Little words
Small words that go at the end of a phrase or right after the word they work on. They are hard to translate and easy to hear.
01diay
Oh, so... Goes after the word you're reacting to.
Mao diay.
Oh, so that's it. / I see.
Mahal diay ni!
Oh, this is expensive!
Bisaya diay ka?
Oh, you speak Bisaya?
02ra and lang
Just, only. Both soften the sentence. Ra is the more distinctly Bisaya one, and lang is shared with Tagalog.
Just a little.
One of the most recognizable Bisaya phrases. Say it when someone asks if you speak Bisaya: it's clearly Bisaya and not Tagalog, so Cebuanos will recognize it immediately.
Okay ra.
It's fine.
Hulat lang.
Just wait.
Tanaw-tanaw lang ko.
I'm just looking.
03na
Already, now. Something has changed. It attaches to the predicate, so it comes before the short pronoun: Busy na ko.
I'm busy now.
Ulahi na.
It's late now. / It's too late.
Kaon na ka?
Have you eaten yet?
Answer Kaon na ko. (I've eaten) or Wala pa. (not yet).
Dili na.
Not anymore.
04pa
Still, yet, more.
Not yet.
Wala pa ko kaon.
I haven't eaten yet.
Wala pa - it hasn't happened yet.
Dili pa ko mokaon.
I'm not going to eat yet.
Dili pa - not yet, as in not now or not ready.
Dili pa ko busog.
I'm not full yet.
Dili is used with states like busog.
Naa pa bay pangutana?
Any more questions?
05gihapon
Still, anyway, despite something.
Moadto gihapon ko.
I'll still go.
Mokaon lang gihapon ko.
I'll still eat anyway.
06gyud
Really. Also spelled jud.
Dili gyud ko mobakak.
I really never lie.
Swerte jud kaayo.
Really very lucky.
07man
Softens a question.
Nganong guol man ka?
Why are you sad?
08daw
Apparently, they say. Use it to report something you heard.
Ulan daw ugma.
They say it'll rain tomorrow.
09ba
Turns a sentence into a yes or no question.
Lab-as ba ni?
Is this fresh?
Maayo ba?
Is it good? / Was that OK?
Dugay ba nimo?
What's taking you so long?
Heard from a Bisaya speaker. I took it to mean Why are you so slow?