Learn Hardcore Filipino: Sa bawat buwan, nagsusulat si Maria ng liham para sa pamilya sa probinsya. - Every month, Maria writes a letter for the family in the province.

Sa bawat buwan, nagsusulat si Maria ng liham para sa pamilya sa probinsya.

Every month, Maria writes a letter for the family in the province.

Breakdown of Sa bawat buwan, nagsusulat si Maria ng liham para sa pamilya sa probinsya.

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Questions & Answers about Sa bawat buwan, nagsusulat si Maria ng liham para sa pamilya sa probinsya.

What does “Sa bawat buwan” literally mean, and could I just say “bawat buwan” without “sa”?

Literally, “Sa bawat buwan” means “In every month” or “On each month”.

bawat = every / each
buwan = month
sa = a general preposition (in, at, on, to, etc.), here marking time

You can say “Bawat buwan, nagsusulat si Maria…” and it will still be understood as “Every month, Maria writes…”.

The difference:

Sa bawat buwan – a bit more explicitly prepositional, like “In every month”.
Bawat buwan – slightly more direct, like “Every month”.

Both are natural; “Sa bawat buwan” can sound a bit more formal or complete in some contexts, but it’s not a big difference in everyday speech.

Why is the verb “nagsusulat” used here, and what aspect or tense does it show?

nagsusulat comes from the root sulat (to write) with the mag- verb pattern:

magsulat – infinitive / future (to write / will write)
nagsulat – completed aspect (wrote / has written)
nagsusulat – imperfective or progressive / habitual (is writing / writes regularly)

In this sentence:

Sa bawat buwan, nagsusulat si Maria ng liham…
Every month, Maria writes a letter…

nagsusulat indicates a repeated / habitual action, something she does regularly every month, not just once. In English we’d use the simple present for habits (“writes”), but in Filipino we show that with the imperfective form.

What is the difference between “nagsusulat” and “sumusulat”? Could I use “sumusulat” here instead?

Both nagsusulat and sumusulat come from the root sulat and can mean “is writing” or “writes”. They use different verb affixes:

mag-/nag- form: magsulat / nagsulat / nagsusulat
um- form: sumulat / sumulat / sumusulat

In modern Filipino:

nagsusulat is more commonly used in neutral, everyday speech.
sumusulat is also correct and natural, but some speakers may feel slight stylistic or regional preferences.

In this sentence:

Sa bawat buwan, nagsusulat si Maria ng liham…

You could say:

Sa bawat buwan, sumusulat si Maria ng liham…

Both are acceptable and would be understood as “Every month, Maria writes a letter…”. The choice is mostly about style, consistency, and sometimes region or personal preference.

Why is “si Maria” used instead of just “Maria”?

The word si is a personal name marker in Filipino. It marks that the following word is a specific person’s name and is the subject/topic of the sentence.

si Maria = Maria (as a named person, in subject form)
sina Maria at Juan = Maria and Juan (plural of si)

So:

nagsusulat si Maria
literally: “is-writing si Maria”

This is how Filipino marks “Maria” as the focus/subject in this clause.
Without si, Maria would sound incomplete or ungrammatical in this position.

What does “ng liham” mean, and what is the function of “ng” here?

liham means “letter” (as in a written letter).

The word ng here is an object marker indicating that liham is the direct object (the thing being written):

nagsusulat = writes
si Maria = Maria (subject)
ng liham = a letter (object)

So “nagsusulat si Maria ng liham” literally means:

“Maria is writing a letter.”

ng has several uses, but here it is marking the unfocused object of the verb.

What is the difference between “ng” and “nang”, and why is “ng” used in this sentence?

ng and nang sound the same but have different functions.

ng is used as:

Object marker (as in this sentence)
- nagsusulat si Maria ng liham – Maria writes a letter
Possessive / “of”
- liham ng kaibigan – letter of a/the friend

nang is used as:

A linker for adverbs / manner / degree
- tumakbo nang mabilis – ran quickly
A conjunction meaning when, so that, etc. (in some structures)

In our sentence:

nagsusulat si Maria ng liham para sa pamilya sa probinsya

ng is correctly used to mark liham as the object of nagsusulat, so “ng” (not “nang”) is required here.

