Filipino is the national language of the Philippines. More or less the standard version of Tagalog (which in turn belongs to the same family of languages as the Malay language and is influenced by Sanskrit, Arabic, Spanish, and English), Filipino is spoken by about 90 million people worldwide. Due to European influence in the Philippines, Filipino is one of the few languages in East Asia to use the Latin alphabet, others countries in the region that have languages using the same alphabet include Vietnam, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, East Timor, Malaysia as well as the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau in China. Baybayin, the pre-colonial writing system is usually taught in schools but not commonly used in everyday life though the use of the script is growing in popularity and efforts are being made to revive it.
The main difference with its grammar is that it is not word-order transitive like English. For example, the sentence Jill gives the book to Tom in Tagalog can't tell who is giving to whom without the personal markers si and ni. If an actor focus verb is used, Jill becomes si Jill (the subject), and Tom becomes ni Tom (the object). If a non-actor focus verb is used, then si and ni are reversed. This works something like active and passive voice in English, but neither form would seem passive in Tagalog.
People learning Filipino should take note that translations for the to be verbs, such as am, are, is may be confusing. This can be overcome in one of several ways:
Use "ay" or "ay mga"
This is may or may not be a verb depending on each person, but means "is equal to" but some Filipinos may consider this as a linking verb. Use "ay" for before singular nouns and use "ay mga" to indicate noun plurality.
Use "may" or "may mga"
This is a verb which can mean "there is/are" or "has/have" (beginning of sentence only). Use "may" for before singular nouns and use "may mga" to indicate noun plurality.
Skip it
Where not absolutely needed for meaning, it can be omitted--even though this sounds awful in English. Sino siya? literally who he? (or who she?)
The good news regarding word order in Filipino is that you can juggle the words just about any which way and still be understood (assuming the personal markers are attached to the correct person). Also, it's easy to substitute similar words within simple sentences like those found in this phrasebook. However, the bad news is that proper word order has a steep learning curve and can be affected even by the number of syllables. Also, Filipino is notorious for its large number of complicated verb forms which require several words in English.
The vast majority of Filipinos are either bilingual (Filipino and English) or trilingual (Filipino, English, and the native language of the speaker). English is one of the official languages of the Philippines and is overwhelmingly used as the main language of government, commerce, and education. Filipinos use Philippine English, an English dialect based largely on American English, though it might be spoken with a distinct accent and it contains certain colloquialisms and slang unique to it (e.g. the most common word for "toilet" or "bathroom" in the Philippines is the Philippine English "comfort room", usually shortened to the initials "CR").
Code-switching is also common in everyday speech, with most conversations incorporating both English and Filipino to a certain extent. Some English words are even used exclusively when the Filipino equivalent is nonexistent (e.g. "mall", "computer", "internet", "highway", "hotel", and "taxi"). If you are having trouble finding the correct word or phrase in Filipino, don't hesitate to switch to English. For example: instead of saying "Saan ang labasan?" (Where is the exit?), you can say either "Saan ang exit?" or "Where is the labasan".
Abbreviation (ng and mga)
Two very common words are always abbreviated:
ng
pronounced nang, genitive marker like English "of" Republika ng Pilipinas → Republic of the Philippines
mga
pronounced mangá, plural marker like English "-s" mga magulang → parents
Although Filipino words may seem long and tongue-twisting at first, pronunciation is easier than in many other languages. Long words are almost always based on smaller root words. The only foreign sound is an initial ng on a few words such as ngiti (smile). Unlike its neighboring languages (e.g. Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese) Filipino is not tonal. However, stressing the wrong syllable can often change the meaning of a word. Only very rarely does this occur in English (such as desert/dessert). Meanings in such cases can be closely related such as buhay (alive or life) or totally unrelated such as hapon (afternoon or Japan). You have also the use of the glottal stop, which makes a pause between two vowels. The glottal stop is used much in Filipino language. A space will be provided for the glottal stop.
