Similar to articles, demonstratives has two forms (core and oblique) and two numbers (singular and plural).
In addition, Ilokano has another set, which refers to objects or events not visible to either the speaker or the listener and occurred or existed before the current time frame.
Examples: Ilocano distinguishes the following levels of proximity: kadaytoy kadayta kadaydiay This series refers to objects and events in times other than the present (as opposed to space, physical or mental).
Adverbial forms can set the temporal frame of the clause it introduces and usually corresponds to "when" or "before" referring to the past.
Examples: The demonstrative inton, intono, tono, ton is used with reference to the future (< i- + (n)to "FUT" (+ no "CONJ")).
Examples: Ilocano personal pronouns distinguish three cases: absolutive, ergative and oblique.
Accent marks in the following table are not written, but given here for pronunciation purposes: Examples of independent absolutive personal pronouns: In 1 and 2 above, siak and dakami are the only words in the "topic" slot.
Possessive pronouns consist of either the word bagi /'ba:.gi/ ("share") or kukua ("ownership") and the appropriate ergative enclitic.
To indicate the plural morphologically, the first syllable of the root is reduplicated or a consonant phoneme is geminated.
Plurals formed morphologically, however, have the added nuance of distribution, e.g. babbalasang ("each/every young woman").
kayong, brother-in-law kakayong, brothers-in-law ima, hand im-ima, hands ubing, child ubbing, children lalaki, male lallaki, males Root adjectives do not have any of the common derivational affixes such as a-, ma-, na- or any other derivational affix.
The comparative form is derived by reduplicating the first syllable of the root; for example, 'naud-udi, "(the) later (one in a sequence) < naudi, "last" < udi "rear".
The final -N is the organic nasal of the first consonant of the root (which is lost in the case of stops).
The prefix naka- is added with the reduplication of the first three phonetic segments of the root (e.g. nakabakbaknang, "very wealthy, rich".
The intensive is formed by prefixing nag- to the root (for example, nagbaknang "very wealthy" < baknang "wealth, riches".
Although other word classes in Ilokano are not diverse in forms, verbs are morphologically complex inflecting for grammatical distinctions such as tense/aspect, number and focus.
They have a three-way distinction similar to the demonstratives: proximal, medial and distal, and can be used with nouns to specify location.
In addition, they can replace a noun phrase in the oblique case which concerns location.
They are a combination of kas ("like/as") and the abbreviated determiner forms toy, ta and diay.
Time is told using the Spanish system and numbers for hours and minutes; for example, alas dos (two o'clock).
For dates, cardinal Spanish numbers are the norm; for example, 12 (dose) ti Julio (the twelfth of July).
Two existential particles, adda and awan, are used in Ilokano to express modes of possession and existence.
Adda can combine with the spatial demonstrative adverbs to produce addadtoy, "is/are here"; addadta, "is/are there" and addadiay, "is/are there (yonder)".
In Ilocano, however, the use of the negative saan or di in conjunction with awan results in something absolute.
Saan (and its variant, haan) and di (no, not) occupy the predicate slot of phrases in which they occur.
As a result, personal pronouns and other enclitics will bind to it instead of the word or phrase that saan or di negates.
The following table contains common simple interrogatives: Sino Sinno There are no differences between these; siasino, however, can denote pluratity.