Maghintay tayo rito hanggang alas otso ng gabi.

Let us wait here until eight o'clock in the evening.

Breakdown of Maghintay tayo rito hanggang alas otso ng gabi.

• gabi: the evening
• tayo: us
• maghintay: to wait
• rito: here
• alas otso: eight o'clock
• hanggang: until

Questions & Answers about Maghintay tayo rito hanggang alas otso ng gabi.

In Maghintay tayo, who is included in tayo? Does it mean “we” or “let’s”?

Tayo is the inclusive “we”, meaning “you and I (and possibly others)”.

In this sentence, Maghintay tayo is naturally understood as “Let’s wait” because:

• The verb maghintay is in a form often used for giving suggestions/commands.
• With tayo, it becomes an inclusive invitation: Let’s (you and I) wait…

So:

• tayo = we (including the listener)
• Maghintay tayo = Let’s wait

What is the root of maghintay, and what does the prefix mag- do?

The root is hintay, which means “wait”.

The prefix mag- is a very common actor-focus verb prefix in Filipino. It often:

• Turns a root into an action verb:
  
  • luto → magluto = to cook
  • basa → magbasa = to read
  • hintay → maghintay = to wait
• Emphasizes what the doer (actor) is doing, rather than what is being acted on.

So maghintay roughly means “to do the action of waiting”, with focus on the person who waits.

Why is it Maghintay tayo and not Tayo maghintay?

Basic Filipino sentences usually follow Verb–Subject–Object order, so:

• Maghintay tayo = Wait we → “Let’s wait” (natural order)

You can say Tayo maghintay, but it:

• Sounds more like you are emphasizing “we”:
  
  • Tayo maghintay rito… = We are the ones who should wait here… (as opposed to other people)
• Is less neutral and more contrastive or topic-focused.

For a normal, neutral “Let’s wait,” Maghintay tayo is the usual form.

Is Maghintay tayo a command, a suggestion, or a future statement?

Maghintay tayo is mainly a suggestion / inclusive command: “Let’s wait.”

• It uses the imperative-like form of maghintay (no reduplication, no tense marker).
• With tayo, it invites the listener to join in the action.

Compare:

• Maghintay ka. = Wait. (command to “you”)
• Maghintay tayo. = Let’s wait. (invitation including “you”)
• Maghihintay tayo. = We will wait. (future statement; not an invitation by form, just a description of what will happen)

What’s the difference between rito and dito? Are they interchangeable here?

Both rito and dito can mean “here”, and in this sentence they are effectively interchangeable:

• Maghintay tayo rito…
• Maghintay tayo dito…

Both are fine and understood as “Let’s wait here.”

Very roughly:

• dito is more common and conversational.
• rito is a bit more formal or literary, and often used after certain words, especially verbs of motion or location (e.g., pumunta rito, narito).

In everyday speech, you’ll hear dito more often.

Could you say Maghintay tayo dito instead of Maghintay tayo rito?

Yes. Maghintay tayo dito hanggang alas otso ng gabi is perfectly natural.

There is no change in meaning in normal conversation:

• rito = here
• dito = here

In casual speech, dito is probably more common than rito.

What does hanggang mean exactly, and how is it used?

Hanggang means “until”, “up to”, or “as far as”.

Common patterns:

• With time:

  • Hanggang alas otso. = Until eight o’clock.
  • Magtrabaho tayo hanggang hapon. = Let’s work until afternoon.

• With place:

  • Hanggang doon lang siya. = She/he/they are only up to there.
  • Maglakad tayo hanggang kanto. = Let’s walk up to the corner.

• With “sa” when followed by a noun phrase:

  • Hanggang sa dulo. = Until the end.
  • Maghintay ka hanggang sa matapos ito. = Wait until this is finished.

In the sentence Maghintay tayo rito hanggang alas otso ng gabi, it’s “Let’s wait here until eight in the evening.”

Why is it hanggang alas otso and not hanggang sa alas otso?

