Speak To The World
About Every Day Filipino Phrases in English For Travellers
Filipino is definitely a Romantic language. This started in Philippines and yet spoken in a range of places internationally. Areas and cities that speak Filipino consists of Belgium, Switzerland, Quebec, New Brunswick, Louisiana in North America; former Filipino colonies in North Africa and West Africa; Haiti and Martinique in the Caribbean; Filipino Guiana in South America; Tahiti and numerous other islands in Oceania. Learn More
Filipino is almost certainly employed as the language of global diplomacy and communication, and although replaced usually by English since World War II, this remains culturally de rigueur, required by etiquette, for proficient persons globally to have some degree of basic Filipino skill.
Learn to Speak Filipino Language Phrases
Do you need to figure out how to have a discussion in Filipino language, as a beginner? Or perhaps should remember the Filipino phrases you had discovered long time ago? From touring around on trains and buses to placing your order food in a good local restaurant in Philippines or just about any state where they speak the Filipino Language, understand the vital Filipino terms right here to make your tour better.
 Learn Filipino Language Online | ) |
| 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. | |
| Yes, I'm married. | oo (opo) |
| No, I'm not married. | hindi (po) |
| Yes, I have children. | mayroon (po) |
| No, I don't have children. | wala (po) |
| Negative tag questions are answered in the opposite way compared to English | |
| Are you not married? | |
| (No, I am married.) | Hindi |
| (Yes, I am not married.) | Oo |
| 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. | |
| There are kids in the school. | May mga bata sa paaralan. |
| Do you have change for a peso? | May barya ka ba para sa piso? |
| 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) Hindi ko po alam. (HEEN-dee koh poh AH-lahm) (formal) |
| Hi | Hi (hai) |
| Hello | Helów (heh-LOW) |
| How are you? | Kumusta ka? (koo-MOOS-tah kah?) (informal) Kumusta po kayo? (koo-moos-TAH poh kah-YOH?) (formal) |
| Fine, thank you. | Ayos naman, salamat. (AH-yohs NAH-mahn, sah-LAH-maht) Mabuti po, salamat. (mah-BOO-tee poh, sah-LAH-maht) (formal) |
| And you | Ikaw? (ee-Kao?) (informal) Kayó po? (kah-YOH poh?) (formal) |
| Good/Well | 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 nam--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. | |
| 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]) |
| Help! | Saklolo! (sahk-loh-LOH!) or Tulong! (too-LOHNG) |
| Look out! | Look out! (look owt!) |
| Good morning. (lit. 'beautiful morning') | Magandang umaga (ma-GAHN-dang oo-MAH-ga) (informal) / Magandang umaga po (ma-GAHN-dang oo-MAH-ga po) (formal) |
| Good day | Magandang araw (ma-GAHN-dahng AH-row) |
| Good afternoon | Magandang hapon (mah-GAHN-dahng HAH-pohn) |
| Good evening | Magandang gabi. (mah-GAHN-dahng gah-BEE) |
| Goodnight (to sleep) | Magandang gabi. (mah-GAHN-dahng gah-BEE) |
| I don't understand. | Hindi ko maintindihan. (HEEN-dee koh mah-een-teen-DEE-hahn) |
| Where is the bathroom/washroom? | Nasaan ang C.R.? (nah-SAH ahn ahng C.R?) [where C.R. = Comfort Room ~ Rest Room] |
| What time is it? | Anong oras na? (ah-NOHNG oh-RAHS nah?) |
| Do you understand English? | 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?) |
| Who is she/he? | Sino siya?(see-NOH shah) |
| What is she/he saying? | Anong sinasabi niya?(ah-NOHNG see-nah-sah-BEE nee-YAH?) |
| What do you mean? | Anong ibig mong sabihin? (ah-NOHNG ee-BEEG mohng sah-bee-HEEN?) |
| Please say it again/pardon. | Paki-ulit. (PAH-kee OO-leet) |
| Please write it down. | Pakisulat. (pah-kee-SOO-laht) |
| Let's go! | Tara (na)! (tah-RAH (nah)!) (very informal) Halika! (hah-lee-KAH!) (semi-formal) |
| Wait! | Teka! (teh-KAH!) or Sandali (lang)! (sahn-dah-LEE (lahng)!) |
| Can I speak to ____ ? (on the phone) | Pwedeng makausap si _____? (PWEH-dehng mah-kah-OO-sahp see____?) |
| One moment | Sandali lang. (sahn-DAH-lee lahng) |
| Who? | Sino?(see-NOH?) |
| What? | Ano? (ah-NOH?) |
| Why? | Bakit?(bah-KEET?) |
| Where? | Saan? (sah AHN?) |
| When? | Kailan? (kah-ee-LAHN?) |
| How? | Paano? (pah ah-NOH?) |
| How many? | Ilan?(ee LAHN?) |
| How much? | Magkano?(mahg-KAH-noh?) |
Click on the hyperlinks directly below to find out a number of useful Filipino travel keyword phrases which you’ll find sorted by group. For each holiday phrase in Filipino, you will notice the actual English interpretation.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.