Kumusta kayo

I am teaching myself Tagalog because I am engaged to a Filipina. Tagalog will be my fifth language, behind English, Lao, Chinese, Thai.

However, I wonder if I can enlist the help of some on this page? I am having a difficult time with the verb conjugation. Could someone brief me on the difference between the certain verb uses. What I mean is

When do I use the "UM" verbs or the "MAG" verbs, etc. Can anyone tell me where I can find a book that explains when I use the different verbs?

I'll give an example: The verb to eat

Kain: I can translate it: KUMAIN......KUMAKAIN........KAKAIN

What is not clear to me is

Why do I use the UM prefix and not "MAG" ? This was never explained to me in any of the books I've read.

WHAT MAKES "aral" A "MAG" VERB and NOT A "UM" verb?


Also, one other question:

Can someone please explain to me the difference between "KITA" and " KA ", when I would use one instead of the other?


Any help would be GREATLY Appreciated.

Maraming Salamat.


Troy

to the first question, it's not um. it just depends on what verb it is. UM is merely what 'sound' right as a "middlefix" (in the language you add pre and suf, but also middle syllabic repitition to manipulate verbs to tell time). UM also applies for lamon, to eat like a glutton, ie lumamon, ate, lumalamon, eating, lalamon, will eat.

but for other verbs ie salita, to speak, becomes nagsalita, spoke, nagsasalita, speaking, and magsasalita, will speak.

it just depends on the verb. sometimes when a verb is also a noun when it is a root word, you use the second rule, more often than not.

but to be honest there isn't a special way to tell which verbs you have to use these rule (there are tons of ways to change the verb beside adding mag in front and putting UM in the middle ie repeating syllables)

it just have to "sound" like it. i thinkt that's the hardest part about learning about the language ( i myself struggled there in japanese)

as for the second question, kita means "from me to you" like mahal kita, love by me speaking about you or more logically "i love you".

ka is you or you are. ie mahal ka, means you are expensive. or minahal ka, you are loved. you are speaking just about the subject, but not necessarily meaning from, the speaker, you or by you.

kita means you are the person involved with the verb to the secondary person.