With specific clock times, it’s very common to omit “sa” and just say:

• hanggang alas otso
• hanggang alas tres

You can say hanggang sa alas otso, and it’s still grammatically correct, but:

• hanggang alas otso is shorter and more natural in everyday speech for clock times.
• hanggang sa … tends to be used more with events/things, not just naked clock times:
  
  • hanggang sa pagtatapos ng misa = until the end of the mass
  • hanggang sa araw ng Lunes = until Monday (the day)

So in this context, hanggang alas otso ng gabi is the most typical choice.

What does alas otso literally mean, and why does it sound Spanish?

Alas otso comes from Spanish “a las ocho” (at eight).

Filipino commonly uses Spanish-based phrases for clock time:

• alas dos = 2:00
• alas singko = 5:00
• alas otso = 8:00

Literally:

• alas ← Spanish “a las” (at the)
• otso ← Spanish “ocho” (eight)

A more “native” way exists, e.g., ika-walo ng gabi (literally “the eighth of the evening”), but in everyday speech alas otso is far more common.

Why do we say ng gabi instead of sa gabi after the time?

In alas otso ng gabi, ng links the time to the part of the day, roughly like “of”:

• alas otso ng gabi ≈ “8:00 of the evening” → “8 PM”
• alas otso ng umaga = 8 AM
• alas tres ng hapon = 3 PM (in the afternoon)

sa gabi by itself means “in the evening / at night” in a more general sense:

• Magkita tayo sa gabi. = Let’s meet in the evening / tonight.

So:

• alas otso ng gabi = a specific time, 8 PM.
• sa gabi = a general time period, “in the evening.”

That’s why the sentence uses ng gabi after a precise clock time.

Can I move rito or hanggang alas otso ng gabi to other positions in the sentence?

Yes. Filipino word order is fairly flexible, though the verb usually stays first.

Variants that are still natural:

• Maghintay tayo hanggang alas otso ng gabi rito.
• Rito maghintay tayo hanggang alas otso ng gabi. (emphasis on “here”)
• Hanggang alas otso ng gabi maghintay tayo rito. (emphasis on the time limit)

Meaning stays basically the same; the changes mainly affect which part you emphasize:

• Fronting rito: you stress the place (“Here is where we will wait…”).
• Fronting hanggang alas otso ng gabi: you stress the time limit (“Until 8 PM is how long we’ll wait here…”).

The original Maghintay tayo rito hanggang alas otso ng gabi is the most neutral and straightforward.

How would this sentence change if I’m talking about them waiting here until 8 PM, not “we”?

Change tayo (“we, including you”) to sila (“they”):

• Maghintay sila rito hanggang alas otso ng gabi.
  
  • = They should wait here until 8 PM. (sounds like an instruction about them)

If you want a neutral future statement rather than something that sounds like a command/suggestion, use the future form:

• Maghihintay sila rito hanggang alas otso ng gabi.
  
  • = They will wait here until 8 PM.

How would I say “Let’s wait here until around 8 PM” or “until 8 in the morning”?

1. “Let’s wait here until around 8 PM.”

Add mga before the time to mean “around / approximately”:

• Maghintay tayo rito hanggang mga alas otso ng gabi.

2. “Let’s wait here until 8 in the morning.”

Change the part of the day:

• Maghintay tayo rito hanggang alas otso ng umaga. = until 8 AM
• With “around”: Maghintay tayo rito hanggang mga alas otso ng umaga.

Is there a difference between Maghintay tayo rito hanggang alas otso ng gabi and Maghihintay tayo rito hanggang alas otso ng gabi?

Yes:

• Maghintay tayo rito hanggang alas otso ng gabi.

  • Imperative/suggestion form.
  • Means “Let’s wait here until 8 PM.”
  • Sounds like a proposal or instruction.

• Maghihintay tayo rito hanggang alas otso ng gabi.

  • Future form (note the “hihi” in maghihintay).
  • Means “We will wait here until 8 PM.”
  • Sounds like a statement of plan or fact, not directly an invitation.

Both are grammatical; the first is more like “Let’s…”, the second like “We will…”.

How can I make this sentence more polite or respectful?

Add po (politeness marker) and optionally use the polite plural tayo when talking to someone older or of higher status:

• Maghintay po tayo rito hanggang alas otso ng gabi.

This keeps the inclusive “let’s” meaning but sounds courteous, especially in conversation with elders, superiors, or strangers.