Everyday Greetings
Numbers
Time
Days & Months
Directions
Question Words
Romantic Phrases
Occasional Greetings
Birthdays
Sympathy
Apology
Christmas
Gratitude
Tagalog Slang
Tagalog speakers in the Philippines have many ways of greeting other people. It is common also to hear them say "Hi" or "Hello" as a form of greeting, especially among close friends. There are no Tagalog translation for these English greetings because they are basically borrowed terms, and any English-speaking person will be readily understood by Filipinos in general (yes, Virginia and Joe, English is widely spoken in the Philippines, a former colony of the US of A for nearly 50 years!). Below are a few Tagalog greetings that are importart to learn if one wants to endear himself/herself to Filipinos.
 Magandang umaga po.
(formal/polite)Magandang umaga.
(informal) |
Good morning. |
| Magandang tanghali po.
(formal/polite)Magandang tanghali. (informal) |
Good noon. |
| Magandang hapon po.
(formal/polite) Magandang
hapon. (informal) |
Good afternoon. |
| Magandang gabi po. (formal/polite)Magandang
gabi. (informal) |
Good evening |
| Kumusta po kayo?
(formal/polite)Kumusta
ka? (informal) |
How are you? |
| Mabuti po naman.
(formal/polite)Mabuti
naman. (informal) |
I'm fine. |
| Tuloy po kayo.
(formal/polite)Tuloy.
(informal) |
Please, come in. |
| Salamat po.
(formal/polite)Salamat.
(informal) |
Thank you. |
| Maraming salamat po.
(formal/polite)Maraming salamat.
(informal) |
Thank you very much. |
| Wala pong anuman.
(formal/polite) Walang
anuman. (informal) |
You are welcome. |
| Opo/oho.
(formal/polite)Oo
(informal) |
Yes. |
| Hindi po/ho (formal/polite)Hindi.
(informal) |
No. |
| Hindi ko po/ho alam.
(formal/polite)Hindi
ko alam. (informal) |
I don't know. |
| Anong oras na po?
(formal/polite)Anong
oras na? (informal) |
What time is it? |
| Saan po kayo papunta?
(formal/polite)Saan
ka papunta? (informal) |
Where are you going? |
| Saan po kayo galing? (formal/polite)Saan
ka galing? (informal) |
Where did you come from? |
| Ano po ang pangalan nila?
(formal/polite)Anong pangalan mo?
(informal) |
What is your name? |
| Ako po si ________
(formal/polite)Ako
si _________ (informal) |
I am ______ (name). |
| Ilang taon na po kayo?
(formal/polite)Ilang
taon ka na? (informal) |
How old are you? |
| Ako po ay _______ gulang na.
(formal/polite)Ako
ay _______ gulang na. (informal) |
I am _______ years old. |
| Saan po kayo nakatira?
(formal/polite)Saan
ka nakatira? (informal) |
Where do you live? |
| Taga saan po sila?
(formal/polite)Taga
saan ka? (informal) |
Where are you from? |
| Kumain na po ba sila?
(formal/polite)Kumain
ka na ba? (informal) |
Have you eaten yet? |
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Numbers
|
Counting (Cardinal) Numbers
Tagalog counting
numbers basically follow either the Malay or Spanish root words. It is more common
to hear Filipinos (even non-Tagalog speakers) use the Spanish-based counting
numbers in telling time (e.g., ala una ng
hapon) and ocassionally when counting money (e.g.,
dies mil pesos).
However, Tagalog speakers often use the Malay-based counting numbers with reference
to weight (e.g., isang kilo), objects, things, and people (e.g., sampung daliri, limang kotse, tatlong magkakapatid), as well as counting money (e.g., sampung
piso, dalawang daang piso, isang libong piso).
