Sarili niyang kuwento ito.

this

Breakdown of Sarili niyang kuwento ito.

• niya: his (after a noun)
• kuwento: story
• sarili: own; personal

Questions & Answers about Sarili niyang kuwento ito.

What does sarili mean in this sentence?

Sarili means self or one’s own. In this sentence, it gives the idea of one’s own story, not just his/her story in a neutral possessive sense.

So:

• kuwento niya = his/her story
• sarili niyang kuwento = his/her own story

It adds emphasis that the story belongs to that person personally.

Why is it niyang instead of niya?

Niyang is niya plus the linker -ng.

The linker connects words smoothly, especially when one word modifies another. Here, sarili is connected to niya as part of the phrase sarili niyang kuwento.

A helpful way to see it:

• niya = his/her
• niyang = his/her
  • linker, used before the next connected word or phrase

This is very common in Filipino:

• maganda
  • -ng
    • bahay → magandang bahay
• siya
  • -ng
    • mabait → siyang mabait
• niya