like 'h' in "help" (this letter must be pronounced in Filipino even if it is often silent in some English dialects)
l
like 'l' in "love"
m
like 'm' in "mother"
n
like 'n' in "nice"
ng
like 'ng' in "fang", but pronounced 'nang' as a stand-alone word (though most English-speakers might classify is as two letters, it is considered as a single letter in Filipino as well as in other Asian languages)
p
like 'p' in "pig"
s
like 's' in "sun", like 'z' in "haze"
t
like 't' in "top"
w
like 'w' in "weight"
y
like 'y' in "yes", like 'ie' in "pie", like 'ee' in "flee"
These are pronounced differently from English.
c
like 's' in "supper", 'k' in "kid"
f
like 'f' in "fine"
j
like 'dg' in "edge", 'h' in "ham"
ñ
like 'ny' in "canyon"
q
like 'q' in "quest" (almost always with 'u')
r
like 'dd' in "ladder" (North American/Australian English)
v
like 'v' in "victory"
x
like 'cks' in "kicks", like 'z' in "haze" (at beginning of a word)
Two ways to state yes and no: In Tagalog, the question "Are you married?" is answered very differently from the question "Do you have children?" The key is the word "have" in the second question. Questions with "is/are there?" are also answered in this second way.
oo (opo)
Yes, I'm married.
hindi (po)
No, I'm not married.
mayroon (po)
Yes, I have children.
wala (po)
No, I don't have children.
Negative tag questions are answered in the opposite way compared to English
Are you not married?
Hindi (No, I am married.)
Oo (Yes, I am not married.)
In a full and complete sentence, "mayroon" can be shortened to may (sounds like English "my"). Most often this means have/has/there are rather than a direct yes.
May mga bata sa paaralan.
There are kids in the school.
May barya ka ba para sa piso?
Do you have change for a peso?
Add po at (or near) the end of a sentence or question to make it formal and polite. An exception is after an interrogative word, po immediately follows. Sino po siya? Who is he/she? (formal) It is important to note that "opo" (po) and "oho" (ho) are used only to be polite to one's elders.Ho (not used in this phrasebook) is a dialectal version of po and can virtually always be interchanged with it. Although its use is very limited in Manila and the Northern Katagalugan (The Tagalog Homeland), many people use it in Southern Luzon, especially in Batangas, Cavite and Laguna. Po (or Ho) and Opo (or Oho) is most commonly heard to show respect to elders or superiors. Po (and ho) are incompatible with ka and ikaw (use kayo) and with mo (use nila).
Yes (logical)
Oo (OH oh) (informal) Opo (OH-poh) (formal)
No (logical)
Hindi (HEEN-dee) (informal) Hindi po (HEEN-dee poh) (formal)
Yes (to have or there are some)
Mayroon (MAI-roh ohn) (informal, also 'Meron') Mayroon po (MAI-roh ohn poh) (formal)
No (to not have or there is none)
Wala (WAH-lah) (informal) Wala po (WAH-lah poh) (formal)
I don't know
Hindi ko alam. (HEEN-dee koh AH-lahm) or Di ko alam. (Dee koh AH-lahm)(informal) Aywan Ko (AI-Wahn Koh) (normal) Hindi ko po alam. (HEEN-dee koh poh AH-lahm) (formal)
Mabuti (mah-BOO-tee) Mabuti po (mah-BOO-tee poh) (formal)
What is your name?
Anong pangalan mo? (AH-nohng pahn-GAH-lahn moh?) (informal) Ano po ang pangalan ninyo? (AH-noh poh ahng pahn-GAH-lahn nee-NYO?) (formal)
My name is ______ .
Ang pangalan ko ay _______. (ahng pahn-GAH-lahn koh eye___)
Note: As shown above, markers (Si / Ni / Kay) are mandatory before a person's name--no exceptions (other than one word answers, and after ay)
"I'm John" Ako si John.
"John's" or "by John" (ownership/authorship) kay John. (for the first one) and ni John. (for the second)
"Who does this belong to?" may be answered with either "It is John's" "Kay John" or "John's bag" Bag ni John.
Nice/pleased to meet you.
Ikinagagalak kong makilala ka. (ee-kee-nah-gah-GAH-lahk kohg mah-kee-LAH-lah kah) Ikinagagalak ko po kayong makilala. (ee-kee-nah-gah-GAH-lahk koh poh KAH-yohng mah-kee-LAH-lah) (formal)
Please.
