Tuttle Language Librar Audio CD Included for Foreigners and Non-Tagalogs Completely updated and expanded with new materials More than 2,000 contemporary Tagalog words and phrases, including current variations used by native speakers Comprehensive English-Tagalog, Tagalog-English vocabulary listsLanguage This new edition presents more than 2,000 contemporary Tagalog words and expressions, including derivatives and contemporary idioms currently used by native speakers. Tho enriched materials will broaden the vocabulary of language learners and give them better understanding of Filipino society. Useful Appendices and Tagalog-English/English-Tagalog vocabulary lists are found at the end of the book. This new edition updates the grammatical features of the language, but retains Ms. Aspillera’s tried-and-tested learning methodology which has proven to be so effective for many generations of students. ‘The book is intended for a three-month period of intensive study (about two hours a day), which serves as an adequate foundation for practical use. An important phase of learning is the three months of oral communication and practice and subsequent application of all the rules of grammar learned in the first three months. After about 250 study hours, the average student will be able to speak, write and understand everyday Tagalog as spoken in the Philippines today. Paraluman S. Aspillera taught English and Filipino at the University of the Philippines and Centro Escolar University, She pioneered the teaching of Tagalog to foreigners at the Institute of Filipino Language and Culture, which she founded in 1954, The Institute became an affili- ate of the Philippine Women's University (PWU). Mrs Aspillera was an active civic leader and the author of many Tagalog and English books and articles. She was given many prestigious awards in recognition of her many contributions to Filipino language and culture. She passed away in 1975. The updating of this book was done by Yolanda C. Hernandez, who holds a Master of Arts in English and a Bachelor Degree in Literature in Journalism. She was a mentor for more than ten years at the Philippine Women's University, teaching Philippine Literature, Communica- tion and Management. Ms. Hernandez also taught at the Institute of Filipino Language and Culture, She is now retired and affiliated with the Girl Scout of the Philippines as its National Secretary, ISBN-13: 978-0-0048-9897-5 ISBN-10: 0-8048-3837-2 Fe TUTTLE PUBLISHING | || oa ‘Tokyo * Rutland, Vermont * Singapore 38375) US§24 95 sve. tutte publishing dom, Printed in SingaporeBasic Tagalog for Foreigners and Non-Tagalogs Seconp EpItion By Paraluman S. Aspillera Revised and updated by Yolanda Canseco Hernandez TUTTLE PUBLISHING Tokyo * Rutland, Vermont * SingaporeAcknowledgments We are grateful to she following persons who have helped in che publication of this revised edition of Basic Tagalog: Dr. Monita Manalo, University of Wisconsin- Madison for reviewing the updated manuscript; Dr Isagani R. Cruz and Di Luis P, Gatmaican for granting us peemission so include their materials in this book; Leo Angelito C. Alvarado of llusteador ng Kabataan (lustrators for Children) (INK] for providing illusscations for this book. Published by Totde Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Led, with editorial offices st 364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, Vermont 05759 and 61 ‘Iai Seag Avenue #02-12 Singapore 534167. Copyright © 2007 by Pesiplus Eaiions All ights reserved No pare of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mectanical, including photocopying, recacding, or by any information scorage ot retrieval system, wishout petmission in writing from the publisher. LCC Card No. 2007933898 Firse Tattle edition, 1969 ISBN 13: 978-0-8048-3837-5 First Tattle paperback edition, 1993, ISBN 10: 0-8048-3837-2 Revised edition, 2007 Disvibuced by: North America, Latin America & Enrope Asia Pacific Tucle Poblishing Berkeley Books Pre, Led 364 Innovation Drive 61 Ti Seog Avenue 402-12 North Clarendon, VI 05759-9436 Singapore 534167 “Tel: (802) 773 8930; Fax: (802) 773.6993 Tele (65) 6280 1330; Fox: (65) 6280 6290 Emil: nfo@euttlepublishing com Enail: inquiries®@[Link] swwntuttlepublishing com swvveperiplusicom Japan Tutle Publishing Yackai Building, 3 5-4-12 Osaki, Shinagawa-ku Tokyo 141-0032, Japan Tels (81) 3 5437-0171; Fax: (81) 35437-0755 Email: eutele-sales@[Link], [Link] 100908 07-6 54321 Princed in Singapore TUTTLE PUBLISHING® ts regisered wademark of Tutte Pobishing division of Periplas Edione (HK) (1dTable of Contents Preface to the Revised Edition .....00.002e..000eceseeeveeee seetreeeeeeee? Introduction: Tagalog—a Living Language .....006...00eeceeeseeeeeeeseeeuenerevanes 8 Lason 1; “The Tagalog Alphabets. vs cases ge enn oe eats 24 ewaviers eeeweve va ex 15 Lesson 2: Syllables and Stress in Tagalog .... Lesson 3: Greetings and Common Expressions Lesson 4: ‘The Articles Si and Ang Lessin: 51 GemeensePornad Ot ceces os exanaen os canes ov emcee oa owe oa weet core Lesson. 6: Personal and Demonstrative Pronouns ........ Lesson 7: Words That Link and Describe Lesson 8: Words That Show Possession. Lesson 9: Asking Questions oo... 00s ceees eves Lesson 10: The Question Word Ba o......ccccceceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen eran nee e ess 56 Lesson 11: Making Comparisons bocce te tere ntetteeeeneeeees 60 Lesson 12: Using May and Mayroén ..... 2.64 Lesson 13; Numbers ......... Lesson 14: -Um- and Mag- Verb Forms ........- 2 aa oF Lesson 15: -In- Verb Forms “7 Lesson 16; The Articles Ang and Ng ..... 83 Lesson 17: Pseudo Verbs—Dépat, Gust6 and Others 285 Lesson 18: Ma- and Maka: Verb Forms ......002ceccceeeeeeeeereveeeeeeeeeseeee ees BO Lesson 19; Maging—Zo Be or Ta Become ........ asso wasrewes 08 96 Lesson 20: Magkaroén—To Have . cence Lesson 21: Expressing Thoughts and Actions ..... 98 101 Lesson 22: Expressing Emotions ......02.0.e.00eeeeeeueeees sac 43 [Link] 08 WOE Lesson 23: Who, Which and That 0.00ce0cceeeeesecesseeeesseeecentteeeseeees 107 Lesson 24: Saying Please 2 ne Lesson 25: Saan and Nasaan (Where) 109 112. Lesson 26: The Preposition Sa 115 Lesson 27: The Prepositions Para Sa and Para Kay 0.22.0... .0..00eece cee -. 120 Lesson 28: Telling Time ... 122 Lesson 29: ‘The Word When in Tagalog 127LeS00. 30K VEbRSGE vers iq owen ya ves ries noe ey eneeN mE oreuanE argue exem Lesson 31: Forming Nouns Lesson 32: Verb Forms . Lesson 33: -An Verb Forms Lesson 34: Adverbs Lesson 35: Conjunctions and Interjections «00... 060ceseeeeeeeseensenteesee sees 152 Lesson 36: Magpa- and Pa-+-In Verb Forms v.00 0000cscvssecseveveceveereeeeees 155 Lesson 37: Expressing Disagreement, Agreement or Doubr . 159 Lesson 38; Forming Nouns fiom Verbs .....0..--+5 ceeeeeee cee 165 Lesson 39: Forming Participles Using NAKA 00... 00 ccceece se ceeeeseeaeeesere ees 169 Lesson 40: Noun Affixes Lesson 41; Formation of Adjectives Lesson 42: Plural Forms of Verbs ... Lesson 43: Contractions Teisoil £4) Wales oo aawsre ni sage a MIRON AeA Ra RANT Ta RTE CRORE EN = 187 Appendices... 0. ccc cece eee cece setae cent e nese nents eee een neeree eine 189 Foods 189 Cooking Terms 190 Popular Filipino Dishes and Delicacies 192 “Tagalog Idioms 193 Everyday Tagalog Expressions 196 Conversational Tagalog 200 Vocabulary Lists... [Link] ce veeeeeeeeeeeeeeees vein eee tee eneeeeeeeeenees 208 “Tagalog-English 208 English-Tagalog 213 Review Exercises. 218 Answers to Review Exercises ce : we seve ess 226 Reading Materials 5.00000. 