Personal Pronouns: The 'sa' Set

01

The Forms

• akin — me, my
• iyo (also sa'yo) — you, your
• kanya — him, her, his
• amin — us, our (not including you)
• atin — us, our (including you)
• inyo — you, your (plural or polite)
• kanila — them, their

02

Job One: After 'sa'

This is the core use: the recipient or direction of an action.

• Sabihin mo sa akin ang totoo.

  Tell me the truth.

• Tumawag siya sa akin kagabi.

  He called me last night.

• Dadalhin ko ang regalo sa inyo bukas.

  I will bring the gift to you tomorrow.

• Nagbigay siya sa akin ng bagong sapatos.

  She gave me new shoes.

03

Job Two: Possessive Before the Noun

Add the linker and put the sa-pronoun in front of the noun, and you get a second way to say "my", "your", "their". It means the same as the ng-pronoun after the noun, but it feels slightly weightier — a little more emphatic or more formal.

• Nasa loob ng bag ang aking pera.

  My money is inside the bag.

• Ang aking dyaryo ay nandito.

  My newspaper is here.

• Dalhin mo ang iyong bag.

  Bring your bag.

• Ang babaeng iyon ay naglalakad kasama ang kanyang aso.

  That woman is walking with her dog.

So there are two ways to say "my book":

• ang libro ko — pronoun after the noun (ng-set); the everyday choice
• ang aking libro — pronoun before the noun (sa-set); more emphatic or formal

04

Job Three: Standing Alone

Used on its own without a following noun, the sa-pronoun means "mine", "yours", "theirs".

• Akin ang bag na nasa mesa.

  The bag on the table is mine.

05

Note the Shape Changes

Before a noun these forms take the linker, which simply attaches to the end and adds nothing else: akin → aking, iyo → iyong, kanya → kanyang, amin → aming, atin → ating, inyo → inyong, kanila → kanilang.