Tabi (po). ('TAH-bee (poh))
Thank you.
Salamat (sah-LAH-maht) (informal) Salamat po (sah-LAH-maht poh) (formal)
Thank you very much
Maraming salamat (mah-RAH-meeng sah-LAH-maht)(informal) Maraming salamat po (mah-RAH-meeng sah-LAH-maht poh)(formal)
You're welcome.
Walang anuman. (WAH-lahng ah-NOO-mahn) or Wala 'yun. (WAH-lah yoon)(literally It is nothing. or No problem.)
Take care.
Ingat! (ee-NGAHT!)
How old are you?
Ilang taon ka na? (EE-lahng TAH ohn kah nah?)
Where are you from?
Taga-saan ka? (tah-GAH sah AHN kah?)
Where do you live?
Saan ka nakatira? (sah AHN kah nah-kah-tee-RAH?)
Where have you been?
Saan ka galing? (sah AHN kah gah-LEENG?) (often used rhetorically)
Where are you going?
Saan ka pupunta? (sah AHN kah poo-poon-TAH?)
Can you accompany me to _____?
Pwede mo ba akong samahan sa _____? (pweh-DEH moh bah ah-KOHNG sah-mah-HAHN sah___?)
Can you take me to_____?
Pwede mo ba akong dalhin sa_____? (PWEH-deh moh bah AH-kohng DAHL-heen sah____?)
What is your work?
Anong trabaho mo? (ah-NOHNG trah-bah-HOH moh?)
What are you doing?
Ano ang ginagawa mo? (ano ang ge-nah-gah-WAH mo)
Where do you go to school?
Saan ka nag-aaral? (sah-AHN kah nahg-ah-ah-RAHL?)
Excuse me. (getting attention)
Excuse me. (ehkz-KYOOZ mee) Mawalang galang na po. (Mah-wah-lang GAH-lung nah poh)
May I____ ? (To ask for permission)
Maaari po bang____? (mah ah AH-ree____?)
I'm sorry.
Paumanhin. (pah oo-MAHN-heen) or Patawad. (pah-TAH-wad) (the usually say Sorry)
Goodbye
Paalam. (pah AH-lahm)
Goodbye (informal)
Bye. (BAH-ee)
I can't speak (insert name of language) [well].
Hindi ako marunong mag-(insert name of language)[mabuti]. (HEEN-dee AH-koh mah-ROO-nohng mahg (insert name of language) [mah-BOO-tee])
Nakakaintindi ka ba ng Ingles? (nah-kah-kah-een-TEEN-dee kah bah nahng een-GLEHS?)
Do you speak English?
Marunong ka ba mag-Ingles?/Nakapagsasalita ka ba ng Ingles? (mah-ROO-nohng kah bah mahg-een-GLEHS?/nah-kah-pahg-sah-SAH-lee-tah kah bah nahng een-GLEHS?)
Yes, I speak/understand a little.
Oo, kaunti lang. (OH-oh, kah-OON-tee lahng)
I don't understand Tagalog.
Hindi ako nakakaintindi ng Tagalog. (heen-DEE AH-koh nah-kah-kah-een-TEEN-dee nahng tah-GAH-lohg)
Is there someone here who speaks English?
Meron ba ditong marunong mag-Ingles? (MEH-rohn bah DEE-tohng mah-ROO-nohng mahg-een-GLEHS?)
Like English, there is no gender assigned to common nouns, including those of Spanish origin. The only exception is Spanish-origin words refering to a type of person or occupation. But even here, the article (ang, ng, etc.) is gender neutral. Example: Ang abogado/a The lawyer or attorney (m/f). Ironically, Tagalog-origin words can even be more gender-neutral than English. Example: kapatid brother or sister.
For plurals, add mga immediately before the noun. Example: Mga hayop Animals. Adding s does not make anything plural and is sometimes done on Spanish nouns regardless of whether the topic is plural or not. Example: mansanas apple; mga mansanas apples (from Spanish manzana).
One point of confusion is the word Filipinas. It can mean either The Philippines (the country) or a group of Philippine females.