000ceceeeeeeeeeeeueeveeeseueeeeseeeeveeseseeees 230Preface to the Revised Edition More than $00 new words and exptessions have been added to this completely updared and expand- ed version of Basic Tagalog, These are spread throughout the 44 lessons, the Appendices and the exer- cises as well as in the Tagalog-English/English-Tagalog vocabulary lists at the back of this book. The added vocabulary is meant to keep learners abreast of changes that have occurred in the language since the first edition of Basic Tagalog which was published in 1969. “This edition has retained all the grammar lessons and the tried-and-tested teaching methadology devel- oped by the author, Paraluman S. Aspillera, for the original version. Her method has proven to be extremely affective for tens of thousands of foreigners and non-Tagalogs who have used this book to learn ‘Tagalog, including many who have successfully learned to speak and write Tagalog through self- study on their own without a teacher. An audio CD has also been added to facilitate che correct pro- nunciation of Tagalog words and phrases. A succinct introduction to the language and a description of the character of Filipinos will hopefully provide learners with a better understanding of the language they are learning. “The lessons in this book are intended for a three-month period of intensive study followed by anoth- er three months of applied oral communication of atleast ovo hours per day. In six months (of about 250 hours} it is expected that an average learner should be able to speak, write and understand sim- ple, everyday, conversational Tagalog as spoken by most Filipinos, Thope that the new and expanded edition of this book will further encourage both non-Tagalogs and non-Filipinos to speak the Tagalog language better. Only then shall they appreciate the individuality of the language that reflects the resilience and flexibility of Filipinos all around the world. In the end, such learning will improve daily interactions and communications between non-Filipinos and Filipinos—whether in business, educational, social or civic endeavors. Yolanda Canseco HernandezINTRODUCTION Tagalog—A Living Language living language? Ie is defined as a language that is “currently in use or valid." Thus, ic isalive, it is dynamic, it is vibrant. Language is a system through which people express their thoughts, feelings and sentiments, either orally or in writing, It mirrors the kind of society they live in, their customs and traditions, and their aspirations as a nation, Tagalog isa living language. Ic is the basis of the national language of the Philippines as mandared by the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of che Philippines under Article XIV, Section 6, on “Language.” The provision states: “The national language of the Philippines is Filipino. As ic evolves, it shall be further developed and enriched on the basis of existing Philippine and other languages. Subject to provisions of law and as the Congress may deem appropriate, the Governmene shall take steps to initiate and sustain the use of Filipino as a medium of official communication and as a lan- guage of instruction in the education system.” While still considered a young but nonetheless maturing national language, Filipino is constantly beng developed through its usage in various fields of endeavor. As the nation develops and progress- és, Filipino also grows linguistically and lexically with the assimilation of new words, concepts and ideas into the language brought about by cechnological advances, changes in lifestyles, globalization trends and contacts wich foreign cultures, political and religious upheavals, and media developments, among others. Historical Influences and Contacts Tagalog as a language has very ancient roots going back thousands of years, and even had its own writ- ing system in ancient times, borrowed from the Sanskritic writing systems of the region, According «0 Filipino anthropologist F, Landa Jocano, “Writing as a system of communication was fairly well- developed in many parts of the archipelago when the Spaniards came during the early past of the 16th century YORE A- FY OYPrYBrOY a ka da ga ha ma ona nga pa sa ta wa ya ROLEAETE ASE BODY 2,1 befbi kelki defdl gefgi hethi lefli meimi neini ngeingi peso sefsi tel welwi ytyi ISQOBRAIMMTTOYYBCVY 9,U bolsu Kosky cofdu gofgu hofhu Icilu momunoinungohgu polpu so/su tatu warwu yoy Alibata, also known as Baybayin, the Sanskritic alphabet chac was in use in the Philippines in catlicr times.‘Tagalog—A Living Language 9 Documents uncarthed by Spanish chroniclers Pedro Chirino and Francisco Colin show different types of alphabets or syllabary writing. The writing had vowel and consonane syllable signs which, according to anthropologist Robert Fox, conform “to a common phonemic pattern of Philippine (con- remporary languages).” . Comparisons with othe: Asian language groups indicate that the'Tagalog Language along with other Philippine languages belong to the Malayan branch of the great Malayo-Polynesian or Austronesian linguistic family, which includes hundreds of languages now spread across almost half the globe from Taiwan through the Philippine Islands to Hawaii, Fiji and New Zealand in the Pacific, across the islands of Indonesia and the Malay peninsula to Madagascar. Filipino linguist Juan Francisco cited many Indian influences on Philippine language and literature, He found about 336 terms derived from Sanskrit, out of which 150 were identified and used in the Philippine languages, specifically in the names of plants and animals. Many of these appear co have been borrowed from Malay. Loan words fiom China have also crepe into the Philippine vocabulary, particularly standard Tagalog. Linguist Arsenio E, Manuel, in his study Chinese Elements in the Tagalog Language (1948), compiled a “list of 381 ‘Tagalog words of Chinese origins, excluding variants, detivatives and com- pounds.” These words pertain to food, abstract ideas or terms, metal smiching, kinship, and words con- cerning agriculture, business, tools, industries and games. “The few Arabic words in Tagalog came in with the arrival of Islam from the southern Philippine islands where the religion has had a foothold since 1380. However, the defeat of a sultan in Manila in 1571 meant the subsequent extinction of the faith in Tagalog-speaking areas and many Arabic words fall into disuse. The Spanish has contributed a great deal co the Philippine languages, and many Spanish loan words have now been thoroughly naturalized. These include religious, governmental, social, legal and abstract terms, including many terms for foreign articles and luxuries. Contacts with traders during the Spanish period also led to a few Mexican words, mainly Nahuatl or Aztec, creeping into the Tagalog lexicon. Other parts of the country, specifically in the Zamboanga provinces in the Mindanao region, the dom- inant language of the Zamboanguefio people has evolved from the marriage of Spanish and Cebuano into what is now known as Chavacano or Philippine Creole Spanish. In his 1,027-page Diksyunaryo Tesauro Pilipino Ingles posthumously published in 1973, Dr. Jose Villa Panganiban—who was a professor, linguist, and former director of the Institute of National Language in Manila—included 27,069 main word entries, containing almost 217,500 lexical items. He listed 12,000 loan words derived from Spanish, English, Chinese and Indo-European languages. He also included synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms with other languages along with identities and cognacies becween Tagalog and 12 other Philippine languages. ‘While the colonization of the Philippines by the Spaniards for more than 300 years had a profound impact on the lifestyles of the Filipinos, other colonizers especially the Americans left their marks on Philippine culture and society by introducing their own brand of education and government, English words which had no exact equivalent have been adapted into the Philippine languages and given a regional treatment for suitability in the language. Although most are still quoted, some are used and spelled as they are especially with the recent modification of the Filipino alphabet. The Japanese also occupied the islands in the 1940s but seemed to have furnished no words to the Tagalog lexicon. After all these occupations, however, the construction of Tagalog does not seem to have been influenced by any of the colonizers’ languages. It has retained its essentially