Sa kaliwa ang paaralan natin.

Filipino word order is more flexible than English. The sentence begins with Sa kaliwa to put the location first, so the idea is something like On the left is our school.

This is very natural in Filipino. The speaker is highlighting where the school is.

A more English-like order is also possible:

Ang paaralan natin ay nasa kaliwa.

That means essentially the same thing, but the original version sounds more location-focused.

There is no separate verb here in the way English uses is. Filipino often allows sentences with no written equivalent of is/are in the present tense.

So:

Sa kaliwa ang paaralan natin
literally works like
On the left our school

But in natural English, we translate it as:

Our school is on the left.

Filipino does this kind of verbless sentence very often.

Sa is a very common marker for location, direction, or destination. In this sentence, it means something like in / at / on / to, depending on context.

In Sa kaliwa, it helps form a location phrase:

• sa kaliwa = on the left
• sa kanan = on the right
• sa paaralan = at/to the school

So here, sa marks the place where something is located.

Kaliwa means left.

Common related words:

• kaliwa = left
• kanan = right

So:

• Sa kaliwa = on the left
• Sa kanan = on the right

In this sentence, kaliwa is part of a location phrase, not a verb or adjective.

Ang is a marker that often points to the topic or focused noun phrase of the sentence.

Here, ang paaralan natin is the thing being identified or located. The sentence is telling you where our school is.

So:

• Sa kaliwa = location
• ang paaralan natin = the topic/noun phrase being talked about

In simple learner-friendly terms, ang helps mark the school as the main noun in the sentence.

Natin means our, but specifically inclusive our. That means it includes both the speaker and the person being spoken to.

So paaralan natin means:

our school = my school and your school

This is different from namin, which is exclusive our:

• natin = our, including you
• namin = our, not including you

So if a teacher says paaralan natin to students, it makes sense because the school belongs to both speaker and listener in the conversation.

In Filipino, possessive pronouns like ko, mo, niya, natin, namin, ninyo, nila commonly come after the noun.

So:

• paaralan natin = our school
• bahay ko = my house
• kotse nila = their car

This is the normal pattern. English puts the possessive before the noun, but Filipino often puts it after.

Yes. Nasa kaliwa ang paaralan natin is a very common and natural version.

Nasa is a contraction of nasa = na + sa, and in many cases it functions like is located at/in/on.

So these are both natural:

• Sa kaliwa ang paaralan natin.
• Nasa kaliwa ang paaralan natin.

The version with nasa may feel a little more explicitly locational to many learners, but both are fine.

By itself, sa kaliwa means on the left or to the left. The exact reference point depends on context.

For example, it could mean:

• on the left side of the street
• on your left as you face forward
• to the left of another building
• on the left side of a map or area

Filipino does not have to state that reference point if it is already understood from the situation.

Not very naturally. A very literal breakdown would be:

• Sa kaliwa = on the left
• ang paaralan natin = our school

So the structure is roughly:

On the left our school

But natural English needs is:

Our school is on the left
or
On the left is our school

So it is better to understand the Filipino structure rather than translate each word mechanically.

Both can mean school.

• paaralan is a native Filipino word
• eskuwela is a borrowing from Spanish and is also widely understood

Paaralan is very common in standard Filipino and in formal usage. In everyday speech, many speakers may also say school or eskuwela, depending on region, style, and habit.

So paaralan natin simply means our school.