Pronouns

UD00102
Veronica P. Atin
 • Focus pronouns refer to the pronoun that is
used as an actor (“subject”) in a sentence. It is
always the emphasis in that sentence. This
pronoun is mostly found in an Actor Voice (AV)
Sentence or Stative Sentence. In an AV
sentence, there are two participants: the Actor
FOCUS and the Undergoer (“object”). The emphasis is
the Actor.
PRONOUN
E.g:
1. Mangakan oku (focus) do punti
I am eating a banana
2. Orohian oku (focus) do wotik do otomou.
I like the colour green.
Focus Pronouns
KD English
• Oku • I
• Ko • You
• Kou • You all
• Iyolo • They
• Kito • We (kita: speaker + another person)
• Iyahai/ikoi • We (kami: speaker + more than 1 person NOT including the listener)
• Itokou • We (Kita semua: more than 2 people INCLUDING the listener)
• Iyau • She
• Isio • He
Exercise: Write the correct focus pronoun based on
the English meaning.
1. We (kami) are cooking. 1. Magansak ____________
2. They sleep. 2. Modop _____________
3. He sings. 3. Suminding ___________
4. They are going to KL tomorrow. 4. Mongoi _____ id KL do suab
5. She likes to dance. 5. Asanangan ___ do sumayau
6. We go to school together. 6. Miandad ___ do mongoi sikul
7. You are bigger than him. 7. Agayo ____ ko’ isio
8. We all go to school together. 8. Mogiaandad ______ do
mongoi sikul.
 • A topic pronoun refers to a pronoun that is
used as a topic in a sentence. When a
topic pronoun is used, the linker “nopo nga”
which is equal to the Malay “ialah/adalah”
or “be- verbs in English (is, are, am)”, or o/i
which functions like the Malay “yang” is
used in that sentence
Topic Pronoun E.g:
1. Iyoho o mangakan do punti.
I am eating a banana.
2. Iyahai nopo nga mongingia.
We are teachers.
Topic Pronouns
*notice that some of the pronouns are similar to focus pronouns

KD English
• Iyoku • I
• Ika • You
• Ikoyu • You all
• Iyolo • They
• Iyato • We (kita: speaker + another person)
• Iyahai/ikoi • We (kami: speaker + more than 1 person NOT including the listener)
• Itokou • We (Kita semua: more than 2 people INCLUDING the listener)
• Iyau • She
• Isio • He
Exercise: Write the correct topic pronoun based on
the English meaning.
1. We (kami) are the ones who
cook
2. They are the ones who sleep
3. He is the one who sings
4. They are the ones going to KL
tomorrow
5. She is the one who likes to
dance
6. We are from Sabah
7. You are bigger than him
1. ____________ o magansak
2. _____________ o modop
3. _________ o suminding
4. _____ o mongoi id KL do suab
5. _____ i asanangan do
sumayau
6. ______ nopo nga mantad id
Sabah
7. ____ nopo nga agayo ko’ isio
 • A non-Focus pronoun is used a secondary
focus in sentences. Secondary focus means
not the emphasis in a sentence. This
pronoun is mostly found in an Undergoer
Voice (UV) sentence. In a UV sentence
there are two participants, the Actor and
Non- focus the Undergoer. The Undergoer is the
Pronoun emphasis in the sentence.
E.g
1. Akanon ku (non-focus) i punti (focus)
I am eating a banana (focus)
Non-focus Pronouns
KD English
• ku • I
• nu • You
• dokoyu/dikoyu • You all
• diolo • They
• to • We (kita: speaker + another person)
• dahai • We (kami: speaker + more than 1 person NOT including the
listener)
• dotokou/tokou
• We (Kita semua: more than 2 people INCLUDING the listener)
• dau
• She
• disio
• He
Exercise: Write the correct non-focus pronoun based
on the English meaning.
1. We (kami) are cooking a fish 1. Ansakon __________ o sada.
2. He sings “Tanak Kampung” 2. Sindingon _____ i “Tanak
Kampung”
3. She sells the vegetables 3. Pobolion ___ o kinotuan
4. They are slaughtering a 4. Koroton ______ o manuk
chicken 5. Tonomon _____ o guas do
5. He plants a banana tree punti
  A topic-possesive pronoun is the topic (in
the beginning or at the end) of a sentence
and used as a possesser (to show
ownership/belonging).
Topic-
E.g
possesive
1. Doho diti punti.
Pronoun
This is a banana of mine.
2. Ilo nopo punti nga doho.
That banana is mine.
Topic-possesive Pronouns
KD English
• doho • mine
• diya’ • yours
• dokoyu/dikoyu/diu • yours (plural)
• diolo • theirs
• dato • ours(kita: speaker + another person)
• dahai • ours (kami: speaker + more than 1 person NOT including the listener)
• dotokou/tokou • ours (speaker + more than 1 person including the listener)
• dau • hers
• disio • his
Exercise: Write the correct topic-possessive pronoun
based on the English meaning.
1. The fish is ours.
2. The song is his.
3. Those are vegetables of mine.
4. That is a house of hers.
5. The child is ours.
1. __________ di sada.
2.a) Ilo nopo sinding nga ____.
2.b) ____ dilo sinding.
3.a) Ilo nopo kinotuan nga ____.
3.b) _____ dilo kinotuan.
4. Ilo nopo walai nga______
5. _____ dilo tanak.
 • A possesive pronoun is the form that is used
to show that a specific person/people or
thing/things belongs to a person/people/
an animal/animals or something.
Possesive E.g
Pronoun 1. Punti ku iti.
This is my banana
2. Walai diolo iri.
That is their house
Possesive Pronouns
KD English
• ku • my
• nu • your
• diu/dokoyu/dikoyu • your (more than two people)
• diolo • their
• to • our(kita: speaker + another person)
• dahai • our (kami: speaker + more than 1 person NOT including the listener)
• tokou • our (kita: speaker +more than 1 person including the listener)
• dau • her
• disio • his
Exercise: Write the correct possessive pronoun
based on the English meaning.
1. That is our fish.
2. It is his song.
3. Those are my vegetables.
4. That is her big house.
5. Hannah is our child.
6. Those are our (yours and
mine) books.
7. The car is ours (kita semua
including the listener)
1. Ilo nopo nga sada____.
2. Ilo nopo nga sinding ____.
3. Iti nopo nga kinotuan _____.
4. Ilo nopo walai nga______
5. I Hannah nopo nga tanak____.
6. Ilo nopo nga buuk ______.
7. Iri nopo nga korita _______.
Write a sentence each for the following pronouns.
What type of pronouns are they?
1. nu 1.
2. diya
3. iyato
4. disio
5. ku
6. iyahai
7. tokou
8. ika