Malayo-Polynesian structure.10. Introduction A National Language Is Born ‘The adoption of a national language for Filipinos came during the Commonwealth years (1935 to 1946) under the American regime. [e was not easy for proponents of a national language to push Tagalog as the basis for a language chat was to be used from Luzon to the Visayas and all the way down to Mindanao, The three main island groupings in the Philippines each has its own distinct identity as the archipelagic nature of the country gave rise to a wide variety of cultures and languages separated by seas and strengthened by history. Populated then by an estimated 16 million inhabitants, che Philippines had a diverse collection of 172 languages of which three are already extinct. Eight major languages (Tagalog, Cebuano, Llocano, Hiligaynon, Bicolano, Waray, Kapampangan and Pangasinan) all belong to the Malzyo-Polynesian lin- guistic family but no two are mutually comprehensible, In the 1980s, these eight languages and their dialects were spoken by 90% of the population (see Language Map of the Philippines on page 12). Even though they are separate languages, they are closely related (like French, Italian. and Spanish), and some languages are much closer than others—for example, Ilocano and Pangasinan speakers might find little difficulty in learning each other's languages in contrast to learning any of the Visayan lan- guages. The same can be said for Visayan speakers of Cebuano, Hiligaynon and Waray with regards to learning cach other's languages and the opposite for learning the Northern Luzon languages. Iris thus understandable that fierce opposition from certain non- Tagalog legislators and rabid advo- cates of the English language delayed somewhat the entire process of adopting a national language. In the end, however, Tagalog, prevailed when President Manuel L. Quezon proclaimed the creation of a national language based on Tagalog on December 31, 1937. The body which was responsible for the adoption of the national language was the National Language Institute created by President Quezon. It was composed of non-Tagalogs and Tagalog representatives from different regions in the country. ‘The Chairman was Jaime C. de Veyra from Samar, Leyte, with the following as members: Santiago A. Fonacier (Ilocano); Filomeno Sotto (Cebu, Visayas}; Casimiro T. Perfecto {Bicol}; Felix Sales Rodriguez (Panay, Visayas): Madji Bucin (Mindanao) and Dr. Cecilio Lopez (Tagalog). Tagalog was chosen as the basis for the Philippines’ national language for the following reasons: 1, Tagalog is the most widely spoken and the most widely understood language in all regions of the Philippines, By 1989, 25% of the Philippine population spoke Tagalog as their mother tongue. They are scattered across the Tagalog regions, or Katagalugan, stretching from the central to the southern parts of Luzon island and covering 10 major provinces—Nueva Ecija, Aurora, Bataan, Bacangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Metro Manila (or the National Capital Region), Quezon and Rizal—as well as parts of the islands of Marinduque and Mindoro. Further away from these regions, there has been less exposure to Tagalog and one finds a lower competency level in the lan- guage. Compared to Tagalog, the second mast widely-spolen Philippine language—Cebuano—was spoken by 24% of the population in 1989 but is mostly understood only by its own speakers. Other major languages including Tlocano, Hiligaynon, Bicol and Waray are spoken by 5% to 9% of the total population. Many other languages or dialects are spoken by the remaining 22% of the population, Recent 2000 census figures reveal that around 29% of the total population speak Tagalog as their first language and 65% speak or understand the language with varying degrees of proficiency.“Tagalog—A Living Language 11 key EB bi. feletal cebuaro ZA ritzayron EEE nccano sas Kapanangar Pangasinan [PS tagalog TMD xy Philippine Seo South Chine Sea Sula See (hice } AN Mindanco Sea Language Map of the Philippines showing che distribution of the eight major languages12. Introduction 2. Icis not divided into dialects unlike the Visayan languages. There are thtee major Visayan lan- guages: Cebuano, Hiligaynon and Waray. Cebuano is spoken in many parts of the Visayan and Mindanao regions but residents from various provinces have their own distinct Cebuano sub-lan- guages or dialects. There may be variations in the Tagalog language but these are still comprehen sible to all native Tagalog speakers. 3. Tagalog has the richest literature. More books are written and published in Tagalog than in any other native language 4, Tagalog has always been the language of Manila, the country’s capital city, even long before the Spanish came, As the capital city, Manila houses all che major goveznment offices from Malacanang Palace down to the administration's smallest bureaus, At present, economic and political decisions are decided in Manila and its surrounding provinces and cities, which also speak Tagalog. Historically, though, Cebu is the firsc and oldest city in the Philippines. Iti also an altconate gate- way co the nation from abroad 5. Tagalog was the language of the Revolution and the Katipunan, two major events in Philippine history. On June 18, 1938, the Philippine National Assembly created the Insticute of National Language {this instituce was different from the National Language Institute which was eventually dissolved). Two years after the institute was established, ewo monumental language books in Tagalog were presented to President Quezon: the Zagalog-English Dictionary authored by Dr. Cecilio Lopez. and the Balarila ng Wikang Pambansa, a grammar book written by Lope K. Santos, then acknowledged as the Dean of “Tagalog Writers and Father of the National Language. The publication of these books paved the way for the introduction of the national language beginning with the school year 1940-41 during the fourth year of all high schools and in the second year of both public and privare normal schools in the whole country. “Pilipino” Emerges On July 4, 1946 under Commonwealth Act No. 570, independence was granted to the Philippines by the United States of Ametica. It provided for the use of the national language as one of the official lan- guages of the Philippines (the others being Spanish and English) in government offices. Soon, adher- ents of the Tagalog-based national language incteased rapidly all over the islands. In 1954, the national language was given a further boost by President Ramon Magsaysay when he proclaimed the celebration of a Linggo ng Wika (National Language Week) and the national obser- vance annually of the birthday of Francisco Balagtas, a greac Tagalog poet. In 1961, the Office of the Secretary of Education introduced the term “Pilipino” when referring to the national language. It geined wide acceptance in schools and among the general public, chus the ‘Tagalog. based national language was soon called Pilipino, By 1974, the Pilipino movement sticted the public to “think Pilipino.” School teachers were encouraged to attend seminars in Pilipino, the Department of Education started issuing memos, circulars and bulletins enjoining school organs to include sections in Pilipino in their publications, translate English and other forcig materials into Pilipino, use Pilipino on school diplomas and certificates, and sing the nacional anthem only in Pilipino. In schools, Pilipino was introduced at the tertiary level and in the teaching of civics and cul-“Tagalog—A Living Language 13 ture at lower levels, In 1990, then Philippine President Corazon Aquino ordered government offices to use Pilipino as a medium of communication. The government was encouraged 10 use Pilipino in naming their departments and buildings, and to print Pilipino text on their leccerheads, seals and sig- nages. Government employees were also enjoined to attend seminars on Pilipino to broaden their knowledge and skill in the use of the national language. The