject/focus (nominative)
  • ko = “I / me” as non-focus doer/possessor (genitive)

In this sentence, the focus is si Ana (the beneficiary), not you.
So:

  • Focus (subject): si Ana
  • Doer/agent: ko (“by me”)

That’s why it is bibilhan ko (I will buy [for someone]) and not bibilhan ako here.
If you wanted yourself to be the focus, you could say:

  • Bibili ako ng regalo – I (ako) am the focus/doer.
Why is it si Ana and ng regalo? What’s the difference between si and ng here?

Filipino uses different markers to show the role of each noun:

  • si Ana

    • si marks a proper-name focus noun (the main “topic” or subject-like element).
    • Here, Ana is the beneficiary-focus (the one for whom the buying is done).

  • ng regalo

    • ng marks a non-focus noun (often the direct object).
    • Here, regalo (gift) is what is being bought, but it is not the grammatical focus.

So in this sentence’s structure:

  • Focus/“subject”: si Ana (beneficiary)
  • Non-focus object: ng regalo (the thing being bought)

This matches the verb bibilhan, which puts the beneficiary in focus.

Why is it ng regalo and not sa regalo?

ng and sa mark different kinds of relationships:

  • ng regalo

    • ng usually marks a direct object or a non-focus argument.
    • Here, regalo is the thing being bought → direct object → ng.

  • sa regalo

    • sa usually marks location, direction, time, or an indirect object/goal.
    • sa regalo would sound more like “to/at the gift,” which doesn’t fit well as the thing you are buying.

So bibilhan ko ng regalo si Ana = I will buy a gift (direct object) for Ana (beneficiary-focus).
Using ng with regalo is the standard pattern with bibilhan.

Why do we use sa with kaarawan and susunod na buwan: sa kaarawan niya sa susunod na buwan?

sa is used to mark time and place expressions, among other things.

In your sentence:

  • sa kaarawan niya = on her birthday
    • sa marks a time point.
    • kaarawan = birthday
  • sa susunod na buwan = next month / in the coming month
    • sa also marks time, in this case a time span or reference.

So both phrases are time-related:

  • When exactly? → sa kaarawan niya (on her birthday)
  • When in general? → sa susunod na buwan (next month)

Using sa before time words is very common:
sa Lunes (on Monday), sa gabi (at night), sa Disyembre (in December), etc.

What does niya mean in sa kaarawan niya, and how do we know it refers to Ana?

Niya is the third-person singular genitive pronoun, meaning his/her or by him/by her depending on context.

In sa kaarawan niya:

  • kaarawan niya = his/her birthday
  • It shows possession: the birthday belongs to “him” or “her.”

Filipino does not mark gender in pronouns, so niya can mean his or her.
We know niya refers to Ana because:

  • Ana is the main person mentioned in the sentence.
  • There is no other possible third-person referent in the context.

If you wanted to make it even more explicit (for clarity or emphasis), you could say:

  • sa kaarawan ni Ana sa susunod na buwan
    (“on Ana’s birthday next month”)

Here, ni Ana clearly shows Ana is the possessor of the birthday.

What is the function of na in sa susunod na buwan? Why not just sa susunod buwan?

Na here is a linker that connects a modifier to the word it describes.

  • susunod = “next / following”
  • buwan = “month”
  • susunod na buwan = “next month”

In Tagalog, when an adjective or a descriptive word comes before the noun, it usually needs a linker (na or -ng):

  • malaking bahay → malaki + -ng + bahay (big house)
  • susunod na buwan → susunod + na + buwan (next month)

Without na, susunod buwan sounds wrong or at least very unnatural.

Can we change the word order of this sentence? For example, can we move the time expressions or Ana’s name?

Yes. Filipino word order is flexible, especially for time expressions and focus vs. non-focus arguments, as long as the markers (si, ng, sa, etc.) stay with the correct words.

Your original:

  • Bibilhan ko ng regalo si Ana sa kaarawan niya sa susunod na buwan.

Some natural variations:

  1. Sa susunod na buwan, bibilhan ko ng regalo si Ana sa kaarawan niya.
  2. Bibilhan ko si Ana ng regalo sa kaarawan niya sa susunod na buwan.
  3. Si Ana, bibilhan ko ng regalo sa kaarawan niya sa susunod na buwan. (adds emphasis to Ana)
  4. Sa kaarawan niya sa susunod na buwan, bibilhan ko ng regalo si Ana.

What you cannot do is change the case markers incorrectly, e.g.:

  • ❌ Bibilhan ko sa regalo si Ana… (wrong marker for regalo)
  • ❌ Bibilhan ako ng regalo si Ana… (changes who is focus vs. doer)

As long as si Ana, ng regalo, and the sa-phrases keep their correct markers, reordering is usually fine.

What’s the difference between Bibilhan ko ng regalo si Ana and Bibili ako ng regalo para kay Ana?

Both are grammatical and both can translate as “I’ll buy Ana a gift,” but the focus and structure differ:

  1. Bibilhan ko ng regalo si Ana sa kaarawan niya…

    • Verb: bibilhan (beneficiary-focus)
    • Focus: si Ana (beneficiary)
    • Actor: ko
    • Object: ng regalo
      → Emphasis: Ana as the person being bought for.

  2. Bibili ako ng regalo para kay Ana sa kaarawan niya…

    • Verb: bibili (actor-focus future)
    • Focus/subject: ako (the one doing the buying)
    • Object: ng regalo
    • Beneficiary: para kay Ana (“for Ana”)
      → Emphasis: you as the one doing the buying; Ana is just mentioned with para kay.

Both are natural. The first uses the Filipino focus system more fully (beneficiary-focus), while the second uses a more English-like pattern with para kay Ana.

How would this sentence look in other common focus forms, like actor-focus or object-focus?

Using the same basic idea (“I’ll buy Ana a gift on her birthday next month”), you can change the focus:

  1. Beneficiary-focus (your original type)

    • Bibilhan ko ng regalo si Ana sa kaarawan niya sa susunod na buwan.
      Focus: Ana (beneficiary).

  2. Actor-focus

    • Bibili ako ng regalo para kay Ana sa kaarawan niya sa susunod na buwan.
      Focus: ako (I, the buyer).
      Beneficiary: shown with para kay Ana.

  3. Object-focus (focusing on the gift)

    • Bibilhin ko ang regalo para kay Ana sa kaarawan niya sa susunod na buwan.
    • bibilhin = object-focus future form of bili
    • ang regalo = the gift is the focus/“subject”
      Here, the emphasis is on the gift as the important element.

All three are correct; the choice depends on what you want to highlight: the beneficiary (Ana), the doer (you), or the gift itself.

Why is there no separate word for “will” in the Filipino sentence? How is the future shown?

Filipino usually shows tense/aspect with verb morphology, not with a separate word like English “will.”

For bili:

  • bibili – actor-focus future (“will buy”)
  • bibilhin – object-focus future (“will buy [object]”)
  • bibilhan – locative/beneficiary-focus future (“will buy for [someone / somewhere]”)

The reduplication of the first syllable (bi → bibi…) is a key marker of the future/contemplated aspect.

So in Bibilhan ko ng regalo si Ana…, the future meaning of “will” is already expressed inside bibilhan, and no extra word is needed.