Convenience Store

1. Initon nako ni?

   I-ni-ton na-ko ni?

   Shall I heat this up for you?

   Usage

   Said by staff. 7-Eleven and Ministop branches in Cebu City keep a microwave at the counter for siomai, pastries and the like. Say "O, palihug" (yes please) or "Dili na, salamat" (no thanks)

   Grammar Note

   Cebuano builds sentences around focus. The suffix "-on" puts the object in focus, and the agent appears in the genitive as "nako" (by me). It looks passive in translation, but this is the default construction across Philippine languages.

2. Palihug initon ni

   Pa-li-hug i-ni-ton ni

   Please heat this up

   Usage

   Use this to ask before staff offer. The microwave sits behind the counter and staff operate it, so say this as you hand the item over. Neighbourhood sari-sari stores have no microwave at all

   Grammar Note

   "Palihug" is "lihug" (a favour) with the prefix "pa-", and placing it at the front turns any sentence into a request. Without it the phrase sounds like an order, so it is worth always including in a shop.

3. Wala na miy plastik

   Wa-la na mi-y plas-tik

   We don't carry plastic bags anymore

   Usage

   Said by staff. Cebu City and many other Philippine local governments ban plastic bags by ordinance, so shops can only offer paper bags or paid reusable ones. Locals carry a woven bag called a "bayong"

   Grammar Note

   "Mi" is the exclusive "we", distinct from inclusive "ta / kita". Staff speaking about their own shop to a customer always use the exclusive form. "Wala" is the negative counterpart of "naa" (there is).

4. Naa moy supot?

   Na-a mo-y su-pot?

   Do you have a bag?

   Usage

   Ask this when you need a bag; you will be offered a paid paper bag or reusable one. Philippine shops often just hand goods over loose, so speak up if you need something to carry them in

   Grammar Note

   Address a shop with the plural "mo", which refers to the establishment as a whole. "Moy" is "mo" plus "y", a contraction of the nominative marker "ang" — such contractions are pervasive in spoken Cebuano.

5. Naa kay barya?

   Na-a ka-y bar-ya?

   Do you have small change?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Philippine shops — sari-sari stores above all — are perpetually short of change, and a 1,000-peso note may even be refused. Keeping 20, 50 and 100 peso notes plus coins makes paying far easier

   Grammar Note

   "Barya" means coins as such, while the money handed back after payment is "sukli". "Pila akong sukli?" (how much is my change?) is a useful companion phrase.

6. Kuhaon nimo ang resibo?

   Ku-ha-on ni-mo ang re-si-bo?

   Will you take the receipt?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Philippine law requires official receipts, so the till always prints one. Shelf prices and scanned prices occasionally disagree, so it is worth taking it and checking

   Grammar Note

   "Ang" is the nominative marker attached to whatever noun is in focus, identifying the pivot of a Cebuano clause. In an object-focus sentence the thing acted upon takes "ang" while the agent appears in the genitive, as with "nimo".

7. Pwede mag-GCash?

   Pwe-de mag-G-Cash?

   Can I pay with GCash?

   Usage

   GCash dominates mobile payments in the Philippines, with QR plates displayed everywhere from convenience stores to sari-sari shops and market stalls. Registration needs a Philippine mobile number, though, so short-term visitors should carry cash

   Grammar Note

   The prefix "mag-" productively verbalises nouns, including loanwords: mag-GCash (to pay by GCash), mag-text (to send a message). "Pwede + verb" asks about possibility or permission.

8. Pwede ko mopalit ug tag-usa?

   Pwe-de ko mo-pa-lit ug tag-u-sa?

   Can I buy just a single one?

   Usage

   This asks about the Philippine "tingi" system. Shampoo, coffee and condiments are sold in single-use sachets — costlier per unit but practical for people living on daily wages, and now thoroughly entrenched. Sari-sari stores will also sell cigarettes and sweets one piece at a time

   Grammar Note

   The prefix "tag-" expresses distribution ("each"), and the same element gives "tagpila?" (how much per piece?). The verbal prefix "mo-" puts the actor in focus, contrasting with object-focus "-on".

9. Palihug ug kutsara

   Pa-li-hug ug kut-sa-ra

   A spoon, please

   Usage

   Filipinos eat with a spoon and fork, using the edge of the spoon rather than a knife. Cup noodles come with a fork, but for boxed meals you need to ask for a spoon. "Straw" is understood as is

   Grammar Note

   A fork is "tinidor" and a knife "kutsilyo", both from Spanish. Over three centuries of Spanish rule left Cebuano with Spanish loanwords for much of daily life — cutlery, weekdays and numbers among them.

