Get started learning Tagalog with a few basic words!
Salamat. = Thank you.
Kamusta? = How are you?
Oo. = Yes.
Hindi. = No. Not.
Ako. = I. Me.
Ikaw. = You.
Sarap! = Delicious!
Paumanhin = Sorry, excuse me.
Paalam. = Farewell.
Or informally say
“Ba-bay” = Goodbye.
po (marker of respect in phrases and sentences)
When speaking in Tagalog to someone older than you, add po to words, phrases and sentences. Salamat po.
Kamusta po?
Hindi po.
Ako po.
An exception would be
Opo, which is the polite form of Oo.
hello
how are u
yes
Tagalog is a language that is easy to speak very badly in. You will find that most non-academic Filipinos do not speak perfect Tagalog all the time (as the ancient Romans did not speak perfect Latin). Most languages have a regional and a colloquial flavour. There are many Filipino dialects languages, Pilipino (formerly Tagalog) is the official one.
Travel 100 km from Manila, and the folks there may speak a dialect with the same structure, but very different vocabulary.
To really learn the language, and become accent-free, is a real challenge. It involves studying the linguistics, of which there are few good books available. You almost certainly won’t find these in the National Bookstore.
One that springs to mind is Modern Tagalog by Teresita Ramos ISBN 0-8248-1332-4.
Another one (perhaps the best) is Basic Tagalog by Paraluman S Aspillera ISBN:978-0-8048-3837-5. The second edition includes an audio CD.
The best audio program is (of course) by Pimsleur.
The final recommendation is to use the language and speak it every day if you can. Find a Filipino pen-pal (chat-mate in modern parlance) and communicate on a daily basis. Namaste.
I don’t think Tagalog is an easy language; on the contrary, it is one of the most difficult languages in the Far East. One of the reasons, as you correctly mentioned, is the interference of other dialects. But Tagalog, unlike Indonesian, does not have a stable structure; it is filled with these little angs and ngs that drive the learner crazy and they do not have one meaning. I am really happy that Filipinos can speak English fluently and there is no need at all to learn Tagalog ,but only perhaps, to say: mahal kita.
Many Filipinos mix their Tagalog or Dialect sentences with English.I am one of those.
When we moved from Cebu to Manila, I told my grandmother that she had to learn to speak Tagalog because she only spoke the Cebu dialect (Visayas). She said “I speak English and that’s good enough.”, She’s right. Most Filipinos speak English but with Filipino accent. 😃
filipinos , most dont understand english or tagalog
Are you sure that most Filipinos don’t understand English and Tagalog?Don’t you know that Philippines is the 3rd largest English speaking people in the world?Try to do so some research.
Mga salamat!
Gusto kong matutong magsalita ng tagalog pero mahirap! Nag-practice ako kasama ang aking asawa. Hindi ko pa alam magsalita!!! Gagamit ako ng tagaloglang.com. Sana ko ay magsasailta ng wikang tagalog soon 😉
Mabuhay is generally say ‘hello’ to people coming from abroad.
Kamusta or kumusta?
I think kumusta is more correct because it’s a short form of the Spanish phrase “como esta”.
komo esta –> komosta –> kumusta
In old magazines, e.g. Liwayway, it’s spelled as kumusta.
yes that is definitely correct
Both are actually right but the more formal way of saying “kamusta” is “kumusta”.
kamusta – informal
kumusta – formal
Amazing….
I am Kenyan en i really like Tagalog bt the problem is i don’t really hv smn to teach me. I love it man. I try to learn online and people i meet tho
I’m teaching my kids Tagalog right now, bought a book in Amazon called, introduction to Tagalog. They are learning quite fast.
Inglis ako (I’m English) and slowly learning Tagalog. I think its brilliant! 🙂 🙂 :} M.
Martin, just a teeny-tiny correction. It is “Ingles” instead of “Inglis.”
It’s funny how some words in the language are literally just Spanish words.
I mean Phillippines was Spanish for like 3 centuries soooooo…..
Salamat po! 🙂
Hujambo rafiki ? Sijui kusema Kiswahili vizuri…
I can teach you
I would like to learn
Do you teach? I’m Jake from America and I’d really like to know..
Hello! I can help you learn Tagalog. I teach Tagalog online.
I’d love to learn. Been here 15 years this month and no one has taken the time to teach me. 🙁
Hello, I’m an online Tagalog teacher/tutor. I would be willing to help you learn Tagalog.
I can teach you….where you at??
Galit na yun sa akin ngayun… OMG can you please tell me what this means
He/She is angry at me now
May i teach you tagalog?
I really learn in tagalog
yes David , I can relate. I have a friend in the Philippines , but english is not widely spoken in the provences. I am finding it very difficult to get tutoring in Tagalog. To make things worse, I am not a fast learner.
What does “mabuty” mean, or word that sounds like that
MABUTI
https://www.tagaloglang.com/mabuti/
Mabuti means good/ fine. Usually use as a reply when people ask them, “Kamusta ka?”=“How are you?”, the person will reply “Mabuti” if he/she is “Good”/ “Fine” short form of saying “I’m good!”, or “I’m fine!”
how are ujwjwjaj
Originally, the word “kamusta” is spelled and pronounced as “kumusta” taken from the spanish word “como esta” which means “how are you” in english.
“Mabuti” is an adjective from the root word “Buti.” As always in Tagalog) Filipino, there is more than one meaning.
