Learn Hardcore Filipino: Sa bawat buwan ng taon, madalas kaming bumisita sa probinsya. - Every month of the year, we often visit the province.

Here, sa is a preposition marking a time expression. In this context, it works somewhat like English "in", "at", or "every", depending on how you translate the whole phrase.

Sa bawat buwan ng taon = literally "In each month of the year"
Functionally, it ends up meaning something like "Every month of the year".

So sa introduces a time frame, just like:

Sa umaga – in the morning
Sa Enero – in January

In Filipino, starting a sentence with a sa + time expression is very common and natural.

What does bawat mean exactly, and how is it different from lahat ng and tuwing?

Bawat is a determiner that means "each" or "every" (focusing on individual items).

bawat buwan – each month / every month
bawat tao – each person / every person

Comparison:

bawat – emphasizes each individual unit
- bawat buwan ng taon – each month of the year
lahat ng – emphasizes all as a group
- lahat ng buwan ng taon – all the months of the year (as a whole set)
tuwing – used more like "every time / whenever", especially for times and dates
- Tuwing buwan ng Enero, ... – Every January, ...
- Tuwing Lunes, ... – Every Monday, ...

In your sentence, bawat highlights that this happens in each month, not just some months.

Why is there no linker like na / -ng between bawat and buwan?

Some Filipino modifiers need a linker (na or -ng), but bawat does not. It directly modifies a noun without any linker:

bawat buwan (correct) – every month
bawat na buwan (incorrect)
bawat buwan ng taon (correct)

Think of bawat as working more like English "each" or "every": it goes straight before the noun.

What does ng do in buwan ng taon?

In buwan ng taon, ng is marking a possessive/genitive or "of" relationship:

buwan – month
taon – year
buwan ng taon – month of the year

So the pattern is:

X ng Y = X of Y
- pangalan ng aso – the dog's name / the name of the dog
- mga anak ng guro – the teacher’s children / the children of the teacher
- buwan ng taon – month of the year

Using sa instead here, like buwan sa taon, would sound unnatural in this meaning.

Why is there a comma after Sa bawat buwan ng taon? Is that required?

The comma after Sa bawat buwan ng taon is optional punctuation, not a grammatical marker.

Filipino sentences often start with a time or place phrase:
- Sa araw ng Sabado, pupunta kami sa mall.
Writers may add a comma after that phrase to make the sentence easier to read, especially in formal writing.

You could also write the sentence without the comma:

Sa bawat buwan ng taon madalas kaming bumisita sa probinsya.

Both are acceptable.

Why is the order madalas kaming bumisita and not madalas bumisita kami?

Both are grammatically possible, but madalas kaming bumisita is more natural and common.

Patterns:

madalas + pronoun + verb
- madalas kaming bumisita – we often visit
- madalas siyang kumain sa labas – he/she often eats out

Putting the pronoun (kami) directly after the adverb madalas is a usual conversational pattern.
Madalas bumisita kami is understandable but sounds less natural and can put a bit more emphasis on bumisita.

What is the difference between kami and tayo, and why is kami used here?

Both kami and tayo mean "we", but they work differently:

kami – we (excluding the listener)
- "We (some group that does not include you) often visit the province."
tayo – we (including the listener)
- "We (you and I / you and us) often visit the province."

In your sentence, kami is used, so the speaker is talking about their group only, not including the person they’re talking to.

If the speaker wanted to include the listener, they would say:

Sa bawat buwan ng taon, madalas tayong bumisita sa probinsya.

What does madalas mean here, and how is it different from lagi or palagi?

Madalas means "often" or "frequently".

madalas kaming bumisita – we often visit / we frequently visit

Comparison:

madalas – often, many times, but not necessarily always
lagi / palagi – usually closer to "always" or "all the time", or at least very regularly

Examples:

Madalas kaming kumain sa labas. – We often eat out.
Palagi kaming kumakain sa labas. – We always / almost always eat out.

So madalas leaves room for exceptions; lagi/palagi is stronger.

What is the verb bumisita? How is it formed?

Bumisita comes from the Spanish loan bisita (visit). The Filipino verb is made by inserting the infix -um-:

Root: bisita (visit)
Infix: -um-
Result: bumisita

Basic aspect forms:

bumisita – completed/perfective (visited)
bumibisita – incompleted/imperfective (is visiting / keeps visiting)
bibisita – contemplated/future (will visit)

In your sentence, bumisita is used, but because of madalas, it refers to a repeated/habitual action, not just a single completed visit.

Why is the completed form bumisita used with madalas? Shouldn't it be bumibisita for "we often visit"?

In Filipino, the completed (perfective) form is very commonly used to express habitual or repeated actions, especially when there is an adverb like madalas, lagi, araw-araw (every day), etc.

So:

Madalas kaming bumisita sa probinsya.
- Literally: We often visited, but in context it means We often visit (as a habit).

You can say:

Madalas kaming bumibisita sa probinsya.

This is also understandable and used, but:

madalas + bumisita feels more like a neutral statement of habit.
madalas + bumibisita can sound a bit more like an ongoing pattern you’re focusing on right now (depends on context).

In everyday speech, Madalas kaming bumisita... is very natural and common.

Why is sa repeated before probinsya? Could it be ...bumisita probinsya without sa?

You need sa before probinsya because sa here marks the destination/place of the verb bumisita:

bumisita sa probinsya – visit the province / go visit in the province

In Filipino, you cannot just say:

✗ bumisita probinsya

You must include a preposition before the place:

bumisita sa probinsya – correct
pumunta sa probinsya – went to the province

The first sa (in Sa bawat buwan ng taon) marks time; the second sa (in sa probinsya) marks place. They are doing two different jobs and both are necessary.

Does probinsya refer to a specific province or just "the countryside"? And is there another word for "province"?

Probinsya can mean two related things, depending on context:

A specific province (but not named: "the province")
More generally: the rural area / countryside, in contrast to the city

In your sentence, it likely means something like "the province where our family is from" or simply "the countryside".

Another word is lalawigan, which is a more formal / native term for province:

bumisita sa probinsya – visit the province (very common, everyday speech)
bumisita sa lalawigan – visit the province (more formal or literary tone)

Both are correct, but probinsya is more common in casual conversation.

Is the whole phrase Sa bawat buwan ng taon the natural way to say "every month of the year"? Are there shorter alternatives?

Sa bawat buwan ng taon is correct and natural, especially if you want to emphasize each month of the year.

However, in everyday speech, people might say shorter versions like:

Bawat buwan, madalas kaming bumisita sa probinsya. – Every month, we often visit the province.
Halos buwan-buwan, madalas kaming bumisita sa probinsya. – Almost every month, we often visit the province.

But grammatically and stylistically, Sa bawat buwan ng taon, madalas kaming bumisita sa probinsya. is fine and clear.