nasaan ang
The English phrase "where is" is translated into Tagalog as nasaan ang.
nasaan ang is a question used to ask for the location of a person or a thing. It is typically followed by a noun to ask for the location of a specific object or person.
Which one should you use?
You should use nasaan when asking for the location of a person or a thing. This differs from saan, which is used for the location of an action or an event.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using this phrase, you must adjust the particle following nasaan depending on who you are looking for. If you are asking for the location of a specific person by name, replace the article ang with the personal marker si. To ask for the location of a group of people by name, replace ang or si with sina.
Did you know?
- Asking nasaan about a person can sometimes imply that the person is missing or late, rather than just asking for their coordinates.
- If you ask saan instead of nasaan when looking for a lost object, a native speaker will understand you are asking where it usually belongs rather than where it is now.
- The marker ang in nasaan ang is a distant relative of the marker ing used in Kapampangan, another language in the Philippines.
Examples in context
- Nasaan ang diwa mo?Where is your soul?This sentence is useful for asking about the location of the form nasaan ang in the context of a soul.Tatoeba #1873259 by nonong, translation #13158524 by mexicanhere
- Nasaan ang plato ko?Where is my plate?This sentence is useful for asking about the location of the form nasaan ang in the context of a plate.Tatoeba #11447799 by qwertzu, translation #1579429 by fanty
- Nasaan ang papel mo?Where is your paper?This sentence is useful for asking about the location of the form nasaan ang in the context of a paper.Tatoeba #13889243 by qwertzu, translation #6576140 by Eccles17
- Pwede ko pong malaman kung saan ang paliparan?May I know where the airport is?
- 25 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
In a living room, Maria is looking for her keys.
- MariaNasaan ang susi ko?Where is my key?
- MarkNasa ibabaw ng mesa ang susi mo.Your key is on top of the table.
- MariaSalamat, Mark.Thanks, Mark.
- MarkWalang anuman.You're welcome.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ang, nasaan, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
