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Chavacano or Chabacano () is a group of Spanish-based creole language varieties spoken in the Philippines. The variety spoken in Zamboanga City, located in the southern Philippine island group of Mindanao, has the highest concentration of speakers. Other currently existing varieties are found in Cavite City and Ternate, located in the Cavite province on the island of Luzon. Chavacano is the only Spanish-based Creole language in Asia. The 2020 Census of Population and Housing counted 106,000 households generally speaking Chavacano.
The one responsible for this Spanish creole was Don Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera, then governor of Panama, who was also responsible for settling Zamboanga City by employing Peruvian soldiers and colonists. There was an Asian-American route, which led to traders and adventurers carrying silver from Peru through Panama to reach Acapulco, Mexico before sailing to Manila, Philippines using the famed .
The different varieties of Chavacano differ in certain aspects like vocabulary but they are generally mutually intelligible by speakers of these varieties, especially between neighboring varieties. While a majority of the lexicon of the different Chavacano varieties derive from Spanish language, their grammatical structures are generally similar to other Philippine languages. Among Philippine languages, it is the only one that is not an Austronesian language, but like Malayo-Polynesian languages, it uses reduplication.
The word is derived from Spanish, roughly meaning "poor taste" or "vulgar", though the term itself carries no negative connotations to contemporary speakers.
| Zamboanga City, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay | 359,000 (Rubino 2008, citing 2000 census)Ethnologue |
| Cavite City, Cavite | 4,000 (2013) |
| Cotabato City, Maguindanao del Norte, South Cotabato | No data |
| Davao Region, Davao City | No data |
| Ternate, Cavite | 3,000 (2013) |
| Ermita, Manila | Extinct |
There are a number of theories on how these different varieties of Chavacano have evolved and how they are related to one another. According to some linguists, Zamboangueño Chavacano is believed to have been influenced by Caviteño Chabacano as evidenced by prominent Zamboangueño families who descended from Spanish Army officers (from Spain and Latin America), primarily Caviteño mestizos, stationed at Fort Pilar in the 19th century. When Caviteño officers recruited workers and technicians from Iloilo to man their sugar plantations and rice fields to reduce the local population's dependence on the Donativo de Zamboanga, the Spanish colonial government levied taxes on the islanders to support the fort's operations. With the subsequent migration of Ilonggo traders to Zamboanga, the Zamboangueño Chavacano was infused with Hiligaynon words as the previous migrant community was assimilated.
Most of what appears to be Bisaya words in Zamboangueño Chavacano are actually Hiligaynon. Although Zamboangueño Chavacano's contact with Bisaya began much earlier when Bisaya soldiers were stationed at Fort Pilar during the Spanish colonial period, it was not until closer to the middle of the 20th century that borrowings from Bisaya accelerated from more migration from the Visayas as well as the current migration from other Visayan-speaking areas of the Zamboanga Peninsula.
Zamboangueño (Chavacano) is spoken in Zamboanga City, Basilan, parts of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, and Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga del Norte. Zamboangueño Chavacano is the most dynamically spoken language of Philippine Creole Spanish. It is used as a lingua franca between both Muslim and Christians in the Southwestern Mindanao and Basilan Islands communities. Its influence has spread to other islands in the west, such as the Jolo Islands, as well as to Cotabato and Davao in Mindanao. The other varieties of Chavacano with Cebuano language as their primary substrate language are the Mindanao-based creoles of which are Castellano Abakay or Chavacano Davaoeño (spoken in some areas of Davao City), influenced by Hokkien Chinese language and Japanese, and divided into two varieties, Castellano Abakay Chino and Castellano Abakay Japón, and Cotabateño (spoken in Cotabato City). Both Cotabateño and Davaoeño are very similar to Zamboangueño.
In contrast with the Luzon-based dialects, the Zamboangueño variety has the most borrowings and/or influence from other Philippine Austronesian languages including Hiligaynon and Tagalog language. Words of Malay language origin are present in the Zamboangueño variety; the latter is included because although not local in Philippines, it was the lingua franca of maritime Southeast Asia and is still spoken in Muslim areas of Mindanao. As the Zamboangueño variety is also spoken by Muslims, the variety has some Arabic language loanwords, most commonly Islamic terms. In spite of this, it's difficult to trace whether these words have their origin in the local population or in Spanish itself, given that Spanish has about 6,000 words of Arabic origin. Chavacano also contains loanwords of Persian language origin which enter Chavacano via Malay and Arabic; both Persian and Spanish are Indo-European languages.
