Relative Clauses with Na/-Ng in Tagalog

In Brief

Tagalog commonly describes a noun by placing a clause next to it and joining the two with the linker na/-ng: ang babaeng kumakanta means “the woman who is singing.” There is usually no separate equivalent of English who, that, or which. The linker becomes -ng after a vowel, -g after final n, and normally remains the separate word na after another consonant.

Overview

A relative clause is a clause—a group of words containing a predicate—that identifies or describes a head noun, the person or thing being described. In “the book that I bought,” “book” is the head noun and “that I bought” is the relative clause. English usually marks this relationship with who, that, or which. Tagalog instead treats the clause much like any other modifier and attaches it with the familiar linker na/-ng.

At B1, this pattern lets you combine ideas without sounding choppy. Compare May babae. Kumakanta siya. (“There is a woman. She is singing.”) with May babaeng kumakanta. (“There is a woman who is singing.”) The second version packages the identifying information into one noun phrase.

The basic linker comes from the A1 pattern used in magandang bahay (“beautiful house”). Here, however, the modifier can be an entire clause: bahay na binili nila (“house that they bought”). To use this well, you must pay attention not only to the linker’s spelling but also to Tagalog voice—the verb form that helps identify which participant is central in the clause.

How It Works

The core pattern

The most useful pattern is:

head noun + linker + relative clause

• babae + -ng + kumakanta → babaeng kumakanta (“woman who is singing”)
• bahay + na + binili nila → bahay na binili nila (“house that they bought”)
• pagkain + -g + niluto mo → pagkaing niluto mo (“food that you cooked”)

The head noun fills a role inside the describing clause, but it is not repeated there. In ang taong nakita mo, the person is what you saw. Tagalog does not normally add a pronoun meaning “him/her” after nakita mo.

Choosing na, -ng, or -g

The form depends on the final sound of the word immediately before the linker.

Previous word ends in	Form	Combination	Meaning
a vowel	-ng attached	babae + ng → babaeng kumakanta	woman who is singing
n	-g attached	pagkain + g → pagkaing masarap	food that is delicious
another consonant	separate na	bahay na nakita ko	house that I saw

This is a sound-based connection, not an English-style relative pronoun. In writing, attach -ng or -g directly to the preceding word. Write na separately.

The word before the clause is often the head noun, but another modifier may come between them. What matters is the boundary between the noun phrase and the following modifier: ang dalawang batang naglalaro (“the two children who are playing”). Here -ng attaches to bata, while dalawang contains another linker within the same noun phrase.

Subject-like heads

When the head noun is the actor in the relative clause, an actor-voice verb is common. Actor voice means that the doer is the clause’s central or ang-marked participant.

• ang batang tumatakbo — the child who is running
• mga turistang bumisita kahapon — tourists who visited yesterday
• isang kaibigang tutulong sa atin — a friend who will help us

The noun is understood as the actor of tumatakbo, bumisita, or tutulong. Do not repeat it with siya inside the clause.

Object-like heads and verb voice

When the head noun is the thing affected, wanted, seen, bought, or otherwise selected by the predicate, Tagalog commonly uses a form that makes that participant central. This is often called patient voice or object focus: the affected thing is the clause’s ang-participant.

• ang librong binili ko — the book that I bought
• ang taong nakita mo — the person whom you saw
• ang pagkaing niluto nila — the food that they cooked

Notice the verb forms binili, nakita, and niluto. A literal transfer from English may tempt you to use an actor-voice form regardless of the noun’s role. In careful Tagalog, the relative clause normally aligns its voice with the missing head noun. This is sometimes called the pivot restriction: the noun left unspoken inside the relative clause is normally the participant selected as central by the verb.

Compare these two grammatical patterns:

Intended head	Natural Tagalog	Literal guide
the buyer	ang lalaking bumili ng tinapay	the man who bought bread
the bread bought	ang tinapay na binili ng lalaki	the bread that the man bought

In the first, lalaki is the actor and bumili is actor voice. In the second, tinapay is the affected item and binili is patient voice. The doer is expressed with ng lalaki.

