Nasa tabi ng sipilyo ang sabon ni Maria.

Nasa means something like is in/on/at a location. It is very common when talking about where something is.

It comes from na + sa, but learners usually just treat nasa as a fixed form meaning located at/in/on.

So in this sentence:

• Nasa tabi... = is beside...

Filipino often does not use a separate verb exactly like English is in location sentences. Nasa already does that job.

Filipino often puts the location first in this kind of sentence.

So:

• Nasa tabi ng sipilyo ang sabon ni Maria.

literally feels like:

• At the side of the toothbrush is Maria’s soap.

This is a very natural Filipino structure. English usually prefers Maria’s soap is beside the toothbrush, but Filipino commonly presents the location first and then marks the thing being talked about with ang.

Tabi means side or beside/next to, depending on the structure.

In this sentence:

• tabi ng sipilyo = the side of the toothbrush / more naturally beside the toothbrush

So nasa tabi ng sipilyo means is beside the toothbrush.

Here, ng links tabi to sipilyo.

• tabi = side
• ng sipilyo = of the toothbrush

So literally:

• tabi ng sipilyo = side of the toothbrush

But in natural English, this usually becomes:

• beside the toothbrush

This use of ng is very common in Filipino for showing relationships like of, or for connecting one noun to another.

Ang marks the noun phrase that is the main topic or focused item of the sentence.

Here:

• ang sabon ni Maria = Maria’s soap

In this sentence, the soap is the main thing being identified as being in that location.

A very literal breakdown is:

• Nasa tabi ng sipilyo = is beside the toothbrush
• ang sabon ni Maria = Maria’s soap

So ang helps signal that sabón ni Maria is the main noun phrase of the sentence.

Ni is used for a personal name in this kind of possessive structure.

So:

• sabon ni Maria = Maria’s soap / the soap of Maria

Compare:

• ng is commonly used with common nouns
• ni is used with names of people

Examples:

• libro ng estudyante = the student’s book
• libro ni Maria = Maria’s book

So ni Maria is correct because Maria is a person’s name.

Yes. Literally, it is soap of Maria, but natural English is:

• Maria’s soap

This is a very common Filipino possessive pattern:

• bahay ni Ana = Ana’s house
• kotse ni Pedro = Pedro’s car
• sabon ni Maria = Maria’s soap

So when you see noun + ni + person’s name, it often translates to English ’s possession.

Not in the same way as English is.

English needs a clear verb in a sentence like:

• The soap is beside the toothbrush.

Filipino often handles this differently. In location sentences, nasa functions as the predicate and already expresses the idea of being located somewhere.

So even though you may not see a separate verb like is, the sentence is complete and natural in Filipino.

Yes. A common reordered version is:

• Ang sabon ni Maria ay nasa tabi ng sipilyo.

This means the same thing: Maria’s soap is beside the toothbrush.

The version with ang sabon ni Maria first may feel a little closer to English word order, while:

• Nasa tabi ng sipilyo ang sabon ni Maria

is also completely natural and very common in Filipino.

In everyday Filipino, sipilyo very often means toothbrush, especially in household contexts like soap, sink, bathroom items, and so on.

Depending on context, it can also relate more generally to a brush, but here the most natural meaning is clearly toothbrush.

So:

• tabi ng sipilyo = beside the toothbrush

It can mean both beside the toothbrush and next to the toothbrush.

Tabi covers that general idea of being at the side of something. In natural English, either translation is fine:

• beside the toothbrush
• next to the toothbrush

The exact English wording depends on style, not a major difference in meaning.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation is:

• nah-sah tah-BEE nang see-pee-LYOH ang sah-BOHN nee mah-RYAH

A few notes:

• ng is usually pronounced like nang
• Maria in Filipino is often pronounced roughly mah-RYAH
• stress is commonly heard as sa-BON and si-pil-YO

You do not need perfect pronunciation right away; being clear with nasa, tabi, sipilyo, and Maria is the main thing.