Chavacano speakers are also found in Semporna and elsewhere in Sabah via immigration to Sabah during the Spanish colonial period and via Filipino refugees who escaped from Zamboanga Peninsula and predominantly Muslim areas of Mindanao like Sulu Archipelago.
A small number of Zamboanga's indigenous peoples and of Basilan, such as the Tausugs, the Samal people, and the Yakan people, majority of those people are Sunni Islam, also speak the language. In the close provinces of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi areas, there are Muslim speakers of the Chavacano de Zamboanga, all of them are neighbors of Christians. Speakers of the Chavacano de Zamboanga, both Christians and Muslims, also live in Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur. Christians and Muslims in Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Sultan Kudarat, Cotabato, South Cotabato, Cotabato City, and Saranggani speak Chavacano de Zamboanga. Take note that Zamboanga Peninsula, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-tawi, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Cotabato City, Soccsksargen (region that comprises Sultan Kudarat, Cotabato, South Cotabato, and Saranggani) and Davao Region became part of short-lived Republic of Zamboanga, which chose Chavacano as official language. As a result of Spanish colonization, according to a genetic study written by Maxmilian Larena, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, the Philippine ethnic groups with the highest amount of Spanish/European descent are the Chavacanos, with 4 out of 10 Chavacanos having detectable Spanish descent, followed by Bicolanos, with 1–2 out of 10, while most of the lowland urbanized Christian ethnic groups have some Spanish descent.(Appendix)
The Zamboangueño variety has been constantly evolving especially during half of the past century until the present. Zamboangueño has been experiencing an infusion of English and more Tagalog words and from other languages worldwide in its vocabulary and there have been debates and discussions among older Chavacano speakers, new generation of Chavacano speakers, scholars, linguists, sociologists, historians, and educators regarding its preservation, cultivation, standardization, and its future as a Spanish-based creole. In 2000, The Instituto Cervantes in Manila hosted a conference entitled "Shedding Light on the Chavacano Language" at the Ateneo de Manila University. Starting school year 2012–13, the Zamboangueño variant has also been taught at schools following the implementation of the Department of Education's policy of Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE). It serves as a medium of instruction from kindergarten to grade 3 and as a separate subject (Mother Tongue) from grades 1 to 3.
Because of the grammatical structures, Castilian usage, and archaic Spanish words and phrases that Chavacano (especially Zamboangueño) uses, between speakers of both contemporary Spanish and Chavacano who are uninitiated, both languages appear to be non-intelligible to a large extent. For the initiated speakers, Chavacano can be intelligible to some Spanish speakers, and while most Spanish words can easily be understood by Chavacano speakers, many would struggle to understand a complete Spanish sentence.
During the Spanish colonial period, what is today called Chavacano was also called by the Spanish-speaking population as the " lenguaje de la calle", " lenguaje de parian" (language of the street), or " lenguaje de cocina" (language of the kitchen) to refer to the Chabacano spoken by the people of Manila, particularly in Ermita) to distinguish it from the Spanish language spoken by those of the upper class, which consisted of Spaniards and educated Natives.
Linguists use the term Philippine Creole Spanish which can be further divided into two geographic classifications: Manila Bay Creoles (which includes Ternateño and Caviteño) and Mindanao Creole (including Zamboangueño). The varieties of the language are geographically related. The Manila Bay Creoles have Tagalog as their substrate language while The Mindanao Creoles have Visayan (mostly Cebuano language, Tausug language, and Hiligaynon), Subanon language, and Sama language as their substrate language(s).
Chavacano/Chabacano speakers themselves have different preferences on whether to spell the language with a V or a B. (2025). 9789027291820, J. Benjamins Pub. Co. ISBN 9789027291820 They emphasise the difference between their variety and others using their own geographical location as a point of reference. Language speakers in Ternate also use the term Bahra to refer to their language and their city. Chavacano varieties usually have their area name attached to the language.