10. Asa ang tubig?

    A-sa ang tu-big?

    Where is the water?

    Usage

    Tap water is not drunk in the Philippines. Locals refill containers at water stations, but visitors should stick to sealed bottles such as Nature's Spring or Wilkins

    Grammar Note

    Cebuano fronts the question word and follows it with "ang + noun". Swap in any product and the frame holds: "pan" (bread), "gatas" (milk), "itlog" (eggs).

11. Pa-load ko ug singkwenta

    Pa-load ko ug sing-kwen-ta

    Load fifty pesos onto my phone, please

    Usage

    Most Philippine shops double as mobile load agents: give your number and the amount and the owner sends it from his own handset. Globe and Smart are the two big carriers, amounts start at 10 pesos, and a 1-3 peso service fee is usual

    Grammar Note

    Prices are stated with Spanish-derived numerals rather than native Cebuano ones: singko (5), dyes (10), bente (20), singkwenta (50), usa ka gatos (100). This is the standard in shops and markets alike.

12. Naa moy power bank?

    Na-a mo-y pow-er bank?

    Do you have a power bank?

    Usage

    Brownouts are frequent during typhoon season, so a power bank is a genuinely practical thing to carry. Convenience stores stock some, though mall phone shops have a far better range. A charging cable is simply "charger"

    Grammar Note

    If they have none you will simply hear "wala". Cebuano speakers code-switch with English constantly, and technical nouns are normally left in English — there is no need to hunt for a native equivalent.

13. Pwede ko mag-charge diri?

    Pwe-de ko mag-charge di-ri?

    Can I charge my phone here?

    Usage

    Big chains usually decline, but neighbourhood sari-sari stores and carinderias are often happy to oblige. In the provinces some shops charge a small fee for it. Buy something first, then ask

    Grammar Note

    Place words come in three degrees — "diri" (here), "dinha" (there, near you), "didto" (over there) — graded by distance from speaker and listener. The demonstratives "ni / na / kadto" follow the same three-way split.

14. Naa bay ATM duol diri?

    Na-a ba-y A-T-M du-ol di-ri?

    Is there an ATM near here?

    Usage

    Many 7-Eleven branches in Cebu City have an in-store ATM. Philippine machines cap withdrawals around 10,000 pesos and charge foreign cards roughly 250 pesos per transaction, so take out larger sums at once. On the smaller islands cash is often the only option

    Grammar Note

    The particle "ba" turns a clause into a yes/no question and sits right after the predicate; in speech "ba" plus "y" contracts to "bay". Dropping it still reads as a question, but including it is clearer.

15. Asa ang CR?

    A-sa ang C-R?

    Where is the toilet?

    Usage

    Filipinos overwhelmingly call the toilet "CR", short for comfort room — far more reliable than saying toilet or bathroom. Convenience stores rarely have one for customers, and staff will usually point you to a mall or petrol station

    Grammar Note

    The native word is "kasilyas", but it is rarely heard in daily speech. Philippine English has many locally established coinages worth learning as they stand — "CR", "brownout" (power cut), "aircon".

16. Palihug ug usa ka pakete nga sigarilyo

    Pa-li-hug ug u-sa ka pa-ke-te nga si-ga-ril-yo

    A pack of cigarettes, please

    Usage

    Cigarettes sit behind the till, so pointing at the brand is safest. Sales to under-18s are banned and ID may be requested. Sari-sari stores still sell them by the single stick

    Grammar Note

    "Nga" is the linker that joins a modifier to its noun and is central to Cebuano grammar: "usa ka pakete nga sigarilyo" parses as one-pack-of-cigarettes. After a vowel it contracts to "ng".

17. Unsang orasa mosirado?

    Un-sang o-ra-sa mo-si-ra-do?

    What time do you close?

    Usage

    Many 7-Eleven and Ministop branches in Cebu City run 24 hours, but sari-sari stores in the provinces and on the islands close soon after dark. When a typhoon approaches everything shuts, sometimes for days, so stock up early if the weather looks doubtful

    Grammar Note

    "Unsa" (what) takes a linker to become "unsang" before a noun. To ask about opening, say "Unsang orasa moabli?". Both "sirado" and "abli" come from Spanish and are verbalised with the prefix "mo-".

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