A four-way pointing system, with plurals most Philippine languages don't have
English points two ways: this and that. Tagalog points three: ito, iyan, iyon. Kapampangan points four, and it also gives every demonstrative a distinct plural — something most Philippine languages do not bother with.
| Word | Distance | English |
|---|---|---|
| ini | in a place belonging to me alone | this (here by me) |
| iti | in a place common to us both | this (here by us) |
| iyan | near you | that (there by you) |
| ita | further off | that over there, yonder |
Two of the three main descriptions of Kapampangan put these four words in the order above. The third puts two of them the other way round.
| Slot | Bergaño (1736) & the encyclopedia | Forman (1971) |
|---|---|---|
| speaker alone | ini / keni | iti / keti |
| common to both | iti / keti | ini / keni |
| near the hearer | iyan / keyan | ita / keta |
| further off | ita / keta | iyan / karin |
This course follows Bergaño, because he states the distinction with an example that leaves no room for doubt:
ini — "the thing is in a place belonging only to the one pointing": ining pluma, "this pen I am writing with."
iti — "the thing is in a place common to the one pointing and the one it is shown to": if the two of us dip into one inkwell, iting tintero.
An earlier version of this lesson followed Forman instead, on the reasonable grounds that he is the modern fieldwork grammar. Finding Bergaño's account changed the balance: two independent sources, and the older one carrying a worked example.
Kapampangan deictics also vary by locality, and Forman himself notes that the variation between keta, ken and kyan "is not yet well understood." If the speakers around you use these differently, follow them, not this page. The four-way contrast itself is not in doubt; only which form sits in which slot.
Nanu ini? — What is this?
Ninu ya ing lalaking ita? — Who is that man over there?
Ninu ya ing anak a ian? — Who is that child (near you)?
Buri ne ita. — She likes that.
Kapampangan demonstratives are not about metres. They are about whose space the thing is in — mine, ours, yours, or nobody's. Choosing iyan rather than ini quietly acknowledges that the object belongs to your listener's side of the conversation.
Both translate as "this", and this is the pair learners ask about most. The distinction is concrete versus abstract.
| ini | iti | |
|---|---|---|
| Used for | always concrete — things you can point at | usually abstract, but can be concrete too |
| Example | ining libru — this book | iting musika — this music |
| Example | ini ing asu nang Juan — this is Juan's dog | iti ing gagawan mi — this is what we do |
A practical rule of thumb: if you could physically put your finger on it, use ini. If it is an idea, a plan, a situation or a piece of music, reach for iti.
Each demonstrative has its own plural, with the usual free d-/r- variation.
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| ini | deni / reni | these (by me) |
| iti | deti / reti | these (by us both) |
| iyan | den / ren | those (by you) |
| ita | deta / reta | those over there |
Mangabanglu la rening sampaga. — These flowers smell nice.
Maniaman la ren. — Those are delicious.
Note the obligatory la in both — the agreement rule from lesson 4 applies here exactly as it does everywhere else.
Each demonstrative has a matching location word. These are what you use to say where something is.
| Location word | Matches | English |
|---|---|---|
| keni | ini | here (where I am) |
| keti | iti | here (where we both are) |
| keyan / ken | iyan | there (where you are) |
| keta | ita | over there, further off |
Ati ku keti. — I am here.
Ume ka keni. / Me keni. — Come here.
Mangan la keta. — They will eat over there.
Obakit ati ka keni? — Why are you here?
Both keni and keti come out as "here" in English. The choice encodes whether your listener shares the space you mean.
Two people standing in the same country would call that country keti — here, the place we are both in — while each would call their own home town keni, here on my own side.
That is Bergaño's inkwell, scaled up: one inkwell between us is iti; the pen in my own hand is ini.
Notice Me keni in the examples. That me is a fused pronoun from lesson 5 doing duty in a command — you will meet it again in lesson 17.
The iyan row does not follow the pattern the other three do. It is worth flagging so the irregularity does not look like a mistake when you meet it.
| You might expect | Actual form |
|---|---|
| *deyan | den / ren |
Forman additionally records keta, ken and kyan as competing shapes in this area, without being able to state the rule that separates them. If that feels unsatisfying, it is: this is a corner of the language that has not been fully described by anyone.
There is also a set of presentative forms — oini, oreni, oita and so on — used for "here it is!" and "there it is!":
Oita ya pala ing salamin mu! — So that's where your glasses are!
Oreni la reng aduang regalo para keka. — Here are the two gifts for you.
You do not need to produce these yet. Recognise them and move on.
Write ini or iti.
Four seems excessive. Can I get by with two? For producing speech, yes — ini and ita will carry you a long way. For understanding, no: you will hear all four constantly and the distinctions are real.
Is iyan spelled ian? You will see both. The y is a glide, exactly as in abak/yabak from lesson 2.
Why does Kapampangan have plural demonstratives when Tagalog doesn't? Different languages draw the line in different places. Kapampangan marks number on demonstratives and markers; Tagalog marks it with a separate word, mga. Neither is more logical — they are just different solutions.
Pointing at things is how beginners survive. When your vocabulary runs out, a demonstrative plus a gesture plus Nanu ini? will get you the word you need from whoever you are talking to — which is, in practice, how most of your Kapampangan vocabulary will eventually be learned.
Next: Pamilya — family, the first topic where you get to use everything from lessons 3 to 6 at once.