In Zamboanga City, most people are using the V in spelling the language as Chavacano. In the three-day Chavacano Orthography Congress held on Nov 19–21, 2014, wherein it included the presentation by researchers on Chavacano, mostly results from surveys conducted among selected respondents in the city, the newly organized Chavacano Orthography Council met with the officials of the Department of Education and agreed among others that the language is to be spelled with the V. Most people in support of this move would like to distance their language Chavacano to the word Chabacano which also means ‘vulgar” in Spanish.
| +Chavacano/Chabacano varieties and alternative names !Location !Geographical area !Alternative names and spellings | ||
| Zamboanga | Mindanao | Chavacano, Zamboangueño, Zamboangueño Chavacano |
| Cavite | Manila Bay | Chabacano de Cavite, Caviteño, Chabacano Caviteño, Linguaje de Niso |
| Basilan | Mindanao | Zamboangueño, Chavacano de Zamboanga |
| Cotabato | Mindanao | Cotabateño, Chavacano Cotabateño |
| Davao | Mindanao | Davaoeño, Chavacano Davaoeño, Castellano Abakay, Davao Chavacano |
| Ermita | Manila Bay | Ermitense, Ermita Chabacano |
| Ternate | Manila Bay | Ternateño, Ternateño Chabacano, Bahra, Linguaje di Bahra |
Prior to the formation of what is today the Philippines, what existed were a collection of various islands and different ethnolinguistic groups inhabiting them. The Spanish colonisation of the Philippine islands had led to the presence of the Spanish language in the islands. Though Spanish was the language of the government, the various languages originating and found in the islands remained the mother tongue of the various inhabitants. Instead of using Spanish to spread Christianity, Spanish missionaries preferred to learn the various local languages. With over 300 years of Spanish colonial rule, the Spanish language came to influence the various Philippine languages to varying degrees by way of aspects like new loanwords and expressions.
Creole languages (such as French-based creoles) have formed at various points in time around the world due to colonialism. As a result of contact between speakers of two mutually non-intelligible languages, creole languages have evolved in some cases to facilitate communication. This usually involves taking the vocabulary of another language and grammatical features of the native language. In contrast to the numerous French-based creole languages, only three creole languages have been found to be Spanish-based or heavily influenced: Papiamento, Palenquero, and Chavacano. In the Philippines, a major difficulty in tracing the development of Chabacano is the confusion attributed to in accounts of travelers to the Philippines between a coherent creole language, `broken Spanish', and fluent Spanish.Lipski, J. M. Chabacano/Spanish and the Philippine linguistic identity. The earliest believed attestation of a coherent creole language spoken in Cavite City comes from the Augustinian priest Martínez de Zúñiga who in his 1803 accounts of his travels in the Philippines, Estadismos de las Islas Filipinas, notes that "In Cavite and in its suburb of San Roque, a very corrupted Spanish is spoken, whose phraseology is entirely taken from the language of the country". Mentions of a vernacular referred to as "kitchen Spanish" and "language of the market" (referring to the Manila variety), or other terms are found in a number of texts of the 19th century. However, the kind of vernacular referred to by these terms are imprecise and these terms may refer to a fully fledged creole or to a Spanish-pidgin spoken by Chinese and Filipino merchants.
The manner of formation of this type of speech found in a number of communities around the Philippines remains unclear today. A sample of what is today called Chabacano may be found in dialogues contained in chapters 18 ( Supercherías) and 28 ( Tatakut) of Filipino writer José Rizal's 1891 work El Filibusterismo.text reproduced by Filipino Scribbles The dialogue found in chapter 18 is:
In the 1883 work of German linguist Hugo Schuchardt Uber das Malaiospanische der Philippinen, he presents fragments of texts and comments of what he calls "Malayo-Spanish". However, the first to give a general study and investigation of the varieties of Chavacano as a group was by Keith Whinnom in his 1956 work The Spanish Contact Vernaculars in the Philippine Islands . Whinnom gives an overall view of the history and grammar of what he calls "Ermitaño" of Ermita in Manila, "Caviteño" of Cavite and "Zamboangueño" of Zamboanga. In it, he also postulates his monogenetic theory on the origin of these vernaculars.
Linguists are unsettled about how these vernaculars formed and how they connect to one another, if any. There are many theories, but the two main theories of the origin of Chavacano are Whinnom's "monogenetic theory" and a "parallel-development" theory proposed by Frake in 1971.
The military authorities decided to import labour from Luzon and the Visayas. Thus, the construction workforce eventually consisted of Spanish, Mexican and Peruvian soldiers, masons from Cavite (who comprised the majority), sacadas from Cebu and Iloilo, and those from the various local tribes of Zamboanga like the Samals and Subanons.
