Filipino Language
The basis for the official language of the Philippines is Tagalog which is spoken by about 22 million people. According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Tagalog was selected as the basis of the national language in 1937. In 1939 Manuel L. Quezon named the national language “Wikang Pambansa” but 20 years later Secretary of Education, Jose Romero renamed it Pilipino to give it a national rather than ethnic label connotation.
In 1971, the language underwent another change and the national language was changed from Pilipino to Filipino. In 1987 under the new constitution Filipino became the national language and wording in the constitution specified “that as the Filipino language evolves, it shall be further developed and enriched on the basis of existing Philippine and other languages. So we’ve got the historical stuff out of the way let’s talk about some helpful phrases and words you should know when visiting or retiring in the Philippines.
Good Morning – Magandang umaga po (pronounced as Ma-gan-dang u-ma-ga po)
Good afternoon- Magandang hapon po (Ma-gan-dang ha-pon po)
Good evening- Maandang gabi po (Ma-gan-dang ga-bi po)
Maganda means” beautiful” or “good” and “po” radiates respect
How are you?- Kumusta po kayo? (Ku-mus-ta po ka-yo)
I am fine- Mabuti naman (Ma-bu-ti na-man)
What is your name? – Ano pangalan mo? (A-no pan-ga-lan mo)
I am John – Ako po si James (A-ko po si James)
How are you? – Kumusta po kayo? (Ku-mus-ta po ka-yo)
I’m fine – Mabuti naman (Ma-bu-ti na-man)
Thank you – Salamat po (Sa-la-mat po)
You are welcome – Walang anuman (Wa-lang a-nu-man)
What time is it? – Anong oras na po? (A-nong o-ras na po)
These are very common phrases that are easy to learn even though most people you encounter speak English very well. It is always nice to practice your Tagalog skills on Filipinos because then they see that you are at least trying to learn the language. For more on Philippines language just go to YouTube and search for Tagalog also check out some of the resources below.
Learn Filipino, Book One, with Discs 1 and 2
Rosetta Stone Version 3: Filipino (Tagalog) Level 1 with Audio Companion
Learn to Speak the Filipino Language Faster and Easier with Subliminal Programming CD
Tagalog Flash Cards – Lesson 1-10
