Questions 2

Non-Question Sentences

Question words can be used in non-question sentences, e.g. "I don't know where my socks are." In these cases, you need to add the word kon before the question word.

Examples:

"I don't know where my socks are." — "Walâ ko kabalo kon diin ang medyas ko." (socks = medyas)
"I will learn how to fly." — "Magtuon ko kon paano nga maglupad." (learn = tuon; fly = lupad)

Bisan

You can turn "what" into "whatever," "where" into "wherever," etc. by adding the word bisan.

Examples:

"They are happy in any circumstances." — "Malipayon sila sa bisan ano nga kahimtangan." (happy = malipayon; circumstances = kahimtangan)

"Bisan" is used indifferently, as in it doesn't really matter who, what, when, etc. To be more exclusive about who, what, when, etc, you would use "kon" instead of "bisan."

Kon

To narrow down a specific thing or circumstance, you would use kon + question word. It's similar to bisan + question word, but there is a subtle difference. To demonstrate:

"The dog will eat anything." ← use Bisan ano - Because the sentence isn't about any particular food.
"The dog will eat anything you feed him." use Kon ano - Because it's narrowed down to just the food you feed the dog.

"Whenever there is food, I eat." ← Bisan san-o - Because there isn't any particular time in mind.
"Whenever he returns, I will speak to him." ← Kon san-o - This is referring to a specific event (though the time is still unknown).

"Wherever there is a party, there is music." ← Bisan diin - This doesn't refer to a specific location.
"Wherever you hold tomorrow's meeting, it should be indoors." ← Kon diin - It's going to be one specific location (though that location is still unknown).

"Those of you who are going to Iloilo..." — "Ang kon sin-o nga magkadto sa Iloilo...
"Whoever is going to Iloilo..." — "Ang kon sin-o nga magkadto sa Iloilo..."
"Anyone can come to Iloilo." — "Ang bisan sin-o makakadto sa Iloilo."
The first two examples referred to a limited, specific group of people. The third example was open to any person.

There is overlap between the two methods, and there will be times where either "kon" or "bisan" could be acceptable. This is just a general rule to give you a starting place.

However: Measurement / Intensity

For measurements and statements of intensity, there's a specific way to use Bisan. To say, "however tall," "however difficult," "however big," "however serious," etc, you would say "Bisan ano ka" + Adjective.

"However spicy it is, I'll eat it anyway." — "Bisan ano ka kahang, kaonon ko gihapon." (spicy = kahang, eat = kaon, anyway = gihapon) "However heavy..." — "Bisan ano ka bug-at..." (heavy = bug-at)
"However difficult..." — "Bisan ano ka budlay..." (difficult = budlay)

How: Statements

In more formal speech, sometimes "how" is used as a statement, rather than a question. e.g. "How neat it is to be with you." For that usage, you would say, "Daw ano ka" + Adjective.

"How great is the power of God." — "Daw ano ka dako ang gahum sang Dios." (large/great = dako, power = gahum, God = Dios)
"How beautiful are the flowers of the field." — "Daw ano ka tahum ang mga bulak sang patag." (beautiful = tahum, flower = bulak, field = patag)

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