When to Use Pensaba and Ya Pensa in Chabacano

It may be baffling to some when to use pensaba and when to use ya pensa. I imagine it would be difficult especially for Spanish speakers trying to learn Chabacano. But if you speak Tagalog, here's a tip that will greatly help you understand the difference between these two Chabacano words. The equivalent of pensaba in Tagalog is akala while ya pensa is the same as nagisip. In other words, pensaba is used when assuming that something was a fact and later on (implicitly) finding out otherwise. Meanwhile, ya pensa is used to refer to the literal act of thinking. In some cases, you can use ya pensa instead of pensaba when choosing to empasize the act of thinking. Just like in Tagalog, instead of saying akala ko namatay ka na, you may choose to say inisip ko na namatay ka na. The former might sound more correct, though.

Here are some examples using pensaba and ya pensa:

Chabacano: Pensaba yo muerto ya tu.

English: I thought you died already.

Chabacano: Ya pensa-pensa anay yo.

English: I had to think it over.

Chabacano: Pensaba yo ya sale ya tu.

English: I thought you had left already.

Chabacano: Ya pensa yo hondo.

English: I thought hard about it.