EVERYDAY GREETINGS

BB. SANTOS:	Saan ka galing Boy?
BOY:	Sa bahay po.

BB. SANTOS:	Ate Linda, saan ka pupunta?
ATE LINDA:	Diyan sa may kanto.

CULTURAL NOTES

A very common greeting in Tagalog is Saan ka pupunta? (Where are you going?) or Saan ka galing?  (Where did you come from?).

This may be interpreted by foreigners as being a nosey question, but it is actually a very informal greeting equivalent to "hello" or "how are you?" in English.  The response to this greeting need not indicate exactly where the addressee is going to or has come from.  A vague expression, diyan lang, meaning "over there" or   "just there," will suffice.

Another familiar greeting is Hoy! which can be translated in English as "Hi."  It is also used as an attention-getter like the English word "Hey!"  In this sense, as in English, the word is never used in situations requiring respect for the one spoken to.

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