‘Thank You’ in Tagalog

Salamat is the Tagalog word for ‘thanks.’

Maraming salamat.
Many thanks. / Thank you very much.

Maraming salamat po.
Thank you very much. (formal)

Maraming salamat sa ‘yo.
Many thanks to you. (casual)

Maraming salamat po sa inyo.
Many thanks to you. (formal)

Salamat sa tulong nila.
Thanks to their help.

Pasalamatan mo siya.
Say thanks to her/him.
= Thank him/her.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY

The Tagalog word for ‘birthday’ is kaarawan.

The traditional way of greeting a Filipino a happy birthday is to say:

Maligayang Bati

Maligayang Bati
Maligayang Bati

This means “Happy Wishes” or “Joyful Greetings” but it’s understood to be referring to one’s birthday.

With the influence of English, most Filipinos translate the phrase “Happy Birthday” literally and these days say…

Maligayang Kaarawan!
Happy Birthday!

Maligayang Bati sa Iyong Kaarawan!
Happy Wishes on Your Birthday!

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10 Basic Tagalog Words to Know

If you need to learn just ten basic Tagalog words to get by, here’s a list of useful phrases to impress your Filipino friends with. Opo. Salamat. Kamusta. Oo…

Get started learning Tagalog with a few basic words!

Salamat. = Thank you.

Kamusta? = How are you?

Oo. = Yes.

Hindi. = No. Not.
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Spanish Numbers in Tagalog

Tagalog numbers can be a mouthful, even for Filipinos. Compare the following two for the word twenty-two (22):

dalawampu’t dalawa (7 syllables)
bente-dos (3 syllables)

There are many situations where Filipinos prefer to use Spanish-derived numbers. The most common are when saying one’s age and telling time. Continue reading “Spanish Numbers in Tagalog”