Pronouns and markers inside the clause

The head noun takes its marker from the larger sentence: ang, isang, mga, ito, and other determiners can introduce the whole noun phrase. Inside the relative clause, other participants keep the markers required by that clause.

• Kilala ko ang babaeng tinulungan mo. — I know the woman whom you helped.
• Dumating ang lalaking kinausap ni Ana. — The man Ana spoke to arrived.
• Ito ang regalong ibinigay nila sa bata. — This is the gift they gave to the child.

The pronouns mo and nila and the marker ni identify participants within the relative clause. English word order is not a safe guide; learn the complete Tagalog predicate pattern.

Identifying versus adding extra information

Many relative clauses identify which person or thing is meant:

• Hanapin mo ang susi na nasa mesa. — Find the key that is on the table.

A clause can also add background information about an already identified noun:

• Si Mara, na nagtatrabaho sa Cebu, ay uuwi bukas. — Mara, who works in Cebu, will come home tomorrow.

Commas help show this difference in writing. Without commas, the clause usually narrows down the reference. With commas, it is parenthetical—extra information rather than the information needed to identify the noun. In speech, pauses and intonation do the same work.

Examples in Context

Tagalog	English	Note
Ang babaeng kumakanta ay maganda.	The woman who is singing is beautiful.	Vowel + -ng; the woman is the actor.
Binili ko ang librong gusto ko.	I bought the book that I wanted.	The book is selected by gusto.
Ang taong nakita mo ay kapatid ko.	The person you saw is my sibling.	The person is the central participant of nakita.
May batang naghihintay sa labas.	There is a child waiting outside.	The relative clause follows an indefinite noun.
Nasaan ang bag na dinala mo?	Where is the bag that you brought?	Separate na after final g.
Masarap ang pagkaing niluto ninyo.	The food you cooked is delicious.	Final n takes attached -g.
Kilala mo ba ang gurong nagtuturo rito?	Do you know the teacher who teaches here?	The teacher is the actor of nagtuturo.
Iyon ang pelikulang pinanood namin kagabi.	That is the movie we watched last night.	The movie is the object-like head.
Nakausap ko ang estudyanteng nanalo sa paligsahan.	I spoke with the student who won the competition.	The student is the actor of nanalo.
Huwag mong kainin ang prutas na nasa mesa.	Don’t eat the fruit that is on the table.	A location predicate describes the fruit.
Ang kaibigang tutulong sa atin ay parating na.	The friend who will help us is on the way.	A future action identifies the friend.
Ito ang regalong ibinigay ni Lolo sa akin.	This is the gift Grandfather gave me.	Other participants remain inside the clause.
Si Lea, na nakatira ngayon sa Davao, ay pinsan ko.	Lea, who now lives in Davao, is my cousin.	Commas mark added information.
Hinahanap nila ang asong nawala kahapon.	They are looking for the dog that disappeared yesterday.	The dog is the actor of nawala.

Common Mistakes

Inserting an English-style relative pronoun

• Wrong: ang babae na sino kumakanta
• Right: ang babaeng kumakanta
• Why: In this pattern, Tagalog does not insert sino (“who?”). The linker directly joins the noun and clause.

Choosing the linker from the wrong final sound

• Wrong: babae na kumakanta in ordinary close modification
• Right: babaeng kumakanta
• Why: After a vowel, use attached -ng. After final n, attach -g; after most other consonants, use separate na.

Repeating the head noun with a pronoun

• Wrong: ang babaeng kumakanta siya
• Right: ang babaeng kumakanta
• Why: The head noun already supplies the understood actor of kumakanta. Adding siya creates an unnecessary second participant.

Keeping actor voice when the affected thing is the head

• Wrong: ang tinapay na bumili ang lalaki for “the bread that the man bought”
• Right: ang tinapay na binili ng lalaki
• Why: Bumili ang lalaki ng tinapay centers the buyer. To make tinapay the missing central participant of the relative clause, use patient-voice binili.

Copying English word order and markers

• Wrong: ang regalo na ibinigay ako nila
• Right: ang regalong ibinigay nila sa akin
• Why: The giver is nila and the recipient is sa akin. Relative clauses retain normal Tagalog pronoun and marker patterns.