Language differences made it difficult for one ethnic group to communicate with another. To add to this, work instructions were issued in Spanish. The majority of the workers were unschooled and therefore did not understand Spanish but needed to communicate with each other and the Spaniards. A pidgin developed and became a full-fledged creole language still in use today as a lingua franca and/or as an official language, mainly in Zamboanga City.
When the Sultanate of Sulu gave up its territories in Sulu Archipelago to Spain within late 1700s (Sulu Sultanate gave up Basilan to Spain in 1762, while Sulu and Tawi-tawi were not given up by sultanate because the Sulu Sultanate only recognised partial Spanish sovereignty to Sulu and Tawi-tawi), Spanish settlers and soldiers brought the language to the region until Spain, Germany, and United Kingdom signed an agreement named the Madrid Protocol of 1885 that recognised Spanish rule of Sulu Archipelago. Chavacano becomes a lingua franca of Sulu Archipelago (composing of Sulu, Tawi-tawi, Basilan), as these were formerly part of Western Mindanao (presently named Zamboanga Peninsula), only Isabela City (Basilan's capital) remained part of Zamboanga Peninsula; although North Borneo (now Sabah) is not included on the Spanish East Indies area as stated on the Protocol and control by the United Kingdom, Chavacano has still a little impact in Semporna.
From then on, constant Spanish military reinforcements as well as increased presence of Spanish religious and educational institutions have fostered the Spanish creole.
The invasion did not occur as Koxinga fell ill and died. The Merdicas' community eventually integrated into the local population. Today, the location of the community is called Ternate after the island of Ternate in the Moluccas, and the descendants of the Merdicas continue to use their Spanish creole (with Portuguese influence), which has come to be known as Caviteño or Ternateño Chavacano.
| Treinta y cuatro kilometro desde el pueblo de Zamboanga el Bunguiao, un diutay barrio que estaba un desierto. No hay gente quien ta queda aquí antes. Abundante este lugar de maga animales particularmente maga puerco 'e monte, gatorgalla, venao y otro más pa. Solamente maga pajariadores lang ta visitá con este lugar. | El Bunguiao, a treinta y cuatro kilómetros desde el pueblo de Zamboanga, es un pequeño barrio que una vez fue un área salvaje. No había gente que se quedara a vivir ahí. En este lugar había en abundancia animales salvajes tales como cerdos, gatos monteses, venados, y otros más. Este lugar era visitado únicamente por cazadores de pájaros. | Bunguiao, a small village, thirty four kilometers from the city of Zamboanga, was once a wilderness. No people lived here. The place abounded with wild animals such as pigs, wildcats, deer, and still others. The place was visited only by bird hunters. |
The following is a sample of Ermitaño taken from the April 1917 publication of The Philippine Review. The poem was written by the Filipino Spanish-language writer Jesús Balmori (who also wrote other texts in Ermitaño), and it is entitled "Na Maldito Arena":
Ta sumí el sol na fondo del mar, y el mar, callao el boca. Ta jugá con su mana marejadas com'un muchacha nerviosa con su mana pulseras. El viento no mas el que ta alborota, el viento y el pecho de Felisa que ta lleno de sampaguitas na fuera y lleno de suspiros na dentro...
According to Keith Whinnom's "Spanish contact vernaculars in the Philippine Islands" (1956), there were reportedly still an estimated 12,000 speakers in 1942 of Ermitaño. After World War II, much of Manila was destroyed and its citizens displaced. This variety is considered to be virtually extinct.
Puede nisós hablá: que grande nga palá el sacrificio del mga héroes para niso independencia. Debe nga palá no niso ulvida con ilos. Ansina ya ba numa? Debe hací niso mga cosa para dale sabí que ta aprecia niso con el mga héroes. Que preparáo din niso hací sacrificio para el pueblo. ¿Qué laya? ¿Escribí mga novela como José Rizal?
Spanish:
Nosotros podemos decir qué grandes sacrificios ofrecieron nuestros héroes para obtener nuestra independencia. Entonces, no nos olvidemos de ellos. ¿Cómo lo logramos? Necesitamos hacer cosas para que sepan que apreciamos a nuestros héroes; que estamos preparados también a sacrificarnos por el pueblo. ¿Cómo lo haremos? ¿Hay que escribir también novelas como José Rizal?
English:
We can say what great sacrifices our heroes have done to achieve our independence. We should therefore not forget them. How do we do that? We should do things to let it be known that we appreciate the heroes; that we are prepared to make sacrifices for our people. How? Should we write novels like José Rizal?
