Dalhin mo ang kutsilyo sa kusina bago tayo magluto.

Because the sentence starts with dalhin mo, which is a very common way to give a command in Filipino.

In this pattern:

• dalhin = bring/carry/take
• mo = you

So Dalhin mo... means Bring/Take...

Filipino does not need a separate word like please or a special verb ending like English sometimes does. A plain verb form plus the pronoun often works as a command.

Dalhin comes from the root dala, which has the general idea of carry / bring / take along.

In context, dalhin means something like:

• bring it
• take it
• carry it

The exact English choice depends on the situation. Filipino dala is less strict than English about the difference between bring and take.

This is one of the most common learner questions.

Dalhin is an object-focus form. It highlights the thing being brought, which here is ang kutsilyo.

So the pattern is:

• Dalhin mo ang kutsilyo = Bring the knife.

By contrast, magdala is an actor-focus form. It highlights the doer more, and it usually goes with ng for the thing being brought:

• Magdala ka ng kutsilyo = Bring a knife.

So in your sentence, dalhin fits well because the sentence is talking about a specific item: the knife.

Because Filipino pronouns change form depending on the grammar of the sentence.

Here, the verb is object-focus: dalhin. With this kind of verb, the actor often appears in the mo form.

So:

• Dalhin mo ang kutsilyo = Bring the knife.

But with an actor-focus verb, you would usually get ka:

• Magdala ka ng kutsilyo = Bring a knife.

So mo does not mean your here. It means you, but in the form required by this verb pattern.

Ang is a very important marker in Filipino. It does not equal English the in a perfect one-to-one way, but in many sentences it often points to the noun that is most central or specific.

In ang kutsilyo, it marks the knife as the focused/specific item.

So:

• ang kutsilyo = the knife / the knife as the main noun being talked about

This is why ang kutsilyo goes well with dalhin. The sentence is about bringing that specific knife.

Often yes, but not always in a simple English way.

A useful beginner rule is:

• ang often marks a specific or identifiable noun
• ng often marks a less specific noun

So:

• ang kutsilyo feels like the knife
• ng kutsilyo often feels more like a knife or some knife

That is why Dalhin mo ang kutsilyo sounds like you already know which knife is meant.

It can mean all of those, depending on context.

Sa is a general location/direction marker. It can mean:

• to
• in
• at
• on

Here, because the verb involves movement, sa kusina is understood as to the kitchen.

So:

• Dalhin mo ang kutsilyo sa kusina = Bring the knife to the kitchen

In another sentence, sa kusina could also mean in the kitchen or at the kitchen, depending on the verb and context.

Bago means before.

It introduces a time clause:

• bago = before
• tayo = we, including the listener
• magluto = cook

So the whole part means:

• before we cook

This clause tells you when the action should happen: the knife should be brought to the kitchen before the cooking starts.

Because tayo includes the person being spoken to.

Filipino makes an important distinction:

• tayo = we, including you
• kami = we, but not you

So:

• bago tayo magluto = before we cook, and you are part of that we
• bago kami magluto = before we cook, but you are not part of the group cooking

In this sentence, the speaker expects both speaker and listener to be involved in cooking.

Magluto comes from the root luto, meaning cook.

In a clause like bago tayo magluto, it is best understood as to cook / cook in a non-past, planned, or not-yet-started sense.

So English translates it naturally as:

• before we cook

A helpful learner idea is that Filipino verb forms do not always line up neatly with English tense labels. In this sentence, magluto refers to the cooking as an upcoming action.

The word order is fairly flexible, but the given order is very natural.

The basic structure here is:

• verb: Dalhin
• actor pronoun: mo
• focused noun: ang kutsilyo
• location: sa kusina
• time clause: bago tayo magluto

So the sentence flows naturally as:

• Dalhin mo ang kutsilyo sa kusina bago tayo magluto.

You can move parts around for emphasis, but the sentence may sound more marked. For example:

• Sa kusina mo dalhin ang kutsilyo puts more emphasis on to the kitchen

For learners, the original order is the safest and most natural one to use.

Yes, but it is not exactly the same in nuance.

• Dalhin mo ang kutsilyo... focuses on a specific knife
• Magdala ka ng kutsilyo... sounds more like bring a knife, not necessarily a specific one already identified

So both are grammatical, but they are built differently:

• Dalhin mo ang kutsilyo = Bring the knife.
• Magdala ka ng kutsilyo = Bring a knife.

This is a very common contrast in Filipino: the verb form changes together with the noun marking.

A simple way is to add po:

• Dalhin mo po ang kutsilyo sa kusina bago tayo magluto.

That makes it more respectful.

You could also use a more request-like phrasing, but for beginners, adding po is the easiest and most useful politeness strategy.

Without po, the sentence is a normal direct command. It is not automatically rude, but it is more casual and straightforward.