ito
/ʔiˈto/
In Tagalog, the English phrase "this" is expressed as ito.
ito is used to indicate the thing, item, etc. being indicated.
Meaning: the thing, item, etc. being indicated (pron)
Which one should you use?
While ito refers to an object near the speaker, iyan refers to an object near the listener and iyon refers to an object far from both.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form nito is the genitive or possessive form of ito, used to mean "of this" or "this's".
How do you pronounce it?
/ʔiˈto/
Did you know?
- When referring to a person, ito is often replaced by the more respectful siya or specific titles, as using ito for a human can sound dehumanizing or overly blunt.
- The word ito is actually a distant relative of the Malay word itu, which surprisingly means 'that' instead of 'this'.
- While ito is the standard form, you might hear people use 'to in casual conversation, dropping the first syllable entirely.
Examples in context
- Bag ito ni Jane.This is Jane's bag.This sentence is useful for identifying ownership of an object using ito.Tatoeba #9773229 by canonselphycp400, translation #55923 by CN
- Gusto mo ba ito?Do you like this one?This sentence is useful for asking if someone likes a specific item using ito.Tatoeba #11710535 by Salt, translation #10614397 by CK
- Sobra na po ito.This has gone far enough.This sentence is useful for expressing that a situation has gone too far using ito.Tatoeba #11804577 by qwertzu, translation #2967437 by Hybrid
- Paano sabihin ito sa Tagalog nang maayos?How do you say this properly in Tagalog?
- Puwede ko bang malaman kung paano sabihin ito sa Tagalog?Can I know how to say this in Tagalog?
- Pano sabihin yun sa Tagalog?How do you say that in Tagalog?
- Alam mo bang pano sabihin yun sa Tagalog?Do you know how to say that in Tagalog?
- Anong pangalan mo?What is your name?
- Mahal kita.I love you.
- Saan ang pinakamalapit na restaurant?Where is the nearest restaurant?
- Kamusta ka?How are you?
- Maraming salamat.Thank you very much.
- 1622 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mark and Jasmine are looking at a gift in a box.
- MarkAno ang laman ng kahon na ito?What is inside this box?
- JasmineIto ay regalo para sa iyo, Mark.This is a gift for you, Mark.
- MarkSalamat, Jasmine! Ang ganda nito.Thank you, Jasmine! This is beautiful.
- JasmineMasaya ako na nagustuhan mo ito.I am happy that you liked this.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ito, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ito, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