In the common, colloquial, vulgar or familiar register/sociolect, words of local origin or a mixture of local and Spanish words predominate. The common or familiar register is used ordinarily when conversing with people of equal or lower status in society. It is also used more commonly in the family, with friends and acquaintances. Its use is of general acceptance and usage.
In the formal register/sociolect, words of Spanish origin or Spanish words predominate. The formal register is used especially when conversing with people of higher status in society. It is also used when conversing with elders (especially in the family and with older relatives) and those in authority. It is more commonly used by older generations, by Zamboangueño mestizos, and in the barrios. It is the form used in speeches, education, media, and writing. The formal register used in conversation is sometimes mixed with some degree of colloquial register.
The following examples show a contrast between the usage of formal words and common or familiar words in Chavacano:
| slippery | resbalozo/resbaladizo | malandug | resbaloso/resbaladizo |
| rice | morisqueta | kanon/arroz | morisqueta (understood as a Filipino rice dish)/arroz |
| rain | lluvia/aguacero | aguacero/ulan | lluvia/aguacero |
| dish | vianda/comida | comida/ulam | vianda/comida |
| braggart/boastful | orgulloso(a) | bugalon(a)/ hambuguero(a) | orgulloso(a) |
| car | coche | auto | auto/coche |
| housemaid | muchacho (m)/muchacha (f) | ayudanta (female); ayudante (male) | muchacha(o)/ayudante |
| father | papá (tata) | pápang (tata) | papá (padre) |
| mother | mamá (nana) | mámang (nana) | mamá (madre) |
| grandfather | abuelo | abuelo/lolo | abuelo/lolo |
| grandmother | abuela | abuela/lola | abuela/lela |
| small | chico(a)/pequeño(a) | pequeño(a)/diutay | pequeño/chico |
| nuisance | fastidio | asarante/salawayun | fastidio |
| hard-headed | testarudo | duro cabeza/duro pulso | testarudo/cabeza dura |
| slippers | chancla | chinelas | chancla/chinelas |
| married | de estado/de estao | casado/casao | casado |
| (my) parents | (mis) padres | (mi) tata'y nana | (mis) padres |
| naughty | travieso(a) | guachi/guachinanggo(a) | travieso(a) |
| slide | rezbalasa/deslizar | landug | resbalar/deslizar |
| ugly | feo (masculine)/fea (feminine) | malacara, malacuka | feo(a) |
| rainshower | lluve | talítih | lluvia |
| lightning | rayo | rayo/quirlat | rayo |
| thunder/thunderstorm | trueno | trueno | trueno |
| tornado | tornado/remolino, remulleno | ipo-ipo | tornado/remolino |
| thin (person) | delgado(a)/flaco(a)/chiquito(a) | flaco/flaquit | delgado/flaco/flaquito |
The kind of writing system used to write Chavacano may differ according to the writer of the text. Writing may be written using a Spanish-derived writing system, where all words (including words of local origin) are spelled adhering to basic Spanish orthographic rules; it may also be written "phonetically", similar to the modern orthography of Filipino; another writing style uses a mixture of the two, spelling words based on an etymological approach, using phonetic spelling for words of Filipino origin and Spanish spelling rules for words of Spanish origin.
in Zamboanga, an etymological-based approach was formally recently endorsed by the local city government and this is the system used in public schools as part of the mother-tongue policy of the Department of Education for kindergarten to grade 3. In principle, words of Spanish origin are to be spelled using Spanish rules while Chavacano words of local origin are spelled in the manner according to their origin. Thus, the letter k appear mostly in words of Austronesian origin or in loanwords from other Philippine languages (words such as kame, kita, kanamon, kaninyo).
It is uncommon in modern written works to include the acute accent and the trema in writing except in linguistic or highly formalized texts. Also, the letters ñ and ll are sometimes replaced by ny and ly in informal texts.
a, b, c, ch, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, ll, m, n, ñ, o, p, q, r, rr, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z
| a | jota | ere |
| be | ka | erre |
| ce | ele | ese |
| che | elle | te |
| de | eme | u |
| e | ene | uve |
| efe | eñe | doble u |
| ge | o | equis |
| hache | pe | ye |
| i | cu | zeta zeda |
Other letter combinations include rr (erre), which is pronounced or , and ng, which is pronounced . Another combination was ñg, which was pronounced but is now obsolete and is only written as ng.
