Breakdown of Gusto kong magsulat ng liham para sa aking pamilya.
Questions & Answers about Gusto kong magsulat ng liham para sa aking pamilya.
In Filipino, gusto normally takes the genitive form of the pronoun, not the subject form.
- ako = “I” (subject form)
- ko = “my / me” (genitive form)
With gusto, you say:
- Gusto ko = I want / I like (literally “my wanting”)
- Gusto ko ng kape. – I want coffee.
- Gusto ko siya. – I like him/her.
So when you add another verb (magsulat), you still use ko, not ako:
- ✅ Gusto kong magsulat …
- ❌ Gusto akong magsulat … (this would have a different structure and meaning)
So the pattern is: gusto + [genitive pronoun] → gusto ko, gusto mo, gusto niya, etc., not gusto ako, gusto ka, etc.
Kong is actually two things fused together:
- ko – “my / I” (genitive pronoun)
- -ng – the linker (a particle that links words, like “that / which / of” depending on context)
In full, the structure is:
- Gusto ko ng magsulat → spoken/written as Gusto kong magsulat
More precisely:
- gusto (want)
- ko (I / my)
- -ng (linker, attaching to ko to link it to the next word magsulat)
The linker -ng is used after words ending in a vowel. After a consonant, you use na:
- Gusto kong magsulat.
- Mabuti na magsulat.
So kong = ko + -ng, and its job is to connect gusto ko to magsulat.
In everyday casual speech, many people do say:
- Gusto ko magsulat ng liham.
and it will be understood.
However, in more careful or formal Filipino, the linker is expected:
- Gusto kong magsulat ng liham. ✅ (grammatically complete)
- Gusto ko magsulat ng liham. ⚠️ (common but less formal / less “book-correct”)
If you’re aiming for good standard Filipino, keep the linker:
Gusto kong + [verb]
Sulat is the root meaning “writing” or “letter.” To make it a verb, Filipino uses verb affixes. One common pattern is mag- + root:
- mag- + sulat = magsulat → “to write / will write / (you) write!”
So:
- sulat – writing / written thing / letter
- magsulat – “to write” (infinitive / future or command form)
You cannot use sulat by itself as the verb in this sentence:
- ❌ Gusto kong sulat ng liham. (wrong)
- ✅ Gusto kong magsulat ng liham.
Both magsulat and sumulat come from the root sulat, but they use different verb affixes:
- mag- verbs: magsulat, nagsulat, magsusulat
- -um- verbs: sumulat, sumusulat, susulat
In this sentence:
- Gusto kong magsulat ng liham. – I want to write a letter.
- Gusto kong sumulat ng liham. – Also correct; many speakers will actually prefer this version in everyday speech.
Nuances (which are subtle and not always strictly followed):
- magsulat is very common in commands:
- Magsulat ka ng liham. – Write a letter.
sumulat is often used to talk about the action itself (especially completed or planned):
- Sumulat ako kahapon. – I wrote yesterday.
- Gusto kong sumulat ng liham. – I want to write a letter.
For learning purposes, you can treat both as acceptable here, but memorize the actual sentence you were given as-is.
Filipino doesn’t need a separate word like English “to” before verbs in infinitive form. The verb form itself already carries that meaning.
- magsulat can mean:
- “to write”
- “(will) write”
- “write!” (imperative), depending on context.
So:
- Gusto kong magsulat. – I want to write.
There is no extra word like “to”; mag-- sulat covers it.
Compare:
- Gusto kong kumain. – I want to eat.
- Gusto kong matulog. – I want to sleep.
In “ng liham”, ng is a case marker that marks liham as the direct object of the verb magsulat.
- magsulat ng liham = “to write a letter”
Basic pattern:
- [verb] + ng + [object]
Examples:
- Kumain ako ng mansanas. – I ate an apple.
- Nagbasa siya ng libro. – He/She read a book.
So here:
- magsulat – to write (verb)
- ng liham – a letter (direct object)
Note: This ng is different (in function) from the -ng linker you saw in “kong”, although they look and sound the same.
Both liham and sulat can mean “letter”, but they differ in tone:
- liham
- More formal / standard word for “letter” (as in correspondence).
- Common in writing, school, and more formal contexts.
- sulat
- Literally “writing.”
- Often used for “letter” in everyday speech.
Examples:
- Magpadala ka ng liham sa kanila. – Send them a letter. (more formal)
- May sulat ako para sa’yo. – I have a letter for you. (very natural, everyday)
Your sentence uses liham, which sounds slightly more formal or “textbook-standard,” but “Gusto kong magsulat ng sulat para sa aking pamilya” would also be understandable (just a bit repetitive-sounding to some ears).
Para sa expresses beneficiary / purpose, roughly “for” (someone/something) in English.
- para – “for” (purpose/benefit)
- sa – a general preposition/marker (to / at / in / for, etc.)
Together:
- para sa aking pamilya – “for my family”
More examples:
- Bumili ako ng regalo para sa iyo. – I bought a gift for you.
- Ito ay para sa mga bata. – This is for the children.
So in your sentence, para sa aking pamilya answers “for whom?” → for my family.
Yes, you can say “sa aking pamilya”, but there is a nuance difference.
- para sa aking pamilya – clearly means “for my family” in the sense of benefit/purpose.
- sa aking pamilya – more neutral; can mean “to my family” or “with my family / at my family” depending on context.
Compare:
Magsusulat ako ng liham sa aking pamilya.
→ Often understood as “I will write a letter to my family” (they are the addressee).Gusto kong magsulat ng liham para sa aking pamilya.
→ “I want to write a letter for my family” (for their benefit).
In your sentence, para sa nicely emphasizes that your family is the beneficiary of the action.
Both are correct, but they differ in style:
- pamilya ko – “my family” (very common, conversational)
- aking pamilya – also “my family,” but:
- more formal / literary, or
- used when the possessive comes before the noun.
Patterns:
After the noun → use ko:
- pamilya ko – my family
- bahay ko – my house
Before the noun → use aking:
- ang aking pamilya – my family
- sa aking pamilya – to/for my family
So:
- para sa aking pamilya – sounds a bit more formal/polished.
- para sa pamilya ko – very natural and everyday.
You could say:
- Gusto kong magsulat ng liham para sa aking pamilya. (as given)
- Gusto kong magsulat ng liham para sa pamilya ko. (equally natural, slightly less formal-sounding)
Aking is the prenominal possessive form of “ako” (I). It’s used before a noun to mean “my.”
Pronoun family for ako:
- ako – I (subject form)
- ko – my / me (genitive: after the noun or with verbs like gusto ko)
- akin – mine (used like a noun: “This is mine”)
- aking – my (used before a noun: “my family,” “my house”)
Examples:
- Ito ang pamilya ko. – This is my family.
Ito ang aking pamilya. – This is my family. (more formal)
- Ito ay akin. – This is mine.
- Ito ang aking bahay. – This is my house.
So in “para sa aking pamilya”, aking is the “my” that comes before the noun pamilya.