Tagalog Pronouns Explained: Complete Chart with Examples

In English, “we” is just “we.” In Tagalog, saying the wrong “we” can accidentally exclude someone from dinner. Tagalog pronouns work differently from English in ways that surprise most learners: there are three separate sets of pronouns instead of one, “he” and “she” are the same word, and there is an entire pronoun form that exists just for politeness. The good news is that the system is logical once you see how it fits together.

This guide walks you through every pronoun form you need, with charts you can reference and examples you can start using right away.

Why Three Pronoun Sets?

English changes pronouns by role: “I” as subject, “me” as object, “my” for possession. Tagalog does something similar, but its three forms — Ang, Ng, and Sa — are tied to the verb focus system rather than simple subject/object distinctions.

• Ang pronouns mark the topic or focus of the sentence.
• Ng pronouns (pronounced “nang”) mark possession or the actor in non-actor-focus sentences.
• Sa pronouns mark the beneficiary, direction, or location.

Which set you use depends on the verb’s focus affix. For now, just know that every person in Tagalog has three pronoun forms, and you will need all three.

The Complete Pronoun Chart

Person	English	Ang (Topic)	Ng (Possessive)	Sa (Oblique)
1st singular	I / me / my	ako	ko	akin
2nd singular	you / your	ikaw / ka	mo	iyo
3rd singular	he / she / his / her	siya	niya	kanya
1st plural inclusive	we (including you)	tayo	natin	atin
1st plural exclusive	we (excluding you)	kami	namin	amin
2nd plural	you all / your	kayo	ninyo	inyo
3rd plural	they / their	sila	nila	kanila

Here is how each set works in a sentence:

• Ang: Ako ang kumain ng mangga. (I am the one who ate the mango.)
• Ng: Bahay ko. (My house.) / Kinain ko ang mangga. (I ate the mango.)
• Sa: Para sa akin ito. (This is for me.)

Tayo vs. Kami — The “We” That English Does Not Have

This is the distinction that trips up every English speaker, and it is worth getting right. Tagalog has two words for “we,” and they are not interchangeable.

Tayo includes the person you are talking to. Kami excludes them.

	Inclusive (listener included)	Exclusive (listener excluded)
Ang	tayo	kami
Ng	natin	namin
Sa	atin	amin

Compare these two sentences:

• Kumain na tayo. — Let’s eat. (You are invited. Come eat with us.)

• Kumain na kami. — We already ate. (You were not part of it.)

• Pupunta tayo sa mall. — We are going to the mall. (You are coming too.)

• Pupunta kami sa mall. — We are going to the mall. (You are not coming.)

The possessive forms follow the same split:

• Bahay natin. — Our house. (Yours and mine.)
• Bahay namin. — Our house. (Mine and others’, but not yours.)

Ikaw vs. Ka — Position Matters

Both ikaw and ka mean “you” (singular, Ang form), but they follow a strict position rule. Ka is an enclitic — it cannot start a sentence. Ikaw can go anywhere.

The simple rule: if the pronoun comes first, use ikaw. If something else comes first, use ka.

• Ikaw ang kaibigan ko. (You are my friend.) — pronoun first, so ikaw
• Maganda ka. (You are beautiful.) — adjective first, so ka
• Kumain ka na ba? (Have you eaten already?) — verb first, so ka
• Ikaw ay mabait. (You are kind.) — pronoun first with ay inversion, so ikaw

Both forms appear constantly in natural Tagalog. Once the position rule clicks, it becomes automatic.

The Kita Shortcut

One of the most famous Tagalog phrases uses a pronoun most learners have never been taught. Kita is a combined pronoun that merges ko (I/my) and ikaw (you) into a single word meaning “I [verb] you.”

• Mahal kita. — I love you.
• Tulungan kita. — I will help you.
• Hihintayin kita. — I will wait for you.

Without kita, you would need two separate pronouns. It is standard in everyday Tagalog and worth learning early.

Demonstratives: This, That, and That Over There

English has two distances: this and that. Tagalog has three, adding a middle distance for things near the listener.

Distance	Ang (Topic)	Sa (Location)	English
Near speaker	ito	dito	this / here
Near listener	iyan	diyan	that (near you) / there (near you)
Far from both	iyon	doon	that (over there) / over there

• Ito ang aking libro. (This is my book.)
• Pumunta ka diyan. (Go there — near you.)
• Nakatira siya doon. (He/She lives over there.)

In casual speech, you will hear shortened forms: ‘to, ‘yan, ‘yun.

Politeness: Po, Opo, and the Pronoun Shift

Politeness in Tagalog goes beyond adding a word — it requires changing the pronoun itself. When speaking to elders, strangers, or anyone you want to show respect, you shift from singular “you” pronouns to plural forms, much like French uses “vous” for polite address.

Informal (peers)	Formal (elders, strangers)
ikaw / ka	kayo
mo	ninyo
iyo	inyo

Then you add po (a respect particle) after the first content word:

• Casual: Kumain ka na ba? (Have you eaten?)
• Respectful: Kumain po ba kayo? (Have you eaten, sir/ma’am?)

Opo is the polite form of “yes” (oo + po). Use it instead of a plain “oo” when speaking respectfully.

Common Mistakes to Watch For

1. Mixing up tayo and kami. This is the most common error. Always ask yourself: is the listener included?
2. Starting a sentence with ka. Ka is an enclitic — use ikaw at the start of a sentence instead.
3. Thinking ng pronouns are only possessive. Ko, mo, and niya also mark the actor in object-focus sentences. Bahay ko means “my house,” but kinain ko means “I ate.”
4. Skipping the politeness pronoun shift. Saying po without switching to kayo/ninyo still sounds informal.

Keep Going

You now have a solid map of the Tagalog pronoun system — three cases, the inclusive/exclusive split, position rules, and politeness shifts. The best way to internalize these is to start using them in real sentences. Try greeting someone with the right pronoun form from our common greetings guide, or practice building full sentences that use each case.

The pronoun system will feel unfamiliar at first, but it is one of those things that clicks with practice. Every conversation you have in Tagalog is a chance to reinforce it.