Girl/Female
Babae (bah-BAH eh)
Boy/Male
Lalaki (lah-LAH-kee or also pronounced as lah-LAH-keh)
Animal
Hayop (HAH-yohp)
Place
Lugar (LOO-gahr)
Name
Pangalan (pah-NGAH-lahn)
Nickname
Palayaw (pah-LAH-yao)
Surname
Apelyido (ah-pehl-YEE-doh)
Address
Tirahan (tee-RAH-hahn)
Age
Edad (EH-dahd)
Sex/Gender
Kasarian (kah-sah-REE-ahn)
School
Paaralan (pah ah-RAH-lahn)
Variety Store
Tindahan (teen-DAH-hahn)
Birthday
Kaarawan (kah ah-RAH-wahn)
Birthdate
Kapanganakan (kah-PAH-ngah-NAH-kahn)
Child
Anak (AH-nahk)(refers to son/daugther)/Bata (BAH-tah) (refers to young child)
Separate adjectives are sometimes used to describe things and people (e.g. tall building, tall person). Adjectives without a noun are often ended with the article na, which roughly translates as "already" or "now." This is usually dropped when translating back into English. Madumi na. [It's] dirty (now/already). In Tagalog, an article such as na or pa is required when no noun follows the adjective. Na is a bit more immediate (i.e. shorter time than expected) than pa, but both have similar usage.
Many nouns can become adjectives by adding the prefix Ma, such as Dumi (dirt) becoming Madumi (dirty).
Adjective-noun pairs must be linked. Na (not the same na as above) is used if the adjective ends in a constant, and ng is used if it ends in a vowel. Magandang babae (beautiful girl). Malinis na kusina (clean kitchen).
siyam na raan (SEE-yahm sahn-DAH-ahn), siyam na raang piso(for currency)
1000
isang libo (EE-sahng LEE-boh), isang libong piso(for currency)
2000
dalawang libo (dah-LAH-wahng LEE-boh), dalawang daang piso(for currency)
1,000,000
isang milyon (EE-sahng MEE-lyohn), isang milyong piso(for currency)
1,000,000,000
isang libong milyon (EE-sahng LEE-bohng MEE-lyohn) for British English, isang bilyon (EE-sahng BEE-lyohn) for American English, isang bilyong (for currency)
1,000,000,000,000
isang bilyon (EE-sahng BEE-lyohn) for British English, isang trilyon (EE-sahng TREE-lyohn) for American English
number _____ (train, bus, etc.)
bilang _____ (BEE-lang) : numero _____ (noo-MEH-roh) (usually with a Spanish number, e.g. numero uno, (noo-MEH-roh OO-noh) number one)
A vowel ending number must be suffixed with "-ng" while consonant-ending numbers must be followed by "na", e.g. isaNG minuto (one minute) or apat NA minuto (four minutes).
_____ second(s)
_____ segundo (seh-GOON-doh)
_____ minute(s)
_____ minuto (mee-NOO-toh)
_____ hour(s)
_____oras (OH-rahs)
_____ day(s)
_____araw (AH-row)
_____ week(s)
_____ linggo (LEENG-goh)
_____ month(s)
_____buwan (BOO-wahn)
_____ year(s)
_____taon (TAH-ohn)
The Filipino language borrowed its terms for the days of the week and months of the year from the Spanish language.
I want to talk to the American/Australian/British/Canadian embassy/consulate.
Gusto kong makipagusap sa American/Australian/British/Canadian embassy/consulate. (...)
I want to talk to a lawyer.
Gusto kong makipagusap sa abogado. (GOOS-toh koh ma-KEY-PAHG-OOH-SAHP sah ah-boh-GAH-do)
Can I just pay a fine now?
Pwede na lang ba akong magbayad ng multa? (...)
Law
Batas
Judge
Hukom or Huwas
Lawyer
Abugado/Abogado
Court
Hukuman or Korte
Jail
Bilangguan or Kulungan
Cop
Pulis
This is a usable phrasebook. It explains pronunciation and the bare essentials of travel communication. An adventurous person could use it to get by, but please plunge forward and help it grow!