It is interesting to note that in telling time, Filipinos even mix the Malay and Spanish
form very often. For example, it is common to hear Tagalog-speakers say "sampung minuto bago mag-alas diyes ng umaga"
(it is now ten minutes before ten in the morning). One
could even hear radio announcers in Tagalog-speaking regions of the Philippines tell time
in this manner, even radio stations in Metro Manila.
| Roman Numeral |
Tagalog (Malay root) |
Tagalog (Spanish root) |
English |
| 1 |
|
uno (uno) |
one |
| 2 | dalawa (dua) |
dos (dos) |
two |
| 3 | tatlo (tiga) |
tres (tres) |
three |
| 4 | apat (empat) |
kwatro (cuatro) |
four |
| 5 | lima (lima) |
sinko (cinco) |
five |
| 6 | anim (enam) |
sais (seis) |
six |
| 7 | pito |
syete (siete) |
seven |
| 8 | walo |
otso (ocho) |
eight |
| 9 | siyam |
nuwebe (nueve) |
nine |
| 10 | sampu |
diyes (diez) |
ten |
| 11 | labing-isa |
onse | eleven |
| 12 | labindalawa |
dose | twelve |
| 13 | labintatlo |
trese | thirteen |
| 20 | dalawampu |
beynte (veinte) |
twenty |
| 21 | dalawampu't-isa |
beynteuno (veinte-uno) |
twenty-one |
| 30 | tatlumpu |
trenta | thirty |
| 40 | apatnapu |
kwarenta | forty |
| 50 | limampu |
singkwenta | fifty |
| 60 | animnapu |
seisenta | sixty |
| 100 | isang daan |
siyento | hundred |
| 200 | dalawang daan |
dos siyentos | two hundred |
| 1,000 | isang libo |
mil | one thousand |
| 2,000 | dalawang libo |
dos mil | two thousand |
| 10,000 | sampung libo |
dies mil | ten thousand |
| 100,000 | isang daang libo |
siyento mil | one hundred thousand |
| 1,000,000 | isang milyon |
milyon | one million |
|
Ordinal Numbers
Ordinal numbers in Tagalog are formed by using the prefixes IKA-
or PANGA- before the counting numbers.
For example, IKATLO (from ika + tatlo)
or PANGATLO (from panga
+ tatlo) means "third" order. IKA may also be used to convey the order of time
in a day or day in a month. For example, "IKATLO
ng hapon" (third hour in the afternoon) or "IKA-DALAWAMPUT-ISA ng Enero" (the
twenty-first of January).
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Time
As in most Southeast Asian
cultures, Filipinos tell time based on the sun's position in the sky. The word araw refers to the sun, and gabi refers to night
time. Madaling araw literally means "the sun hurrying to show up" in the sky.
Hence, the time between 1:00 and 5:00 o' clock in the morning is madaling araw or dawn.
Umaga is the
period between 6:00 in the morning and just before 12:00 noon when the sun is
already up in the sky. Tanghali is 12:00 noon or midday. Hapon is from 1:00 to 5:00 o' clock in the afternoon, and past 6:00 o' clock is
gabi or
evening. It used to be that Filipinos observe the orasyon when church bells ring at exactly 6:00 in the evening to mark the end of
the daytime with prayers and meditation. In the rural areas, farmers end
their day's work in the field as soon as the sun sets, and they return home for
dinner.
It is interesting to note that Tagalog-speaking Filipinos are fond
of using vague words and phrases with reference to time. For example, mamaya na means
"later" and bukas na means " tomorrow" (both of which connote procrastination).
It is quite common to hear responses from Tagalog-speakers in the Philippines
such as mamayang hapon, mamayang gabi, bukas ng umaga, bukas ng hapon, bukas ng gabi, or simply mamaya to time questions without really knowing the exact time.
