Nasa kuwaderno ko ang mga sagot, pero nasa kompyuter ang bagong dokumento.

Nasa means is in / is at / is on, depending on context. It is a very common way to express location in Filipino.

In this sentence:

• Nasa kuwaderno ko = is in my notebook
• nasa kompyuter = is on the computer / in the computer

Historically, nasa comes from nasa as a contracted form of na sa, but for learners it is usually easiest to treat it as a common location marker meaning located in/at/on.

Filipino often does not need a separate verb equivalent to English is/are in this kind of sentence. A location phrase can function as the predicate by itself.

So:

• Nasa kuwaderno ko ang mga sagot literally works like In my notebook the answers
• Natural English: The answers are in my notebook

This is very normal in Filipino. The sentence is complete even without a separate word for is.

This is a very common Filipino sentence pattern. The predicate often comes first, and the topic/focus marked by ang comes after it.

So the structure is:

• Nasa kuwaderno ko = predicate/location
• ang mga sagot = topic: the answers

A very literal ordering would be:

• Located in my notebook are the answers

In English, we usually switch it to:

• The answers are in my notebook

Both word orders are possible in Filipino in some contexts, but predicate-first is extremely common.

Ang is a very important marker in Filipino. It marks the noun phrase that is the topic or focused element of the sentence.

Here:

• ang mga sagot = the answers
• ang bagong dokumento = the new document

In this sentence, ang marks the things being talked about as located somewhere.

You should not think of ang as exactly equal to English the, although it often overlaps with it in translation.

Mga is the plural marker in Filipino.

• sagot = answer
• mga sagot = answers

It is pronounced roughly manga, not like the English fruit mango.

So:

• ang sagot = the answer
• ang mga sagot = the answers

Ko means my in this context, but more literally it is a pronoun in the genitive form.

• kuwaderno ko = my notebook

Filipino possessive structures often place the possessed noun first, then the possessor:

• bahay ko = my house
• kotse niya = his/her car
• kuwaderno ko = my notebook

So unlike English my notebook, Filipino usually says something closer to notebook my.

This is because of the linker used between an adjective and the noun it describes.

• bago = new
• bagong dokumento = new document

When a word like bago ends in a vowel, -ng is attached to link it to the next word:

• bago + -ng + dokumento → bagong dokumento

This linker is very common in Filipino:

• magandang araw = beautiful day
• malaking bahay = big house
• bagong dokumento = new document

Pero means but.

It connects the two contrasting parts of the sentence:

• Nasa kuwaderno ko ang mga sagot = the answers are in my notebook
• pero = but
• nasa kompyuter ang bagong dokumento = the new document is on the computer

So it shows contrast between the location of the answers and the location of the new document.

These are borrowed words adapted to Filipino spelling.

• kuwaderno comes from Spanish cuaderno
• kompyuter comes from English computer

Filipino spelling often reflects pronunciation more directly, so borrowed words are commonly written in a more phonetic way.

You may also encounter spelling variation in real life, especially with modern loanwords. For example, some people still write computer instead of kompyuter, but kompyuter is the more Filipino-style spelling.

Yes. Filipino location expressions are often broader than English prepositions. Nasa can cover ideas that English expresses with in, on, or at, depending on context.

So:

• nasa mesa = on the table
• nasa bahay = at home / in the house
• nasa kompyuter = on the computer / in the computer

English chooses different prepositions depending on the noun, but Filipino often uses the same location pattern.

Yes. A more literal translation would be something like:

• In my notebook are the answers, but on the computer is the new document.

That sounds marked or unnatural in ordinary English, but it helps show the Filipino structure:

1. location first
2. then the ang phrase

Natural English translation rearranges it to:

• The answers are in my notebook, but the new document is on the computer.

Not in this sentence if you want standard grammar.

Because mga sagot is the topic/focused noun phrase here, it normally needs ang:

• Nasa kuwaderno ko ang mga sagot ✅

Without ang, it would sound incomplete or ungrammatical in this structure.

The marker helps show what noun phrase is playing the main role in the sentence.

Yes. It is a very neat example of a parallel structure:

• Nasa kuwaderno ko ang mga sagot
• pero nasa kompyuter ang bagong dokumento

Both halves use the same pattern:

• nasa + location + ang + noun phrase

This kind of parallel structure is very common and makes the sentence easy to follow.

You would remove the plural marker mga:

• Nasa kuwaderno ko ang sagot, pero nasa kompyuter ang bagong dokumento.

That would mean:

• The answer is in my notebook, but the new document is on the computer.

So the difference is:

• ang sagot = the answer
• ang mga sagot = the answers

Yes, that is a very good idea for beginners.

Although it can be analyzed historically, in everyday learning it is often best to memorize nasa as a high-frequency expression meaning:

• is in
• is at
• is on

You will see it constantly in location sentences, so treating it as a single chunk can make comprehension much easier.