One can say the expression, “Buti nga..” or Buti say inyo” which then means, “good for you,” or “that’s what you get!.”
One can also say “Buti na ….” accompanied by a sentence, meaning, ‘It’s good that….”
Also, as usual, the meaning can be enhanced using the Filipino affixes, such as “bumiti,” to get better or improve. “Butihin”, meaning gentle or charming.
“Pagbuti” a noun meaning improvement., etc., etc. Welcome to Tagalog/Filipino!
Mabuhay can be used to say Hello or Welcome.
Mabuhay is similar to viva in Spanish.
Leader: “Mabuhay ang Republika!” (Long live the Republic!)
Crowd: “Mabuhay! Mabuhay!” (Long live! Long live!)
Mabuhay means long live like when you say “Mabuhay ang Pilipinas” you mean “Long live the Philippines.”
All correct, “mabuhay” in Filipino is an exclamation akin to Long Live! However, it also means to live or to remain alive.
If you want to try to learn or understand Filipino, I believe that, rather than try to learn words individually, instead learn the “root word” of whatever word you are trying to understand, and its variants
For example, the word Mabuhay! is derived from the noun “Buhay” which in itself means LIFE, or as an accented adjective meaning ALIVE.
Filipinos change the meaning and part of speech of words by using accents and affixes. Using a different affix derived from a root word inevitably changes its meaning. For example, “bumuhay means to bring someone back to life. In Filipino, BE AWARE OF YOUR ACCENT AND USE OF PROPER AFFIX!
Mabuti, means fine ,or mabuti ako salamat, means I’m very fine thank you
is it correct to say ako mabuti, if you want to say am fine?
“Ako ay mabuti.”
“Mabuti ako.”
Mabuti naman ako,or u can just simply say ‘mabuti’.
Yes
Hindi ko alam bakit Ang dito ako✨☺️..✨
Mabuti means ”good”
“Mabuti” means “I’m fine.” It is usually the response to “Kamusta?” (How are you?).
hi.
it is spelled is Mabuti… in English it means fine, good.
when someone asked you in Tagalog language : Kamusta ka na? /( how are you? …you answered it with : Mabuti/ or fine
thanks.
It mean good or fine
“Mabuti” means good. For example, if someone says “mabuti naman”, it means “that’s good”.
What u mean is “mabuti” . In english it mean “good”
You’re welcome
It’s spelled mabuti. Means fine. Or in a good state or condition
The meaning of “mabuti” is good.
Good
“Mabuti” , Good. ” Maganda” , attractive, nice.
You are Right! “po” and Upo is usually used for an older person like mother , father , grandparents and so on.!! You can’t use po or upo by replying or asking a Question to your friend or to your siblings
because is just your friend
lol:D
it is actually “opo” not “upo”.
“Upo” is sit in english.
Upo is gourd
well it could also mean gourd (like the vegetable)
Upo (accent on the first syllable) is bottle gourd, while upo (accent on the second syllable) is sit in English.
my friend have part of his family with his mother and grandma are from the Philippines also I was born in the Philippines too.
Ulap
You can say “opo or po” if she or he is older than You, if younger than You, then just say their name.
Salamat po!
walang anuman po!
Gago ka jollibee mas masarap yung mga pagkain ko kesa sayo… with unli rice pa ^-^ <3
AHAHHAHAHA LT
Tng ina nyo mas masikat pa ang pagka inan ko
HAHAHAHHAHA
Salamat din po
Hello from kenya i really love the philipines language…would love to learn tagalog
Good to hear that. Hope you can come to visit the Philippines.
me too , very hard language to learn , back in school i passed spanish with flying colors and failed my english ,
today i not remember spanish now
Interested in learning this language – Tagalog
Oh my God, I have been saying Salamat Po because I thought it was informal / friendly..but the people I spoke with were often younger than me….Now I know it your add Po for people older than you…oh my God…..I don’t think I offended anyone…but……..
I dont think they got offended by it, but instead find it kinda weird hehe
Good to hear that some people want to learn Tagalog.
I learned a lot óf the language when my dad was stationed in the Philippines. I was only @ 4-5 yrs old, but love the memory of being there. 4 of my best friends are fríends I knew are here and still my best friends
Lol you probably over-respected them
lol haha yep you learn with mistakes
Don’t worry you have not offended anyone by saying salamat po even to the young ones. It’s the polite way of saying thank you.
Salamat or thanks would suffice as well. Po and opo can be added if you wanted to sound formal and polite regardless of age.
You claim to be Filipina, yet you don’t even know how to spell the word.
Now that’s awkward.
Hello Theresa, I am interested to learn Tagalog. Please tell me where are you based ? Thanks, I am Tony, I live in London, England
Hi tony, I asked this very question to my girlfriend who is Filipina. She said it’s okay to use po and opo with everyone, but the older generation is more likely to expect you to use po and opo, which is probably why this article specifically recommends using them with the older generation.
That’s right.
hi tony I am doing tutorial with Filipino language. I am base from Philippines. if you’re interested you can email me. Thanks i am Nov btw. Godbless
I think I embarrassed myself infront of the fam . . . I know coz i’m the only white guy in the family
wow.. i recommended this site to my brother-in-law who wanted to learn tagalog.
Excellent
great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Do you have ang info in the word squammy? 🙂
Do you have squammy?Because I really want to know how it was formed 🙂