Sa wala pa

beforeadverbial phrase / time connector

Alternative meanings

beforenprior tonbefore something happensnat an earlier time, depending on context

Pronunciation

sah WAH-lah pah

Root and affixes

Expression formed from sa + wala pa, literally related to “when not yet”.

Variants or conjugations

kaniadto = before / formerly / in the pastnuna = first / before, depending on contextnsa dili pa = before, depending on construction

Related words and expressions

kaniadto = before / formerlynuna = firstnhuman = afternkaron = nownsa wala pa mahitabo = before it happens

Meaning and usage notes

“Sa wala pa” is commonly used for “before” an action. If the idea is “before, in the past”, Cebuano may use “kaniadto”. If the idea is order, “una” can mean first or before.