Some sounds are not represented in the Chavacano written language. These sounds are mostly in words of Philippine and foreign origin. Furthermore, the pronunciation of some words of Spanish origin have become distorted or Philippinized in modern Chavacano. Some vowels have become allophonized ('e' and 'o' becomes 'i' and 'u' in some words) and some consonants have changed their pronunciation. (i.e. escoger became iscují in informal speech; tiene ; Dios ; Castilla became instead of ).
Glottal stops, as in Filipino languages, are not also indicated (â, ê, î, ô, û). These sounds are mainly found in words of Philippine origin and are only indicated in dictionaries (i.e. jendê = not; olê = again) and when they are, the circumflex accent is used.
Other pronunciation changes in some words of Spanish origin include:
, which are pronounced as in other Spanish dialects when between vowels, are uniformly pronounced as Plosive in Chavacano.
| ae | aye | caé | fall, to fall |
| ai | ay | caido | fallen, fell |
| ao | aow | cuidao | take care, cared |
| ea | eya | patéa | kick, to kick |
| ei | ey | reí | laugh |
| eo | eyo | vídeo | video |
| ia | ya | advertencia | warning, notice |
| ie | ye | cien(to) | one hundred, hundred |
| io | yo | canción | song |
| iu | yu | saciút | to move the hips a little |
| uo | ow | institutuo | institute |
| qu | ke | qué, que | what, that, than |
| gu | strong g | guía | to guide, guide |
| ua | wa | agua | water |
| ue | we | cuento | story |
| ui | wi | cuidá | care, to take care |
| oi | oy | oí | hear, to hear |
The subject always appears after the verb, and in cases where pronominal subjects (such as personal pronouns) are used in sentences, they will never occur before the verb:
Present Tense
Past Tense
Future Tense
The negator hindê can appear before the subject in a subject–verb–object structure to negate the subject rather than the predicate in the present, past, and future tenses:
Present Tense
Past Tense
Future Tense
The negator nunca can appear before the subject in a subject–verb–object structure to strongly negate (or denote impossibility) the subject rather than the predicate in the future tense:
Future Tense
The negator no hay and nunca can also appear before the subject to negate the predicate in a subject–verb–object structure in the past and future tenses respectively. Using nunca before the subject to negate the predicate in a subject–verb–object structure denotes strong negation or impossibility for the subject to perform the action in the future:
Past Tense
Future Tense
Nouns in Chavacano are not always preceded by articles. Without an article, a noun is a generic reference:
Proper names of persons are preceded by the definite article si or the phrase un tal functioning as an indefinite article would:
| the virgin | el virgen | la virgen (accepted) |
| the peace | el paz | la paz (accepted) |
| the sea | el mar | la mar (accepted) |
| the cat | el gato | el gato (la gata is uncommon) |
| the sun | el sol | el sol |
| the moon | el luna | el luna (la luna is uncommon) |
| the view | el vista | la vista (accepted) |
| the tragedy | el tragedia | el tragedia (la tragedia is uncommon) |
| the doctor | el doctor | el doctora (la doctora is uncommon) |
And just like Spanish, Chavacano nouns can have gender but only when referring to persons. However, they are always masculine in the sense (Spanish context) that they are generally preceded by the article 'el'. Places and things are almost always masculine. The -o is dropped in masculine nouns and -a is added to make the noun feminine:
| the teacher | el maestro | el maestra |
| the witch | el burujo | el buruja |
| the engineer | el engeniero | el engeniera |
| the tailor/seamstress | el sastrero | el sastrera |
| the baby | el niño | el niña |
| the priest/nun | el padre/sacerdote | el madre/monja |
| the grandson/granddaughter | el nieto | el nieta |
| the professor | el profesor | el profesora |
| the councilor | el consejal | el consejala |
Not all nouns referring to persons can become feminine nouns. In Chavacano, some names of persons are masculine (because of the preceding article 'el' in Spanish context) but do not end in -o.
All names of animals are always masculine—in Spanish context—preceded by the article 'el'.
