'ng' or 'nang'?

01

'ng' Marks a Noun

Use ng whenever it introduces a noun phrase — an object, a doer, or a possessor.

• Umiinom ako ng tubig.

  I am drinking water. (object)

• Kinain ng bata ang mansanas.

  The child ate the apple. (doer)

• Ang drayber ng bus

  the bus driver (possessor / type)

• Kailangan ko ng isang litro ng gatas.

  I need a liter of milk.

If you can point at the word right after it and say "that's a noun", you want ng.

02

'nang' Describes an Action

Use nang when it tells you how something is done. It links an adverb to a verb — the job English does with "-ly".

• Tumakbo siya nang mabilis.

  He ran quickly.

• Kumain siya nang mabagal.

  He ate slowly.

• Nagsalita siya nang malakas.

  She spoke loudly.

Test: if the word after it describes the manner of the action, it is nang.

03

'nang' Means "When"

As a conjunction joining two clauses, nang means "when".

• Kumakain ako nang tumawag ka.

  I was eating when you called.

• Natulog siya nang umuwi kami.

  He slept when we got home.

04

'nang' for Duration

Before a length of time, it means "for".

• Natulog ako nang walong oras.

  I slept for eight hours.

• Naghintay kami nang isang oras.

  We waited for an hour.

05

'nang' from 'na' Plus a Linker

This is the case that catches people out. When the particle na ("already") is followed by something needing a linker, the two merge into nang.

• Kailangan ko nang umalis.

  I have to go now. (na + linker)

• Gusto ko nang umuwi.

  I want to go home now.

Compare with the noun-marking use: Kailangan ko ng gatas ("I need milk") has a noun after it, so it is ng. Change the following word to a verb and you get nang.

06

The Quick Test

• Followed by a noun → ng
• Answers how, when, or how long → nang
• Comes from na + a linker → nang

07

Don't Lose Sleep Over It

Since the two are homophones, a mistake in writing never affects your speech, and Filipinos themselves get it wrong regularly. Learn the noun test first — that one rule catches the large majority of cases.