Medium of Instruction and Communication “The Department of Education and the schools have continuously promoted Pilipino, novr called Filipino, as a medium of instruction and communication, Other supportive forces have joined them in the propagation and enrichment of the language. Radio and television, for instance, use Filipino in 2 majority of their programs to reach out to the masses. Of late, more dubbing and subtitling of for~ cign-produced programs has been done in Filipino and has contributed much to the promotion of the language. In the print media, the number of publishers who produce and circulate books, magazines, comics, broadsheets and tabloids in Filipino is increasing, Songs in Filipino are also “in” and played over the airwaves, sung in concerts and in theatrical performances. Composers in Filipino are now enjoying recognition and patronage from a growing audience. ‘Masses and services in Catholic and Christian churches are now said in Filipino. There are Filipino versions of the bible and other religious books, And when it comes to campaigning during elections, Filipino has become the language to attract voters and certainly the language that an ordinary citizen oon the street is most comfortable with. At present, Filipino as a subject is taught all over the country from pre-school (3 years) up to grade school (6 years) and high school (4 years). Considering that the basic literacy rate in 2003 is high at nearly 90% (wherein 9 out of 10 Filipinos are able to read and \write), itis not a surprise that Filipino is understood and spoken by most Filipinos now. Enriching the National Language More positive moves are being undertaken to strengthen and enrich Filipino as a nacional language. National language advocates and institutions like the Commission on the Filipino Language, Sentro ng Wikang Filipino of the University of the Philippines, along with many teachers, administrators, researchers, writers, authors and linguists are working hard to improve the quality of the Filipino lan- guage. They host and sponsor seminars, workshops, forums and conferences to discuss ways of trans- lacing works, produce adequate and well-researched Filipino books for schools, enrich and infuse Filipino with more words and terms from other major Philippine languages like Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon, Waray, Kapampangan and others, that are fast becoming part of the Filipino vocabulary. With their concerted efforts, these formidable groups will certainly help enliven the use of Filipino in the daily lives of the people and keep alive a national language that fosters genuine nationalism and unity among Filipinos.14 Introduction Understanding the Filipino Character Learning Tagalog becomes more enjoyable and meaningful if one understands the culture of the Philippines as well as the temperament and character of its people. The Philippines is populated by more than 80 million people living on 7,101 islands, which are abundantly blessed by nature, Pristine beaches, verdant mountains and rainforests, a treasure-trove of exotic fauna and flora attract toutists and locals alike. Colorful customs and traditions in the country are brought co the forefont when peo- ple celebrate their lively and spectacular fiestas and showcase their innate creativity, spirituality, culi- nary skills and well-renowned hospitality In the book Living in the Philippines (1980) published by the American Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines and intended for the use of foreign business representatives, expatriates and their families, it is stated thac “one of the best things about the Philippines is the Filipino people them- selves; reams have been written about their warmth and hospitality—all of it is true.” The book also presented the Filipinos as a versatile and talented people, stating that “nowhere is this evident than in the music and the arts. Museums and galleries abound, and even the smallest pub features a talenced musician.” Filipinos are very friendly, loving and cating people. They go out of their way to help others in time of disaster and in crisis they manage to keep their sense of humor and survive despite the eco- nomic and political challenges that face them. Filipinos, however, have their own idiosyncracics. Their strengths may also often be their weaknesses. An indepth study made by a Philippine senator in 1998 derailed the strengths and weaknesses of the Filipino character as follows: Pakikipagkapwa-tao (a basic sense of justice and concern for others) Family orientation Joy and humor Flexibility, adaptability and creativity Hard work and industry Faith and religiosity Resiliency (or the ability to survive} Naveen Filipino weaknesses which surfaced were: extreme personalism; extreme family centeredness; lacle of discipline; passivity; colonial mentality; kanya-kanya syndrome (selfishness or to each his own— the literal translation is his-bis or hers-hers); and lack of analysis and self-reflection. A trait which puzzles a lot of foreigners in the country and which affects relationships, negative- ly is the relaxed attitude coward time, Coming late for appointments, not meeting deadlines, and not starting parties or programs on time all result in irritation and even embarrassment not only among, foreigners but also among fellow Filipinos who observe punctuality. As to dealing with Filipinos, language learners should learn to read the body language and move- ‘ments of the locals. What do they really mean when they say yes or no or perhaps? What are the mean- ings of some peculiar signs and sounds they make? All these certainly represent a big challenge to the leamer or student of Tagalog. For the appreciation of the language student and for the better under- standing of the Filipino character, more Filipino traits and characteristics will be discussed in the sub- sequent lessons and exercises.LESSON ONE The Tagalog Alphabet In the 1930s, when Tagalog was chosen as the basis for the national language, there were 20 letters in the alphabec consisting of five vowels and 15 consonants, These were: aoe i ou bo ok dog m n onop or s ot wsy. ‘The consonants were originally referred to with the vowel a appended to each letter so that these were pronounced ba, ka, da, and so on. The ng consonant was pronounced as nang. In the 1980s, eight more consonants were added to the alphabet. These are ¢, f, js, q, v, x and Z. This was done to facilitate the writing of new words and terms borrowed from other languages. ‘The letters of the Tagalog alphabet are now referred to in the same way as the letters in the English alphabet except for ng and fi (pronounced en-ye) which is of Spanish origin. Generally, the eight additional consonants are used for proper nouns (names of persons, places, buildings, brand names, the like) such as Fe, Carlos, Santo Nifio, Leyte Gulf, Jones Bridge, Jollibee and Louis Vuitton, They are also used for borrowed terms like zakat (almsgiving, the chied pillar of Islam), indigenous or native cerms like earayab (an Igorot costume made of tree bark), and medical and scientific terms like zine and amoxicillin. There are conventions in the pronunciation of the consonants fi and ng. Tagalog words with f are pronounced as if there is a combination of n and y consonants instead of one consonant. The first half is che n part which takes the sound of the vowel before it while the second half is the y part which takes the sound of the vowel after it. For example, the word Nifio in Santo Nifio is pronounced nin- yo. Note thar fis berween i and 0, chus n rakes the initial sound of the vowel I while y cakes the sound of the vowel 0, ‘The pronunciation of the consonant ng is very difficult for foreigners particularly when it appears at the beginning of a word. To produce the sound ng, push the tongue back and up—making sure that the back part of the tongue is curled and almost touches the molars and the roof of your mouth to produce a nasal sound, and then add the sound of