Learning a few basic phrases and words in Tagalog (Filipino) could save your life or at least make your vacation or life in the Philippines a whole lot easier. It can also be useful for talking to your Filipino friends and other people from other countries. For those who want to learn it, it is not difficult to study this language. In this article, you will learn some common phrases and words in Filipino.
Steps
Step 1. Learn some common words
- Thanks: salamat po
- My name is: ang pangalan ko ay (name)
- Good morning (in the morning): magandáng umaga
- Good afternoon: magandáng hapon
- Good evening: magandáng gabí
- Goodbye (informal): paalam
- Thank you very much: maraming salamat [pô]
- Welcome: waláng anumán
Step 2. Yes:
oo
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Food: pagkain
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Water: tubig
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Rice: kanin
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Delicious: masaráp
Speak Tagalog Step 2Bullet4 - Nice: maganda
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Ugly: pangit
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Sympathetic: mabaít
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Help: tulong
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Useful: matulungín
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Dirty: marumí
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Clean: malinis
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Respect: paggalang
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Respectful: magalang
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I love you: mahál kitá
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Mother: iná
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Father: amá
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Sister (older): ate
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Brother (older): kuyà
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Younger brothers / sisters: lunsô
Speak Tagalog Step 2Bullet18 - Grandmother: lola
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Grandfather: lolo
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Uncle: tito
Speak Tagalog Step 2Bullet22 - Aunt: tita
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Nephew (male and female): pamangkín
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Cousin: pinsan
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Step 3. Some common phrases:
- I'm hungry: gutóm na ako
- Give me something to eat, please: pakibigyán niyo po ako ng pagkain.
- The food was great: masaráp ang pagkain.
Step 4. Have a conversation
- Where is the toilet ?: nasaán ang banyo?
- Yes: oo / opo.
- No: hindi / hindi po.
- Are you okay ?: ayos ka lang ba?
- How are you ?: kumusta ka na?
- I'm fine: ayos lang.
- How much does it cost ?: magkano ba ito?
Step 5. Some animals:
- Dog: aso
- Puppy: tutà
- Cat: pusà
- Fish: isdâ
- Cow: báka
- Buffalo: kalabáw
- Chicken: manók
- Monkey: unggóy
Step 6. Count from 1 to 10:
- 1: isá
- 2: dalawá
- 3: tatló
- 4: apat
- 5: limá
- 6: anim
- 7: pitó
- 8: waló
- 9: siyám
- 10: sampû
Advice
- Learning Tagalog isn't difficult and takes a lot less effort than you might think, so go and start learning now!
- Spend time with your friends or hosts to practice Filipino-Tagalog! It can be embarrassing at first but talking constantly every day will improve your knowledge of the language.
- Learning Tagalog is easy for Spanish or English speakers due to the Spanish and American influence dating back to colonial times in Philippine history.
- You say opo / po, which are respectful and formal variants of "yes", when you talk to people who are socially superior to you, such as older people, the boss or a teacher, the president, royalty or the pope. The use of the simple form oo to say "yes" is reserved for peers, people younger than you or those of a lower social level.
- Although many Filipinos speak English, they generally appreciate and welcome anyone who makes an effort to speak Tagalog. They will not hesitate to help a foreigner trying to learn the correct language and pronunciation and to teach new words to add to the learner's vocabulary.
- While Tagalog is simple and fun, be aware that conjunctions and verbal conjugations are difficult.
- Some words are very long, for example kinakatakutan (scary) but don't worry. Take some time to learn the alphabet, pronunciation and accent. Remember that even some Filipinos mispronounce certain words.
- Try to watch television in the Tagalog language to hear the spoken language; enabling subtitles can better render the sense and certain nuances of sentences or words that are said.
- In Filipino, vowels are pronounced as in Italian.