What does “para sa pamilya sa probinsya” mean literally, and why is there “sa” twice?

Literally:

para sa = for
pamilya = family
sa probinsya = in the province / in the countryside

So the phrase breaks down as:

para sa pamilya – for (her/the) family
sa probinsya – in the province

Together:

para sa pamilya sa probinsya
= for (her) family in the province

There are two sa’s because they play different roles:

para sa – fixed pattern meaning “for” (beneficiary)
sa probinsya – marking location (in/at the province)

It’s like saying in English: “for the family in the province” – you also have two prepositional ideas (“for” + “in”).

Could I say “para sa pamilya niya sa probinsya”? Why is “niya” (her) not in the original sentence?

Yes, you could say:

Sa bawat buwan, nagsusulat si Maria ng liham para sa pamilya niya sa probinsya.
= Every month, Maria writes a letter for her family in the province.

niya means “his/her” (third-person singular possessive).

In the original sentence:

para sa pamilya sa probinsya

The possessive “her” is understood from context. Since Maria is the one writing, listeners naturally infer that “pamilya” refers to her family.

Filipino often omits possessive pronouns when the owner is obvious from context. Adding niya simply makes it more explicit but is not always necessary.

Why is the word order “nagsusulat si Maria ng liham” instead of “si Maria nagsusulat ng liham”? Is that also possible?

Filipino allows some flexible word order, but there are patterns that sound more natural.

Common neutral orders:

Verb – Subject – Object (VSO)
- Nagsusulat si Maria ng liham.
Verb – Object – Subject (VOS)
- Nagsusulat ng liham si Maria.

You can also front the subject:

Si Maria ay nagsusulat ng liham. (using ay to invert)

or in colloquial speech:

Si Maria nagsusulat ng liham. (often with an implied or dropped ay)

In everyday speech, “Nagsusulat si Maria ng liham” (VSO) or “Nagsusulat ng liham si Maria” (VOS) sound the most neutral and natural.

So yes, “Si Maria nagsusulat ng liham” can be heard, but the given order is the more textbook-standard structure.

Could I move “Sa bawat buwan” to the end of the sentence, like “Nagsusulat si Maria ng liham para sa pamilya sa probinsya sa bawat buwan”?

You can put “sa bawat buwan” later, but doing so at the very end like:

Nagsusulat si Maria ng liham para sa pamilya sa probinsya sa bawat buwan.

is grammatically possible but sounds a bit heavy and awkward for many speakers.

More natural alternatives include:

Bawat buwan, nagsusulat si Maria ng liham para sa pamilya sa probinsya.
Nagsusulat si Maria ng liham para sa pamilya sa probinsya bawat buwan.

Placing the time expression (bawat buwan) at the beginning or just before the verb is very common and sounds smoother:

Sa bawat buwan, nagsusulat si Maria…
Bawat buwan, nagsusulat si Maria…

Is there any difference between “Sa bawat buwan” and “Tuwing buwan” or “Tuwing buwan-buwan”?

Yes, there are nuances:

Sa bawat buwan – literally “in every month”; natural, a bit neutral/formal.
Bawat buwan – “every month”; very common and natural.
Tuwing – means “whenever / every (time)”:
- tuwing Lunes – every Monday
- tuwing Pasko – every Christmas

For months, you’d more commonly see:

Tuwing buwan – can sound a bit vague (“whenever it is a month”); less common.
Tuwing buwan-buwan or tuwing buwan is sometimes used colloquially but sounds more informal/colloquial and context-dependent.

For a simple “every month”, “Bawat buwan” or “Sa bawat buwan” are the clearest, most natural choices.

What does “probinsya” imply here? Is it just “province” in the political sense, or does it also suggest “countryside”?

probinsya literally means “province”, but in everyday Filipino it often carries the nuance of the countryside or outside the major cities (like Manila).

So “pamilya sa probinsya” suggests:

the family lives in a provincial area,
often imagined as more rural, less urban than the city where Maria probably is.

It can mean strictly “in the province” (administrative), but in common usage it also carries the countryside / back-home feel, especially contrasted with living in the city.