the vowel after it. The syllable before ng usual- ly rides on the nasal ng sound. Another Tagalog consonant that may pose some difficulty for foreigners is the consonant r. Unlike the English r where the tongue does not touch the sides of the mouth, the Tagalog r is produced by quickly tapping the tip of the tongue on the gum ridge behind che upper teeth (like a Spanish 7 but not rolled or rrilled). ‘A Tagalog word is pronounced just as it is spelled, and cach syllable is pronounced separately and distincdly. Except for certain vowel and semi-vowel combinations (diphthongs) such as ay, aw, ey, iw, oy, and uy, forcigners will have minimal difficulty in pronouncing most'Tagalog words. However, foreigners may find che iw and uy combinations a bit hard to pronounce and may likely break up the combinations especially when they appear at the end of words. Some Tagalog examples of these diph- thongs are:16 Lesson One agiw agiw cobweb away away fight bitiw bi-tiw let go laway faway saliva kasuy ka-suy cashew reyna rey-na queen baddiy ba-duy dowdy kéhoy ka-hoy wood mabébaw — ma-ba-baw shallow améy amoy scent yaw a-yaw do nor like Foreign Words in Tagalog When a foreign word is borrowed or assimilated into Tagalog, it is written according to the conven- tions of Tagalog phonetics. However, the names of persons and places need not be changed. Many foreign words (mostly Spanish and English) have been absorbed into the Tagalog vocabulary and remain foreign when their original spelling and pronunciation is retained. But when changed to con- form with the Tagalog alphabet, they become Tagalog words, Although many new English loan words have come into the language in recent years (especialy technical and scientific terms), there are still many common, everyday words in the language chat were borrowed from Spanish in carlier times. Between the English word selephone and the Spanish equivalent selefono, for example, the Tagelogs have adopted the lacter and write it as telépond. In writing and pronouncing Spanish loan words in Tagalog, be guided by the following: SPANISH, TAGALOG ENGLISH hard ¢ is changed tok asin calesa kalésa rig softc ischangedtos asin circo sirko circus ch ischanged tots asin Iechon —iitsn._——roast pig ff ischangedtop asin final pinal final softj ischanged coh asin cajon kahén box, drawer ors asin jabon sabén soap HL ischangedtoly asin calle kélye street g — ischangedtok asin maquina makina machine » —— ischangedtob asin vapor bapér ship 2 — ischangedwos asin lapiz lapis pencil English words also undergo changes when they are assimilated into the Tagalog language. Some words may bear some resemblance to the original English words although others have an added hint of Spanish influence. Still others undergo odd, sometimes comical changes when English sounds are given the nearest Tagalog equivalent such as kwaliti for quality. Since kalidad is another Tagalog Joan word (from Spanish), an English word may often have more than one Tagalog equivalent. A current but debatable issue on the Filipinization of English words has also led to the use of words such as efektiv from the English word effzctive, the Tagalog equivalent of which is mabisa. Another example is varaytl from variety (or uri in Tagalog). ‘The following lists a few of the rules:soft is changed w 8 hard ¢ is changed to k ob is changed to k ¢ is changed wo k qua or q are changed to kwa long i is changed to ay f is changed to p » is changed to b longo is changed to u dle is changed to kel tion is changed co syon x changed to ks j is changed to dy beginnings is changed to is soft ch is changed to ts hard ch changed to k asin asin asin asin asin asin asin asin asin asin as as in asin as in asin asin NGLISH cinema academic gimmick addict quality driver traffic believe approve tricycle institution boxing janitor sport teacher school The Tagalog Alphaber 17 TAGALOG sine akadémik gimik adik kwailiti drayber trapik bili aprib traysikel Institusyén béksing dyanitor isport titser iskiil Students should also learn how to write the following foreign words in Tagalog that ate very com- mon ia everyday conversation, Needless to say, correct pronunciation is very important. Learn to pro- nounce these words as true Tagalog words by taking particular notice of the accent marks and stress- es (these will be discussed in Lesson Two). Repeat the words aloud and take note of the vowels, alkohél alcohol ktub piyano piano sinehan radyo radio pelikula kétse car bentiladér telépono telephone otél bangk6é bench tabako kapé coffee tenis restawrén restaurant sigarilyo DAYS OF THE WEEK Liines Monday Martés ‘Tuesday Miyérkules ‘Wednesday Huwébes ‘Thursday MONTHS OF THE YEAR Enéro January Pebréro February Marso March Abril April Mayo May Hunyo June club movie house movie electric fan hotel tobacco tennis cigarecce Biyérnes Sabado Linggé Hulyo Agésto ‘Setyémbre Oktubre Nobyémbre Disyémbre silyé chair kompytiter computer pasapérte passport tlangge bazaar tindéhan store papél paper plastik plastic telebisyon television Friday Saturday Sunday July August Seprember October November DecemberLESSON TWO. Syllables and Stress in Tagalog 1. SYLLABLES IN TAGALOG A knowledge of the different kinds of syllables (word divisions) in Tagalog will help the Iearner to articulate the words correctly. There are four kinds of syllables in Tagalog, namely 1. "The simple syllable consisting of only one vowel (V) aw 0 in téo person aa in pad foot wt in bydik oy as u in Glo head 2. The consonant + vowel syllable (CV) as baorsa in basa read a ta in téo person asa bn mother aslo in Ho head 3. ‘The vowel + consonant syllable (VC) as an in dy wait 23 am in shower | drizzle as ak in limb ait in biccer 4, The consonant + vowel + consonant syllable (CVC) as tak in takb6 run as lak in bulak-lék flower aston in talon jump as law in iaw light ‘When pronouncing Tagalog words, there are no hard and fast rules to help you know how to break the syllables (in other words, to know where each syllable starts and ends). An understanding chough of the types of syllables that exist and the possible combinations of vowels and consonants that are formed through exposure to the Tagalog language will help the learner pronounce words correctly after some time. In the beginning, however, it is best to simply memorize the stress accents along with the words as you learn them. Look out as well for prefixes and suffixes which “grab” vowels and consonants from the root word (sec Lesson 14 on the -um- and mag- verbs, and similar discussions on other affixes). An example is bu-lak-l4k (lower) which becomes bu-lak4a-kin (flowery) where the suffix -in grabs the final conso- nant of the root. A useful rule to remember is not to apply the pronunciation of English words to Tagalog words — for example saying ku-must-4 rather than ku-mus-té (how are you)—since the maximum number ofSyllables and Stress in Tagalog 19 letters in a Tagalog syllable docs not exceed three (keeping in mind chac ng is created as a single let- tet). Thus, there is no must in kumusté although there is pang in pang-épat (fourth) and ngin in hangin (wind). The syllables pang and ngin are only made up of three sounds as ng is considered a single consonant or letter in the Tagalog alphabet. ‘Another useful rule for foreigners is not to separate an intial consonant from a vowel, leaving a YC syllable in the middle of a word, as in Bu-mé-nat or zo strike (which should nor be pronounced bu-mé-nat). VC syllables are mostly found at the beginning of words such as an-tay (wait) and ake yat (climb). VC syllables may also be found at the end of words if the previous syllables end in a vowel as in pa-it (biter) and la-ot (sea). Asa gencral rule for the proper pronunciation of Tagalog words, remember to deliver these words in a faster, sharper and less breathy manner than in English (more in the manner of Spanish pronun- ciation), Do not make any audible breaths (aspirations) in pronouncing the p's, #, ¢s and other con- sonants. Otherwise, you will be branded a “slang,” the local term for anyone who speaks Tagalog with an American accent or with too many long a’, long ¢s and long 0s. Exercises Break the following words correcdy into their individual syllables, The first syllable of each word has been given. . Magand ma-- beautiful . péaralén passe school pagkain pag food j. inilutd Ro was cooked . tals bo to be removed . inalis ib a was removed . hangin hae wind linisin Wee to be cleaned tatlé tate three éladla ae : gift, remembrance 11, kailangan ka needed 12. nésaén na where 13. ngayén now, coday 14. awitin to sing 15. mabait good 16. pangélan name 17. malilt small 18. paalém goodbye 19. maaari can be 20, nag-éaral studying20 Lesson ‘Two Pronounce the words listed in the Exercises on page 19 slowly, syllable by syllable, then repeat chem pronouncing each word a bit faster. I. STRESS In Tagalog, the use of stress on a particular syllable in a word can make a difference in meaning, Stress is the vocal emphasis of a particular syllable. In this book, an accent mark is placed over the vowel of a syllable to indicace which syllable is to be stressed and how the stress is to be sounded. 