kailan
kailán with stress marks
when
Usage Note
Kailan is the standard question word for asking about time or dates and is often followed by the particle 'ba' in natural conversation. It refers to both past and future events depending on the aspect of the verb used in the sentence.
Examples
" Kailan ka uuwi? "
Natural Translation
When will you come home?
Literal Translation
When you go-home?
" Kailan tayo aalis? "
Natural Translation
When are we leaving?
Literal Translation
When we leave?
" Hindi pa namin alam kung kailan magsisimula ang klase dahil hindi pa kumpleto ang mga estudyante. "
Natural Translation
We don't know yet when classes will start because the students aren't complete yet.
Literal Translation
Not yet we know if when will-begin the class because not yet complete the students.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
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