| Clock Time | Tagalog (Spanish root) |
English |
| 1:00-5:00 AM | ala
1:00-5:00 madaling araw |
1:00-5:00
early morning |
| 6:00-11:00 AM | ala
6:00-11:00 umaga |
6:00-11:00
morning |
| 12:00 Noon | alas
12:00 tanghali |
12:00
noon |
| 1:00-5:00 PM | ala
1:00-5:00 hapon |
1:00-5:00
afternoon |
| 6:00-11:00 PM | ala
6:00-11:00 gabi |
6:00-11:00
evening |
| 12:00 Midnight | alas
12:00 hating gabi |
12:00
midnight |
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Days and Months
Days and months in Tagalog are essentially based on the
Spanish language, except for LINGGO
(Sunday), which is based on the Malay minggu. The Tagalog
term for "day" is ARAW (literal
for "sun") and for "month" it is BUWAN
(literal for "moon")
| ARAW | DAYS |
|
Monday |
|
Tuesday |
|
Wednesday |
|
Thursday |
|
Friday |
|
Saturday |
|
Sunday |
| BUWAN | MONTHS |
|
January |
|
February |
|
March |
|
April |
|
May |
|
June |
|
July |
|
August |
|
September |
|
October |
|
November |
|
December |
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Directions
Below is a list of Tagalog words
and phrases used in giving or asking for directions.
|
straight ahead |
|
on the right |
|
on the left |
|
turn around |
|
infront |
|
at the back/behind |
|
north |
|
east |
|
west |
|
south |
|
on top |
|
below/at the bottom |
|
at the bottom |
|
inside |
|
outside |
There are a number of Tagalog words and phrases which are rather vague in terms of specific distance but signify "nearness" or "farness" of a particular object, thing, or place from the speaker. These are:
|
here |
|
there |
|
yonder (over there) |
|
there, on that side |
|
over on that side |
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Question
Words
Below is a list of Tagalog question words
with their corresponding meaning and examples in
English.
| Tagalog Question Word | English Equivalent | Example |
| Ano? | What? | Ano ang pangalan mo? (What is your name?) |
| Alin? | Which? | Alin ang gusto mong kulay? (Which color do you like?) |
| Sino? | Who? | Sino po kayo?/Sino ka? (Who are you?) |
| Saan? | Where? | Saan po kayo pupunta? (Where are you going?) |
| Bakit? | Why? | Bakit mo kami iniwan? (Why did you leave us?) |
| Kailan? | When? | Kailan po kayo darating? (When are you coming?) |
| Paano?/Papaano? | How? | Paano ka nakarating dito? (How did you get here?) |
| Magkano? | How
much? (money) |
Magkano ang bili mo sa kotse? (How much did you payfor the car?) |
| Nasaan? | Where?
(to look for something/somebody) |
Nasaan ang aking pitaka? (Where is my wallet?) |
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Occasional
Greetings
| Maligayang bati sa iyong kaarawan. |
Happy birthday to you. |
| Nawa'y pagpalain ka ng Diyos ng marami
pang kaarawan. |
May God bless you with many more birthdays to come. |
| Maligayang bati sa iyong kasal |
Congratulations/Best wishes on your wedding. |
| Maligayang bati sa iyong pagtatapos. |
Congratulations on your graduation. |
| Maligayang Pasko. |
Merry Christmas. |
| Manigong bagong taon. |
Happy New Year. |
| Kami po ay nakikiramay sa inyong
pagdadalamhati. |
We'd like to express our condolences in your hour of sorrow. |
| Tanggapin po ninyo ang aming taos-
pusong pakikiramay. |
Please accept our sincerest condolences. |
| Sumalangit nawa ang kanyang kaluluwa. |
May his/her soul rest in peace. |
| Ipagpaumanhin po ninyo ang aking
pagkakamali. |
Please accept my sincerest apologies. |
| Patawarin po ninyo ang aming mga
pagkakamali. |
Please forgive us for our mistakes. |
| Ako po ay taos-pusong nagpapasalamat. |
I am sincerely thankful/grateful. |
| Nagpapasalamat po ako sa inyong
napakalaking tulong sa amin. |
I would like to thank you for your great help to us. |
| Hindi ko alam kung papaano ko po kayo
mapapasalamatan sa inyong kabutihan. |
I really can't (or don't know how to) thank you enough for your kindness. |
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