1. Principal types of stresses There are four principal types of stresses and in this book, they are marked in the following ways: a. End Stress ‘An acute accent mark (’) is placed over the vowel ofthe last syllable of the word if this syllable receives a stronger emphasis than the others. anak a-NAK child ama aMA father ind i-NA mother bulaklak bu-lak-LAK flower malakés = mala-KAS. strong b. Penultimate Stress An acute accent mark (’) is also used to indicate a stress on the next to last syllable of a word, by plac- ing the accent above the vowel of that syllable. babae ba-BA-e woman. lalaki la-LA-ki man mainit ma--nit hot malinis ma-Lt-nis clean téo Tao person ©. Penultimate Stress with a Glottal Catch ‘A grave accent mark (°} is used above the vowel of the last syllable to indicate a strong emphasis on the next to last syllable, The vowel at the end is pronounced with a glottal catch, which is produced by an abrupt closing of the throat to block the air stream in both the mouth and voice box. The glot- tal carch is hard to hear and beginners often mistake the sound as chat of &. For this particular lesson, however, we shall indicate the pronunciation of the glottal catch with the letter @, Note thar this is only a representation of the glottal cacch and should not be interpreced as the literal pronunciation of the words (Please refer to the audio CD to hear how the words are pro- nounced). pune PU-neQ ce kandila kan-DI-laQ candle pusa PU-saQ car susi SU-siQ key bata BA-taQ childSyllables and Suzess in Tagalog 21 d. End Glottal Catch (no stress) The circumflex mark (*) is used above the vowel of the last syllable when it is pronounced without a stress but with a glottal catch at the end. The difference with the preceding stress type is that words that fall under this category ate pronounced faster and he stress on the last syllable seems lost with the glottal catch. pund pu-nog full samp sam-puQ ten bakya bak-yaQ wooden shoes masama —- me-sa-maQ bad ginta gin-toQ gold Nore that longer words may have more than one stressed syllable such as pinagkakaguluhan (being mobbed) and mapdgsamantala (oppostunistic). 2. On the use of stress and accents ‘There are some important facts that the language learner should also remember about the use of stress and accents in Tagalog, These are the following: a. A difference in stress can cause a difference in meaning, as in the following examples: kaibigan friend kaibigan desire kaibigan —_-KA-F-bI-GAN have mutual understanding with kaibigan —_ka--bi-gan sweetheart makaalis — ma-ka-a-LIS to be able to leave makdalis = ma-KA-a-lis to leave unintentionally matilog —— ma-TU-log to sleep matulég = ma-tu-LOG to fall asleep unintentionally b. The glottal catch is lost when a suffix is added after che final vowel. bata BAtaQ child kabatéan —_ka-ba-TA-an youth tuha Lu-hag tears luhaén lu-ha-AN- miserable pund pu-noQ full punuin pu-nu-IN 10 fill with susi ‘SU-sIQ key susién su-siAN keyhole22. Lesson Two &. Monosyllabic words often take on the stress of a preceding word, and the stress in that word is lost. ‘The stress is thus “transferred” co the following single-syllable word. kumain hindi ganité malapit hindi Kumain ka. Hindi pa. Ganito ba? Malapit na. Hindi pd. Ku-ma-in KA. You may cat. Hin-di PA, Not yer Garnito BA? Like this? Ma-la-pit NA. It is near. Hin-di PO. No, sir / madam, d. ‘To avoid mispronunciation, a hyphen separates the prefix that ends in a consonant and with a »P ‘YP Pi P glottal stop from the root that follows which starts with a vowel. pag-dsa mag-alis magisé pag-fbig pagQ-A-sa magQ-a-LIS magQ-i-SA pagQ-l-big hope to remove alone love Exercises Practice pronouncing the following words by paying careful attention to the four types of stress and accent marks used to indicate them, anak ama ina bulakisk malakés babée lalaki mainit téo pund kandila pusa susi bata pund sampo bakya masama ginté a-NA ba-BA-e le-LA-Ki ma-t-nit Tao PU-no@ kan-Di-laQ Pu-saQ SU-siQ BA-taQ pu-noa sam-pu@ bak-yaQ ma-sa-maQ gin-toQ child father mother flower strong woman man hot person tree candle ext key child full ten wooden shoes bad goldLESSON THREE Greetings and Common Expressions Aside from the borrowed Hi and Hello, Tagalogs have other forms of greetings—peppered with speech suffixes that define courtesy and deference. L POLITE FORMS OF ADDRESS—PO AND HO Tagalog politeness is a trait worthy to be discussed and taught to learners of the language. Younger generations and junior employees include the terms pé or hé at the start or end of their greetings and responses (0 express respect for older people—parents, older relatives, and other senior individuals— or persons with honorific ticles or authority—clergy, teachers, community leaders, employers, and policcmen—tegardless of age. P6 and hé approximately mean sir or madam in English and reflect the speaker's good manners and his respect to the one spoken to. P@ is not used by an older person when talking to a younger person such as a father talking to his son or daughter, Neither do equals, such as siblings or friends, use the term. Short positive responses can be just ©0 or yes when speaking to a younger person or a peer in a familiar manner, but when speaking to an older person, you must use either 0-p6 or o-hé, both of which are the formal or police versions of yes. Il. GREETINGS—GOOD DAY, ETC. Greetings usually start with magandé, which means beawrifil. ‘The complete greeting is Magandé ang éraw—ofcen shortened to Magandang éraw—which literally means beautiful day. The most common greetings from morning to evening, in their polite forms, are: Magandéng draw po. Good day, sir/madam, Magandang umaga po. Good momning, sit/madam. Magandéng tanghall pd. Good afternoon, sir/madam. Magandang hépon pé. Good afternoon, sir/madam. Magandéng gabi pé. Good evening, sir/madam. Note that tanghali is noon or midday. The period covers lunch time, from around 11 in the morning 0 1 o'clock in the afternoon, This is the time when most Tagalog families prepare and have their lunch, Vocabulary List tanghéll = noon or midday _ magandé = beautiful ‘salémat = thank you kapilya = chapel gabl = night hépon = afternoon pangélan = name Kumusté? = How are you? éraw = morning mabutl = fine padlam = goodbye op6 (or oh) = yes (formal)24 Lesson ‘Three For equals, ic is fine co drop p6 and just say: Magandéng um: Good morning. Magandéng hépon. Good afternoon. In addition to the use of pé or hd, another polite way of greeting people is to address them in the plural form by adding sa inyé, which means to you (plural), and sa kanilé, which means ¢o hem, at the end of the greeting. In English, however, a greeting with sa kanilé at the end still translates to zo you in Tagalog and not literally 40 them. The plural forms emphasize the greeter’s acknowledgment of the seniority or authority of the person being greeted. On the other hand, equals use