Bisitahin natin si Lolo sa bukid sa susunod na buwan.

Let us visit Grandfather at the farm next month.

Breakdown of Bisitahin natin si Lolo sa bukid sa susunod na buwan.

• sa: in
• sa: at
• susunod: next
• natin: we
• bisitahin: to visit
• buwan: month
• bukid: the farm
• lolo: the grandfather

Questions & Answers about Bisitahin natin si Lolo sa bukid sa susunod na buwan.

In this sentence, does Bisitahin natin … mean “Let’s visit” or “We will visit”? How do I know?

Bisitahin natin si Lolo… is most naturally understood as “Let’s visit Grandpa …” (a suggestion or plan that includes the listener).

• Bisitahin at the start of a sentence, with an inclusive pronoun like natin, is often used as a hortative / suggestion:
  
  • Bisitahin natin si Lolo. → Let’s visit Grandpa.
• For a neutral future statement, many speakers prefer the explicitly future form bibisitahin:
  
  • Bibisitahin natin si Lolo sa bukid sa susunod na buwan. → We will visit Grandpa at the farm next month.

Context and intonation matter, but as a learner, you can safely read the original sentence mainly as “Let’s visit Grandpa at the farm next month.”

What is the difference between natin and namin here? Could I say Bisitahin namin si Lolo…?

Natin and namin both mean “our / us”, but:

• natin = inclusive “we/us” (includes the person you’re talking to)
• namin = exclusive “we/us” (excludes the person you’re talking to)

So:

• Bisitahin natin si Lolo…
  → Let’s visit Grandpa… (you + me + maybe others)
• Bisitahin namin si Lolo…
  → We will visit Grandpa… (me + my group, not you)

If you want to invite or include the listener in the plan, you need natin, not namin.

Why is the verb bisitahin used, and not bumisita or just bisita?

All three are related but used differently:

• bisita – the noun “visit / guest”
  • May bisita kami. → We have a guest.
• bumisita – actor‑focus verb “to visit” (focus on the doer)
  • Bumisita tayo kay Lolo. → Let’s visit Grandpa. / We visited / will visit Grandpa.
• bisitahin – object‑focus verb “to visit (someone/something)” (focus on the one being visited)
  • Bisitahin natin si Lolo. → literally “Let’s have Grandpa be visited by us.”

In Bisitahin natin si Lolo…, the focus is on Lolo (the one being visited), so bisitahin is used.

You could also say the more actor‑focused version:

• Bumisita tayo kay Lolo sa bukid sa susunod na buwan.

Both are correct but have slightly different grammatical focus (object‑focus vs. actor‑focus), even though in English both come out as Let’s visit Grandpa…

Why is there a si before Lolo? What does si mean?

Si is a marker used before personal names and kinship terms used as names.

• si Maria – Maria
• si Ana – Ana
• si Lolo – Grandpa (as a specific person, like a name)
• si Mama, si Tito, etc.

In this sentence:

• si Lolo marks Lolo as the specific person being visited (the object/patient of the verb bisitahin).

You wouldn’t use ang here; with a person’s name or a kin term used like a name, you use si (singular) or sina (plural).

Why is Lolo capitalized? Is it always written with a capital L?

Lolo is capitalized here because it is being used like a proper name.

• When you’re talking about your own grandfather or addressing him directly, you usually capitalize:
  
  • Si Lolo, Si Lola, Kumusta, Lolo?
• When you mean “a grandfather” in general (not as a name), you can use lowercase:
  
  • Ang lolo ko → my grandfather
  • Maraming lolo at lola sa baryo. → There are many grandfathers and grandmothers in the village.

In Bisitahin natin si Lolo…, it’s clearly about our specific Grandpa, so Lolo is capitalized.

What does sa mean in sa bukid and sa susunod na buwan? Why is the same word used for both place and time?

