Kinain

Kinain is a Tagalog verb form derived from the root kain, meaning to eat. It expresses a completed action and is used in the voice that centers the object of the sentence. In English, kinain is commonly translated as “ate” or “was eaten,” depending on the context.

In everyday usage, kinain is used to indicate that someone has eaten something. Examples include: Kinain ko ang mansanas. (I ate the apple.) Kinain niya ang tinapay. (He/She ate the bread.) Kinain ng daga ang biskwit. (The cookies were eaten by the mouse.) The subject can be specified with a pronoun or noun, while the agent of the action can appear in a phrase introduced by ng or be omitted if understood from context.

Kinain is typically the past tense form when the object is the focus of the sentence. The present tense form is kumakain (eating, is eating), and the future form is kakain (will eat). Other related forms reflect voice and aspect, such as kainin (to eat something, with a future/planned sense in some constructions) and kinakain (is being eaten, present progressive). The choice among these forms depends on the intended emphasis, the actor, and the temporal reference.

Etymologically, kinain is part of the broader Tagalog verbal system that marks tense and voice through affixes and stem changes. It is widely used in written and spoken Filipino and often appears in literature, journalism, and everyday conversation. See also kain, kumakain, kakain for related forms.