Names of places and things can be either masculine or feminine, but they are considered masculine in the Spanish context because the article 'el' always precedes the noun:
There are some Chavacano speakers (especially older Caviteño or Zamboangueño speakers) who would tend to say 'mana' for 'maga'. 'Mana' is accepted and quite common, especially among older speakers, but when in doubt, the modifier 'maga' to pluralize nouns is safer to use.
| the teachers | el maga/mana maestro(s) | el maga/mana maestra(s) |
| the witches | el maga/mana burujo(s) | el maga/mana buruja(s) |
| the engineers | el maga/mana engeniero(s) | el maga/mana engeniera(s) |
| the tailors/seamstresses | el maga/mana sastrero(s) | el maga/mana sastrera(s) |
| the babies | el maga/mana niño(s) | el maga/mana niña(s) |
| the priests/nuns | el maga/mana padre(s) | el maga/mana madre(s) |
| the grandsons/granddaughters | el maga/mana nieto(s) | el maga/mana nieta(s) |
| the professors | el maga/mana professor(es) | el maga/mana profesora(s) |
| the councilors | el maga/mana consejal(es) | el maga/mana consejala(s) |
Again, this rule is not rigid (especially in the Zamboangueño formal mode). The articles 'los' or 'las' do exist sometimes before nouns that are pluralized in the Spanish manner, and their use is quite accepted:
When in doubt, it is always safe to use 'el' and 'maga or mana' to pluralize singular nouns:
In Chavacano, it is common for some nouns to become doubled when pluralized (called Reduplication, a characteristic of the Malayo-Polynesian family of languages):
But note that in some cases, this "reduplication" signifies a difference in meaning. For example, 'el maga bata' means 'the children' but 'el maga bata-bata' means one's followers or subordinates, as is a gang or mob.
In general, the suffixes -s, -as, -os to pluralize nouns in Spanish have also almost disappeared in Chavacano. However, the formation of plural nouns with suffixes ending in -s, -as, and -os are accepted. Basically, the singular form of the noun is retained, and it becomes plural because of the preceding modifier/plural marker 'maga' or 'mana':
Adding the suffix -es to some nouns is quite common and accepted. Nouns ending in -cion can also be pluralized by adding the suffix -es:
However, it is safer to use the general rule (when in doubt) of retaining the singular form of the noun preceded by the modifier/plural marker 'maga' or 'mana':
In contrast to the other varieties of Chavacano, the variety spoken in Zamboanga uses more pronouns derived from a native Philippine language (I.e. Hiligaynon) in addition to Spanish. In Zamboangueño, there are three different levels of usage for certain pronouns depending on the level of familiarity between the speaker and the addressee, the status of both in family and society, or the mood of the speaker and addressee at the particular moment: common, familiar, and formal. The common forms are, particularly in the second and third person plural, derived from Cebuano while most familiar and formal forms are from Spanish. The common forms are used to address a person below or of equal social or family status or to someone is who is acquainted. The common forms are used to regard no formality or courtesy in conversation. Its use can also mean rudeness, impoliteness or offensiveness. The familiar forms are used to address someone of equal social or family status. It indicates courteousness, and is commonly used in public conversations, the broadcast media, and in education. The formal forms are used to address someone older and/or higher in social or family status. It is the form used in writing.
Additionally, Zamboangueño is the only variety of Chavacano which distinguishes between the inclusive we ( kita) – including the person spoken to (the addressee) – and the exclusive we ( kame) – excluding the person spoken to (the addressee) – in the first person plural except in the formal form where nosotros is used for both.
| 1st person singular | yo | yo | yo (Chino, Japón) ako (Chino) | |
| 2nd person singular | evos (common)/(informal) tú (familiar) usted (formal) | vo/bo tu usté | vo/bo usté | usted vos |
| 3rd person singular | él ele | eli | él | |
| 1st person plural | kamé (exclusive/common/familiar) kitá (inclusive/common/familiar) nosotros (formal) | nisos | mijotro mihotro motro | nosotros (Chino, Japón) |
| 2nd person plural | kamó (common) vosotros (familiar) ustedes (formal) | vusos busos | buhotro bujotro ustedi tedi | ustedes vosotros |
| 3rd person plural | silá (common/familiar) ellos (formal) | ilos | lojotro lohotro lotro | ellos |
| 1st person singular | mi mío de mi de mío di mio/di mío | mi mío |
| 2nd person singular | de vos ( common) de tu ( familiar) tuyo ( familiar) de tuyo/di tuyo ( familiar) de usted ( formal) | de tu |
| 3rd person singular | su suyo de su de suyo/di suyo | ese (Chino, Japón) de iya (Chino) |
| 1st person plural | de amón/diamon ( common/familiar) (exclusive) de atón/diaton ( common/familiar) (inclusive) nuestro ( formal) de/di nuestro ( formal) | nuestro |
| 2nd person plural | de iño/di inyo ( common) de vosotros ( familiar) de ustedes ( formal) | vos |
| 3rd person plural | de ila ( common/familiar) de ellos/di ellos ( formal) | de ellos |
Generally, the simple form of the Zamboangueño verb is based upon the infinitive of the Spanish verb, minus the final /r/. For example, continuar, hablar, poner, recibir, and llevar become continuá, hablá, poné, recibí, and llevá with the accent called "acento agudo" on the final syllable.
