Learn Hardcore Filipino: Mas gusto ng lola ko ang isda kaysa karne kapag hapunan. - My grandmother likes fish more than meat for dinner.

Gusto ng lola ko ang isda.
= My grandmother likes fish.
Mas gusto ng lola ko ang isda kaysa karne.
= My grandmother likes fish more than meat.

You put mas directly before the word it modifies, here gusto.

Why is it ng lola ko and not ang lola ko or si lola ko?

In sentences with gusto, the thing liked is usually marked with ang, and the person who likes it is usually marked with ng.

In this sentence:

ang isda = the thing being liked (fish)
ng lola ko = the one who likes it (my grandmother)

So the structure is:

Mas gusto (likes more)
ng lola ko (by my grandmother)
ang isda (the fish)

If you said ang lola ko, it would sound more like your grandmother is the main “topic” or focus (and then something else would change in the structure).

Si lola is used when directly marking a personal name or nickname, like:

Mas gusto ni Lola Maria ang isda.
(ni is the personal-name version of ng.)

Why is there ang before isda but no ang before karne?

Because isda is the main focused noun (the “fish” that is preferred), while karne just appears in the comparison phrase.

ang isda = the main focus / topic-noun in the sentence.
kaysa karne = “than meat” (a comparison phrase; not the main focus).

In Filipino, only one main ang-phrase usually serves as the focus/topic in a simple clause. Here, that’s ang isda. The kaysa-phrase (the “than _” part) does not normally take ang.

You could add sa and say:

kaysa sa karne

but you still normally wouldn’t say ang karne there.

Can I say kaysa sa karne instead of just kaysa karne? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say both:

Mas gusto ng lola ko ang isda kaysa karne.
Mas gusto ng lola ko ang isda kaysa sa karne.

Both are acceptable and mean the same in everyday speech: “My grandmother likes fish more than meat.”

General notes:

With nouns, kaysa and kaysa sa are both widely used.
With pronouns, you normally must use sa:
- Mas gusto ko ito kaysa sa kanya. = I like this more than (I like) her/him.
Some speakers feel kaysa sa sounds a bit more formal or explicit, but in practice both appear a lot.

Is gusto a verb in Filipino? It doesn’t change form like English verbs do.

Gusto behaves like a stative verb (or verb-like adjective). It does not conjugate for tense in the same way English verbs do.

Key points:

gusto expresses a state: “to like / to prefer / to want”
It usually stays in the same form, regardless of time:
- Gusto ko ng isda. = I like fish. / I want fish.
- Gusto niya ito kahapon. = He/She liked this yesterday.
To express time, you rely more on:
- time expressions: kahapon (yesterday), kanina, bukas, palagi, etc.
- or the verb in the following clause:
  - Gusto kong kumain ng isda. = I want to eat fish.
  - Gusto niyang kumain ng isda kahapon. = He/She wanted to eat fish yesterday.

In Mas gusto ng lola ko ang isda…, gusto acts like a stative verb being modified by mas (“likes more”).

Could I change the word order and say Mas gusto ang isda ng lola ko kaysa karne? Is that still correct?

Yes, Mas gusto ang isda ng lola ko kaysa karne is also grammatically acceptable.

Both:

Mas gusto ng lola ko ang isda kaysa karne.
Mas gusto ang isda ng lola ko kaysa karne.

are understood as “My grandmother likes fish more than meat.”

Difference:

Mas gusto ng lola ko ang isda…
– more neutral; slightly emphasizes who likes it (my grandmother).
Mas gusto ang isda ng lola ko…
– slightly more emphasis on ang isda (the fish) as the focus.

In real conversation, the difference in meaning is small; both are fine.

Why is it kapag hapunan and not sa hapunan? What’s the nuance?

Both are possible, but they don’t feel exactly the same.

kapag hapunan = “when it’s dinnertime / whenever it’s dinner”
- Suggests a habitual or repeated situation.
- Feels like “At dinnertime (as a rule), my grandmother prefers fish.”
sa hapunan = “at dinner / for dinner”
- A bit more neutral: can be general or specific, depending on context.
- Could be “for dinner tonight” or “for dinner in general.”

In your sentence:

Mas gusto ng lola ko ang isda kaysa karne kapag hapunan.
implies whenever it’s dinner, as a usual preference.

If you said:

Mas gusto ng lola ko ang isda kaysa karne sa hapunan.

it would still be understood, but kapag hapunan more strongly suggests a recurring habit.

Could I drop the markers and say Mas gusto lola ko ang isda… without ng?

No, you should not drop ng here. The markers ng / ang / sa (and their variants) are very important in Filipino grammar.

In this sentence, you need:

ng lola ko to mark who likes the fish.
ang isda to mark what is being liked (and the focus).

Without ng, Mas gusto lola ko ang isda… sounds ungrammatical or at least very unnatural to native ears. The markers tell us the roles of each noun in the sentence, so they generally cannot be omitted.