sa iy6 or to you (singular). Magandang umdga pé sa inyd. Good morning to you, sir/madam. Magandang hépon pé sa kanild. Good afternoon to you, sir/madam. Magandang umaga sa ly6. Good morning to you, ‘The usual responses of both older or senior individuals and equals contain rin and namén, which mean £09, indicating that the one who received the greeting meant the greeter to have a similar good day. Magandang umaga rin sa iyd, Good morning to you, too. Magandéng umaga naman. Good morning, too, Magandang tanghali rin p6. Good afternoon, too, sir/madam, Ill. GREETINGS—HOW ARE YOU? The influence of Spanish is evident in che way Filipinos, particularly Tagalogs, greet people. Derived from the Spanish “como esta,” Tagalogs use a similar greeting when they meet a friend, a relative or an acquaintance of about their age or stature. Older people also use this greeting toward younger people. Kumusta ka? How are you?Greetings and Common Expressions 25 ‘The Tagalog quivalent for the singular pronoun you is Ikéw; it becomes ka when the pronoun is used in an inverted word order (Refer to discussions on sentence formation and pronouns in Lessons Five and Six), Bur when greeting an elder or superior, Tagalogs use the plural kay6 and silé instead of ka, This is the polite way of greeting and asking how one is. Kayé and silé are the plural pronouns for yore and #hey, respectively. P may be dropped if kay6 and silé are used. Kumusta pé kay6? How are you, sir/madam? Kumusta si How are you, sir/madam? Take note that it is nor unusual for Tagalogs to ask about one’s family—parents, spouse, children, and everyone else in the family—when they sce cach other, whether the speaker is young, old or at about the same age as che person spoken to, Other cultures should see dl thoughtful nature of Filipinos, young and old alike. ‘The responses to these greetings usually include mabiiti which means fine, salémat which means shank you, as well as rin and namén. Mabuti naman (p6). Salamat (p4). Fine, too, sir/madam. Mabuti rin (p6). Saldmat. Thank you, sir/madam. asa reflection of the Saldmat is opsional ac che end of the sentence, thus p6 or h6 may be attached to the first half of the response, However, it is never wrong to say p again when salémat is retained. Foreigners and ‘Tagalog alike could never go wrong with an overuse of the term but will only endear them to older or senior people. Another peculiarity of the Tagalog is the use of the questions Where are you going? or Where have ‘you been?in the same context as Kumustd ka? when mecting people they know. These very common greetings among ‘Tagalogs should not be taken literally by forcigners, Filipinos are not really asking your itinerary—these are the equivalent of the English How és ir going? and is simply another way of saying Hello! and striking up a conversation, Saén ka pupunta? (informal) Where are you going? Sadn kayé papunté? (formal) ‘Where are you going, sir/madam? Saén ka nanggaling? (informal) Where have you been? Saén kayé nanggéling? (formal) Where have you been, sir/madam? The usual response is Diyan témang (p6) which means Just nearby (sir/mudam). However, you may be specific abour the place and say, for example, Sa Quezon City {p6) which means either Fir going to Quezon City (sirlmadam) or I've been t0 Quezon City (sir’madam). IV. VARIOUS WAYS OF SAYING EXCUSE ME There is no exact equivalent for excuse mein Tagalog. However, there are five different ways of express- ing it depending on the situation. 1. Paumanhin pé is used when one apologizes or asks to be excused, or if one bumps into someone else accidentally. 2. Pakiradn pé is used when one asks for permission to pass through,26 Lesson Three Mawaléng-gélang po is used when one requests to be heard. Patawad pé is used when one apologizes for causing physical injury or emotional hurt to some- one else, Pasintabi pé is used when one gives a warning of something that may be offensive or distasteful to others. Tn which situations can cach of the above be used? 1 3. ‘When a small group is having a formal discussion or meeting and you need to leave, you may say in a modest tone of voice to the nearest person or to the one presiding the meeting, Paumanhin (p64), aalis na ako or Paumanhin (pé6), ldlabas lamang ako sandali. The statements mean Excuse me (sirvmadam), 1 will leave now or Excuse me (sistmadam), I will go out for a while, One does not have to say Paumanhin (p@) in a big meeting where one’s absence is not obvious, unless one is the special guest. Another situation that calls for Paumanhin (p6) is when one bumps into someone unincen- tionally such as at a party or in a crowded area like a shopping mall. This statement is also cquiv- alent to Tin sorry. When you want to pass through a passage way or hall thae is blocked by two persons talking to one another, you say Pakiradn pé (Please let me pas.) then pass. When you are in a meeting and wish to voice requests or opinions, or interrupr the speaker to make a comment, you say Mawaléng-gélang pé and proceed 10 make the statement, The phrase literally means May J lore may courtesy? but translates as 1 beg your pardon. This is also appropriate when one wants to ask directions from somebody who is talking to another person, Mawaléng-gélang p6, paano pumunté sa Ayala Avenue (Excuse me, how do T get to Ayala Avenue)? When someone is deeply hurt—either physically or emotionally —by another, the one at fault who realizes his mistake should say Patawad pé or Patawarin ninyé ak6, which means Forgive me,Greetings and Common Expressions 27 5. Some people cannot withstand unpleasant stories or photos. To warn them of a forthcoming offensive situation, one should say Pasintabi p6. This is commonly used by news teportets when a gruesome film footage is about to be shown on television. The phrase literally means Please set aside. Can one of the above expressions sometimes be used in place of another? Yes, Mawaléng-gélang pé may be used for situations 1 and 2 but not for 4 Can one use Paumanhin pé instead of Patawad p&? No, Paumanhin p6 may mean Sorry but it is is wo mild to use in cases of physical or emotional injury. V, OTHER COMMON EXPRESSIONS ‘Tagalogs have common everyday expressions that should be memorized by students of this language "The following expressions have shortened forms that are used in everyday speech just as the shortened form of the English Lett is used in place of Let us. More shortened forms are listed in Lesson Forty- Three. Saan kayé nakatirs? ‘And ang pangélan mo? Aywan ko. (shortened: Ewan ko.) Hind{ ko alm. (shortened: Di ko alm.) ‘Ayaw aké. (shortened: Ayko.) Bahdla nat Kaunti ldmang, (shortened: Lang) Kung minsan. Gising nat Hindi bale! Hindi naman. Hintéy ka! (shortened: Tekal) Huwag na. Salémat. Bahia ka. Magmadall Mamayé na. Salémat. Mardming salamat. ‘Ané p6? (or An6?) Saké na. Sandali mang, (shortened: Lang) Sige nat Sayang! Tahimik kay6. Tama na. Tayo na, (shortened: Tena.) Totod ba? (shortened: Totod?} . (shortened: Where do you live? What is your name? T don't know. 1 dont know. 1 don't like. Come what may! Jusca lice. Once in a while. Wake up! Never mind! Not so. Wait for a moment. No more, Thank you. Icis up to you. Hurry up! (literally: Be quick, you!) For a while. ‘Thank you. ‘Thank you very much. What did you say, sir/madam? Later. Just a moment. Go on! What a pity: What a loss Be silent. Iris all right. Ie is enough. Lec’ go. Is ir true?28 Lesson Three Talog na. Go to sleep. Marahil. Maybe, Sigiiro. Maybe or definitely. Note that the meaning of sigiro depends on che response to the question being asked. For example, there may be thiee responses to the question Siguro ka? or Are you sure 6, sigtiro ako. Yes, Lam sure (or Yes, definitely) Hindi ako sigtro. Jam not sure. Sigtiro. Maybe. Remember to include p@ or appropriately change ka into kay6 or silé to all the above expressions whenever possible to show respect. Kataké-takat It seems incredible! Magaling! Outstanding! (literally: Skilled) Nakayéyamétt It is annoying! Mabuhay! Welcome! iliterally: May yon five long!) Mabuhay, the official greeting of Filipinos co forcign visitors, has also become an expression of col- lective joy and pride for any occasion, especially when Filipinas are proud of an achievement whether in polities or sportss may also be used to greet newly weds, Mabuhay ang bagong kasall ot literally, May the newlyweds live long Maligayang bati (pé)! Congratulations (sir/madam)! (literally: Happy greet ings! The phrase has now come to be associated with birthday celebrations.) Exercises March a situation from Column B to the appropriate response from column A. COLUMN A COLUMN B Magaling! 