Adverbs
Adverbs describe how something is done. This includes a lot of "ly" words, like quickly, softly, loudly, etc.
Standard Form
Adverbs are connected to verbs with "nga."
"He is running quickly." — "Dasig siya nga nagadalagan." (dasig = fast, dalagan = run)
"The girl is quietly crying." — "Hipos nga nagahibî ang babaye." (hipos = quiet, babaye = girl)
"Spencer worked slowly." — "Hinay nga nagobra Si Spencer." (hinay = slow, obra = work)
The standard format is used in everyday conversation.
Note: Pronouns, like "siya," can sneak between the adverb and the verb, like in the example above. "Nga" is still needed before the verb.
Time & Location Adverbs: When/Where It's Done
Time and location adverbs include words like: now, later, here, there, at home, next month, etc.
"Nga" is not needed to connect this type of adverb. These sentences are very flexible in order.
"We will sit here." (pungkot = sit, diri = here)
"Diri kami magpungkot."
"Magpungkot kami diri."
"We will leave later this afternoon." (lakat = leave, karon = later, hapon = afternoon)
"Karon sa hapon maglakat kami."
"Maglakat kami karon sa hapon."
Formal Form
To be more formal, you can put the adverb after the verb, then connect it with "sing."
"He is running quickly." — "Nagadalagan siya sing madasig."
"We sang loudly." — "Nagkanta kami sing mabaskog." (kanta = sing, mabaskog = strong/firm)
"The pillar stood firmly." — "Nagtindog ang haligi sing mabaskog." (tindog = stand)
(Also, because it's more formal, we can include the "ma" prefix before the adjective.)
Standalone Adverbs
A different format is used when a sentence starts with an adverb, i.e. "Finally, we arrived..." or "Sadly, we've gotten lost." In these sentences, we add "sa" in front of the adverb.
"Suddenly, the cat jumped." — "Sa hinalî, naglumpat ang koring." (hinalî = sudden, lumpat = jump, koring = cat)
"Again, I will explain..." — "Sa liwat, isaysay ko..." (liwat = again, saysay = explain)
"Sadly... — "Sa masubo..." (subô = sad)
"Finally... — "Sa katapusan..." (katapusan = end)
"Truthfully... — "Sa pagkamatuod..." (pagkamatuod = truthfulness)
"Honestly... — "Sa tuod..." (tuod = true)