ano iyon?
/ʔaˈno ʔiˈon/word by word
The Tagalog phrase for "what is it?" is ano iyon?
ano iyon? is a question used to ask for the identity of an object that is far from the speaker.
Which one should you use?
ano iyon? is used when an object is far from both the speaker and the listener. If the object is near the listener, use ano iyan? If the object is near the speaker, use ano ito?
How does it change in a sentence?
In Tagalog, the question word ano typically precedes the demonstrative pronoun iyon in this construction.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʔaˈno ʔiˈon/
Did you know?
- Using ano to refer to a person is a common social strategy in the Philippines to maintain politeness or avoid mentioning someone who is taboo to name.
- The word ano descends from the Proto-Austronesian root *(na-)nu, making it a linguistic relative to words in languages spoken across the Pacific and Southeast Asia.
- Depending on the tone, Ano? can be used as a challenge or an expression of disbelief, similar to saying 'Excuse me?' or 'What did you just say?' in English.
Examples in context
- Ano po ito? / Iyan ay cellphone.What is it? / That is a cellphone.
- Ano po ito? / Iyan ay pampaligo.What is it? / That is a bathing soap.
- Ano iyon?What is that?
Example conversation
Maria and Mark are looking at a strange object across the street.
- MariaMark, ano iyon?Mark, what is that?
- MarkParang malaking lobo iyon.That looks like a big balloon.
- MariaSaan iyon galing?Where did that come from?
- MarkHindi ko rin alam.I don't know either.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (ano, iyon) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ano, iyon, CC BY-SA 4.0.