1, Your mother calls out thar dinner is ready. You are still tidying up your study table as you have just finished doing your homework. ‘An6 po? 2. Your 2-year old nephew sings the song Brother John from stare 10 finish Magandéng hépon din p6. 3. Your grandmother asks a question bur you did not understand half of the words she was saying, ‘Sandali lang pé. 4, You ate looking for a building along Ayala Avenue. While look- ing up at one rall building, you bump into somebody. Paumanhin pé. 5. ‘The town mayor is leaving the municipal hall just as you were entering, He greets you good afternoon,LESSON FOUR The Articles Si and Ang Any noun that is used 2s the subject of a sencence—including names of persons, places, and chings— is always preceded by an article, except in direct conversation and in imperative statements. I. THE ARTICLES SI AND SINA ‘The singular article si is used before che name of a person and the plural article sind is used before the names of two or more persons. Si Ruth ay babée. Ruth is a woman, Si Peter ay lalaki. Peter is a man. Si Helen ay batang babae. Helen is a young girl, Si Tom ay bating laléki. Tom is a young boy. Si Ruth ay maganda. Ruth is pretty. Si Peter ay martinong. Peter is intelligent. Helen at Tom ay mababait. Helen and ‘Tom are good, Sina Helen at Tom ay mga bata. Helen and Tom are children, Note chat Tagalog sentences follow a plurality rule where either the subject or predicate may be made plural. However, the pluralization of both subject and predicate is optional. In the last sentence above, the article sina indicates that the subject is plural while mga (a plural marker that has no meaning on its own) before bata indicates thac che noun is plural. Adjectives form their plural by duplicating, the first syllable of che roor word, For example, mabait (or kind, root word is bait) becomes mababait. I. THE ARTICLES ANG AND ANG MGA ‘The article ang is used before the name of a single thing or place while ang mga (pronounced ma- nga) is used belore the names of two or more things or places. ‘Ang bata ay mabait. The child is good. ‘Ang so ay mabait. The dog is good. ‘Ang bata at ang aso ay mababait, The child and the dog are good. ‘Ang mga bata at ang mga 4so ay mababaft. ‘The children and the dogs are good. ‘Ang mga sapatos ay malilinis. The shoes are clean, Vocabulary List mardnong = intelligent magkapatid = siblings —_lugr = place batd = young (adj.); child (n.) malinis = clean mahél = expensive lungséd = city sapstos = shoes30. Lesson Four Ang bard at ang sapétos ay malilinis, ‘The dress and the shoes are clean. Ang mga bard at ang mga sapétos ay malilinis. ‘The article ang must always precede the name of a place. However, the article mga may be placed before the adjective, which must chen take on a plural form if there is more than one name of place in the subject, or before Ang Pilipinas ay maliit. Ang Estados Unidos ay malaki. ‘The United States i ‘The dresses and the pairs of shoes are clean. the noun {see underlined words in the examples below). The Philippines is small. Ang Maynila ay isang lungsod ng Pilipinas. Manila is a city of the Philippines, Ang Washington D.C, ay ptinong-lungséd ng Estados Unidos. Ang Maynilé at ang Washington D.C. ay mga lungséd. Ang Baguio at ang Tagaytéy ay mga malalamig na lugér. Ang Baguio at ang Tagaytay ay malalamig na mga lugar. Note thar itis acceptable to delete the second ang before the second name of a place and dhe mean- the United States. Baguio and ‘Tagaytay are cool places. ing of the sentence will noc change. Ang Maynila at Washington D.C. ay mga lungséd. Ang Baguio at Tagaytay ay malalamig na mga lugar. Exercises Fill in the blanks with the correct articles: 10. aso at bata ay malilinis. bata at 4so ay mababait. Ruth at Peter ay magkapatid. Amérika at Aprika ay malataki, Peter at Ruth ay mababait at marurtinong. Helen, Tom, Mary at John ay malilinis, ata at Helen ay magagandé. ‘Tom ay mababait (plural form). Tom and companions are good. Helen, John, at Peter at so ay mababait. Amerika at Aprika ay malalaki. ‘Washington D.C. is the capital city of Manila and Washington D.C. are cities.‘The Articles Stand Ang 31 From the lists of subjects and predicates below, make 15 sentences in the subject-predicate word order (with the subject first and the predicate last). Use ay to join che subject and predicate, and add the correct articles before the subject. SUBJECTS babée woman lalaki man bata child bahay house bansé nation tubig water pagkdin food bulaklék = flower mésa table silya chair péaralan school kétse car lapis pencil papel paper kapé coffee isda fish draw sun; day hangin wind akiét book simbahan church PREDICATES magandé mariinong mataba mabait mabiti maliit malaki mainit malamig malinis bago mira mahal maserép maluség Juma matanda matads mababa mahirap beautiful intelligent far kind; good (of character) good (of condition or quality) simall big hot cold clean new cheap dear; expensive delicious; delightful healthy old (inanimate) old (animate) high low poor; difficule All sentences in this lesson use the subject-predicate word order, The sueceeding lessons will dis- cuss how to make sentences using the inverted word order where the predicate comes before the sub- ject. The inverted word order is more commonly used in everyday speech by Tagalogs.LESSON FIVE Sentence Formation ‘There are two basic ways to form a sentence in Tagalog, These are the subject-predicate word order where the subject appears at the beginning of the sentence and the inverted or transposed word order where the predicate is ac the beginning and the subject is at the end of the sentence (or may be omit- ted). Tagalog speakers tend to use the inverted word order more often in everyday speech. I, THE SUBJECT-PREDICATE SENTENCE ORDER A sentence is in this order when the subject is the most important element in the sentence and it ‘comes first within the sentence. In this order, the word ay (equivalent to the English is and ave) is used. 1. Ang bahay ay malaki. The house is big. 2. Si Peter ay mabai Peter is good. 3. Sina Peter at Mary ay mga bata. Peter and Mary are children 4, Ang bata ay kumakain. ‘The child is eating, 5. Ang babée at ang laléki ay nagliluta, ‘The woman and the man are cooking ‘The emphasis in this type of sentence is on the subject—meaning that the speaker wishes to focus attention on the subject. The word ay in sentences 1, 2, and 3 links the subject to what is said about the subject and is used here as a linking verb. The ay in sentences 4 and 5 is a helping verb that accompanies the principal verb, which represents the chief action in the sentence, Il. THE INVERTED OR TRANSPOSED SENTENCE ORDER A sentence is in the inverted or transposed word order when the predicate comes at the beginning of the sentence before the subject. The word ay is not used in the inverted word order sentence. 1. Malaki ang béhay. ——_ Big, the house is. (The house is big.) 2. Kumékain ang bata. Easing, the child is. (TThe child is eating.) 3. Mabait si Peter. Good, Peter is. (Peter is good.) "The focus or emphasis in such sentences is on the predicate rather than on the subject, In invert ed word order sentences having plural nouns as their subjects, the word mga—not ang mga—comes before the first nouns. Vocabulary List béhay = house kumékain «is/are eating pus = cat aso = dog mainit = hot nagldlutd = is/are cooking