There are some rare exceptions. Some verbs are not derived from infinitives but from words that are technically Spanish phrases or from other Spanish verbs. For example, dar (give) does not become 'da' but dale (give) (literally in Spanish, to "give it" verb). In this case, dale has nothing to do with the Spanish infinitive dar. The Chavacano brinca (to hop) is from Spanish brincar which means the same thing.
| to sing | cantar | cantá | ya cantá | ta cantá | ay cantá |
| to drink | beber | bebé | ya bebé | ta bebé | ay bebé |
| to sleep | dormir | dormí | ya dormí | ta dormí | ay dormí |
| to ask (of something) | pedir | pedí | ya pedí | ta pedí | ay pedí |
Caviteño uses the words ya, ta, and di plus the simple form of the verb to convey the basic tenses of past tense, present tense, and future tense respectively:
| to sing | cantar | cantá | ya cantá | ta cantá | di cantá |
| to drink | beber | bebé | ya bebé | ta bebé | di bebé |
| to sleep | dormir | dormí | ya dormí | ta dormí | di dormí |
| to ask (of something) | pedir | pedí | ya pedí | ta pedí | di pedí |
While Bahra uses the words a, ta, and di plus the simple form of the verb to convey the basic tenses of past tense, present tense, and future tense respectively:
| to sing | cantar | cantá | a cantá | ta cantá | di cantá |
| to drink | beber | bebé | a bebé | ta bebé | di bebé |
| to sleep | dormir | dormí | a dormí | ta dormí | di dormí |
| to ask (of something) | pedir | pedí | a pedí | ta pedí | di pedí |
| to sing | cantar | cantar | cantó | canta | cantá |
| to drink | beber | beber | bibío | bebe | bebé |
| to sleep | dormir | dormir | durmió | duerme | dormí |
| to ask (of something) | pedir | pedir | pidió | pide | pedí |
| ya cantá ya. | ta cantá pa. / ta canta ya. | ay cantá ya. |
| ya bebé ya. | ta bebé pa. / ta bebe ya. | ay bebé ya. |
| ya dormí ya. | ta dormí pa. / ta dormi ya. | ay dormí ya. |
| ya pedí ya. | ya pedí pa. / ya pedí ya. | ay pedí ya. |
The past perfect exists in Zamboangueño. The words antes (before) and despues (after) can be used between two sentences in the simple past form to show which verb came first. The words antes (before) and despues (after) can also be used between a sentence in the present perfect using ya + verb + ya and another sentence in the simple past tense:
| Ya mirá kame el película antes de ya comprá con el maga chichirías. | We had watched the movie before we bought the snacks. |
| Ya mirá ya kame el película después ya comprá kame con el maga chichirías. | We had watched the movie and then we bought the snacks. |
Zamboangueño Chavacano uses a verb between "hay" and "ya" to denote the future perfect and past perfect respectively:
| Hay mirá ya kame el película si hay llegá vosotros. | We will have watched the movie when you arrive. |
Zamboangueño Chavacano also uses a verb between "ta" and "ya" to denote the present perfect:
| Ta mirá ya kame con el película mientras ta esperá con vosotros. | We are already watching the movie while waiting for you. |
El maga soldao ya mata con el criminal The soldiers killed the criminal.
As illustrated above, active (causative) voice is formed by placing the doer el maga soldao before the verb phrase ya mata and then the object el criminal as indicated by the particle con
Traditionally, Zamboangueño does not have a passive construction of its own.Chabacano de Zamboanga Handbook
On the other hand, some words from the language spoken in Spain have evolved or have acquired totally different meanings in Chavacano. Hence, for Castillian speakers who would encounter Chavacano speakers, some words familiar to them have become false friends. Some examples of false friends are:
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