Using saan alone as if it meant English “where”

• Wrong: ang restawran saan kumain kami
• Right: ang restawran kung saan kami kumain or, with a suitable verb pattern, ang restawrang kinainan namin
• Why: Saan is primarily the question word “where?” Embedded location expressions commonly use kung saan. Tagalog can also use a location-focused verb to make the place the head.

Usage Notes

Both na and its attached forms are extremely common in speech and writing. The attached spelling is not merely formal punctuation: babaeng, pagkaing, and pelikulang are standard written forms. In rapid speech, the boundary may be hard to hear, so reading and writing practice help reinforce it.

Tagalog often prefers a compact relative clause where English uses “who is” or “that is.” Predicate words do not need an overt equivalent of English be: ang bahay na malapit sa paaralan is literally structured as “the house [linker] near the school,” but naturally means “the house that is near the school.” Likewise, ang lalaking doktor can mean “the man who is a doctor,” depending on context.

English permits long chains such as “the colleague that I told you about.” Tagalog may require a different verb voice, a prepositional strategy, or a fuller reformulation depending on the missing participant. When a direct translation feels forced, first make a complete independent Tagalog sentence, identify its central ang-phrase, and only then turn that phrase into the head noun.

Comma practice varies in informal digital writing, but edited prose uses commas to distinguish parenthetical information clearly. With names and uniquely identified people, the added-information pattern is especially natural: Si Ben, na bagong dating, ay pagod.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

Location and beneficiary heads

Tagalog’s voice system offers more than actor and patient voice. A location, recipient, beneficiary, or instrument can sometimes become the central participant through an appropriate verb form. This allows compact relative clauses that English translates with a preposition or “where”:

• ang upuang inuupuan niya — the chair that he/she is sitting on
• ang batang ipinagluto ko — the child for whom I cooked
• ang kutsilyong ipinanghiwa niya ng tinapay — the knife that he/she used to slice bread

Because advanced voice forms are verb-specific, learn them as complete patterns rather than attaching an affix mechanically. A transparent alternative with kung saan is often easier for locations: ang bahay kung saan kami nagkita (“the house where we met”). This construction includes a linker-like relationship at the noun boundary but also uses an embedded location phrase.

Stacked and nested modifiers

A noun can carry more than one modifier:

• ang maliit na tindahang bukas pa — the small shop that is still open
• ang babaeng nakilala ko sa piestang dinaluhan namin — the woman I met at the festival we attended

In the second example, babae is modified by nakilala ko..., while piesta is separately modified by dinaluhan namin. Such nesting is grammatical, but too many layers can burden the reader. Formal and everyday Tagalog alike may split a very long chain into two sentences for clarity.

Linker clauses versus complement clauses

Not every na/-ng before a clause creates a relative clause. In Sinabi niyang darating siya (“He/She said that he/she would arrive”), -ng introduces the content of what was said; it does not describe siya as a head noun. This is a complement clause, a clause that completes the meaning of a verb such as “say,” “believe,” or “know.” Compare:

• ang lalaking darating — the man who will arrive: relative clause modifying lalaki
• sinabi ng lalaking darating siya — the man said that he would arrive: complement clause completing sinabi

The surface linker is similar, but the clause’s job in the sentence is different. Context, verb patterns, and pauses resolve the structure.

Practice Tips

1. Combine pairs of sentences. Start with May nakita akong lalaki. Bumili siya ng kape. Then combine them as May nakita akong lalaking bumili ng kape. Next practice an affected head: May kape. Binili ng lalaki ang kape. → ang kapeng binili ng lalaki.
2. Work backward from a full clause. Underline the ang-phrase in a natural Tagalog sentence, remove that phrase from the clause, and place its noun before the linker. This builds the voice alignment that English does not require.
3. Keep a three-column linker list. Sort examples under vowel + -ng, final n + -g, and other consonant + na. Read each complete noun phrase aloud so the linker becomes a sound pattern, not just a spelling rule.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Linker Na/-Ng — introduces the linker forms used to connect modifiers and nouns.
• Next step: Complex Sentence Linking — combines relative clauses with other embedded and coordinated clauses.
• Advanced: Complex Clause Embedding — develops nested relative and complement-clause structures.