“KO” “Ko” is the possessive pronoun “my/mine” and is also used to mean, “by me”. It is “akin+g” when placed immediately before the object owned or action done and becomes “ko” when placed immediately after. Ito ang AKING bahay. = Ito ang bahay KO. = This is my house. AKING bahay ito. = Bahay KO ito. = This is my house/This house is mine. Ang bahay na ito ay AKIN. = AKIN ang bahay na ito. = This house is mine. (“Akin”, the regular form of the word, i.e., without “g”, is used here because it is not immediately before nor immediately after the object owned (bahay)). Si Jose ay AKING kaibigan. = Si Jose ay kaibigan KO. = Jose is my friend. AKING kaibigan si Jose. = Kaibigan KO si Jose. = Jose is a friend of mine/Jose is my friend. Ang libro ay AKING binasa. = Ang libro ay binasa KO. = The book was read by me/I read the book. AKING binasa ang libro. = Binasa KO ang libro. = I read the book.

A Tagalog sentence may be stated in either the subject-predicate order or the predicate-subject order. The subject-predicate form would normally have the “ay” word in it. This “ay” was considered in the past as the equivalent of the “is/are/was/were” in English, but since it is not needed when a sentence takes the predicate-subject form, it is now considered as simply a linker between the subject and the predicate. In daily conversations, the predicate-subject order seems to be more commonly used than the other. “KA” “Ikaw” is “you” (singular) when it is used as the subject in the subject-predicate sentence order: IKAW ay matalino. = You are intelligent. IKAW ba ay kumain na? = Have you eaten already? This subject, “ikaw” becomes “ka” when it is used in the predicate-subject order. That is, “ikaw” becomes “ka” when it is placed after the predicate. Matalino KA. = You are intelligent. Kumain KA na ba? = Have you eaten already? In interrogative sentences, “ka” usually follows the question word. Sino KA? = Who are you? Saan KA pupunta? = Where are you going? Bakit KA malungkot? = Why are you sad? Bakit IKAW ang malungkot? = Why is it you who is sad? (Here, “ikaw” is used because the question is about the subject and not the predicate.)