Sa is a very flexible marker. It commonly marks:

1. Location / place

   • sa bukid → at/on the farm
   • sa bahay → at home
   • sa school → at school

2. Time

   • sa susunod na buwan → next month
   • sa Lunes → on Monday
   • sa umaga → in the morning

In this sentence:

• sa bukid = location (where we’ll visit Grandpa)
• sa susunod na buwan = time (when we’ll do it)

It’s normal and very common to see sa used both for place and time in the same sentence.

Is it okay to have two sa phrases in a row: …si Lolo sa bukid sa susunod na buwan?

Yes, that’s completely normal in Filipino.

The structure is:

• si Lolo – the person being visited
• sa bukid – place (at the farm)
• sa susunod na buwan – time (next month)

Each sa introduces its own phrase. You can think of it as:

[visit Grandpa] [at the farm] [next month]

Tagalog just uses sa for both the “at” (place) and “in/on” (time), so you see sa repeated, and that’s perfectly grammatical and natural.

What does susunod na buwan literally mean, and why do we need the word na?

Susunod na buwan literally means “the month that is next”, i.e., “next month”.

• susunod – “following / next” (from sumunod – to follow)
• buwan – month
• na – a linker that connects descriptors (like adjectives or ordinal words) to nouns

In Filipino, when a describing word ends in a consonant, you use na as a linker:

• susunod na buwan – next month
• unang na araw would be wrong; you say unang araw (because una ends in a vowel, so it takes -ng, not na)

So here, na just functions to link susunod and buwan into one phrase: “next month.”
Without na (susunod buwan), it sounds wrong.

Where is the word “the” in this sentence? How do you say “the farm” or “the next month” in Filipino?

Filipino does not use a separate word for “the” like English does. Instead, markers like si/ang/sa play that role depending on the noun’s function and context.

• sa bukid can mean “at a farm” or “at the farm” depending on context.
• sa susunod na buwan is simply “next month” (we don’t say “the next month” in ordinary English either).

So:

• si Lolo → our specific Grandpa (no explicit “the”)
• sa bukid → at the farm (context decides definite vs. indefinite)
• sa susunod na buwan → next month

Don’t expect a direct word-for-word equivalent of “the”; instead, pay attention to the markers (si, ang, sa) and context.

Can I change the word order of the time and place parts? For example, can I say Sa susunod na buwan, bisitahin natin si Lolo sa bukid?

Yes. Filipino word order is quite flexible, especially for time and location phrases.

These are all acceptable, just with slightly different emphasis:

1. Bisitahin natin si Lolo sa bukid sa susunod na buwan.
   → neutral order: verb first, then object, place, time.

2. Sa susunod na buwan, bisitahin natin si Lolo sa bukid.
   → puts “next month” at the front for emphasis on when.

3. Sa bukid natin bisitahin si Lolo sa susunod na buwan. (less common, a bit marked)
   → emphasizes the place.

For learners, the original order (verb + natin + si Lolo + sa bukid + sa susunod na buwan) is a good, natural pattern to copy.

What exactly does bukid mean? Is it always “farm”?

Bukid usually refers to farmland / fields / rural agricultural area—often with rice fields or crops.

Common nuances:

• sa bukid – at the farm / in the fields / in the countryside
• It can imply the rural area or province, not just a single Western‑style farm.

There are related words:

• bukirin – cultivated fields / farmland (more “field area” in general)
• sakahan – farmland (more technical/literary)

In everyday speech, bukid works well for “farm” or “the countryside.”

Can I drop natin and just say Bisitahin si Lolo sa bukid sa susunod na buwan?

Grammatically, you can drop natin, but the meaning changes and the sentence becomes less clear without context.

• Bisitahin natin si Lolo…
  → Let’s visit Grandpa… (we = speaker + listener)
• Bisitahin si Lolo sa bukid sa susunod na buwan.
  → Could be taken as a command to “you (plural/formal)”: Visit Grandpa at the farm next month.
  The actor (“you”) is just understood, not stated.

If you want the clear inclusive “Let’s … (you and I)”, you should keep natin. Dropping it removes that specific “we” sense.