BASIC RULES IN

LEARNING TAGALOG

1. General Rules
There are four general aspects of the Filipino language you need to be familiar with
before you can begin studying the rest. Let’s start with how words are formed and
connected in Filipino.
1 – Roots and Affixes
Roots and affixes are the main ingredients of Tagalog words. Affixes are added to
roots to change the meaning or aspect of a word, particularly of verbs.
The affix -in, for instance, can be added to the verb root kain (eat), to change it to
its past or imperative form.

Root Past Imperative

kain kinain kainin

Some Tagalog root words can also be combined to craft a new word.

araw (day) + gabi (night) araw-gabi (day and night)

New words can also be formed by repeating certain roots. In this case, a hyphen is
used as a separator.

isa (one) isa-isa (one by one)

gaya (imitate) gaya-gaya (a person who imitates)

halo (mix) halo-halo (a mixture of different things)

araw (day) araw-araw (every day)

Finally, affixes can be added to the beginning, middle, or end of a root word to form
new nouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs.
 tag-ulan (rainy season)
 kahapon (yesterday)
 mahangin (windy)
 tumawid (crossed)
 mabenta (marketable)
 iyakin (crybaby)

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2 – Sentence Structure
Tagalog word order is a bit different from that of English, and is much simpler in a
sense. For instance:

English Sentence Filipino Translation Literal Meaning

The car is beautiful. Maganda ang kotse. Beautiful the car.

Here, the particle marker ang is used to mark the noun that comes after it as the
subject of the sentence.
You could also say, Ang kotse ay maganda, which is a direct translation of the
example. However, this particular sentence pattern is used only in formal writing
and not in casual conversations.
→ Speaking of root words, here’s a list of 100 core Filipino words you should
familiarize yourself with.
3 – Pronunciation and Sounds
Replaceable Sounds
We’ve discussed Tagalog pronunciation in detail in one of our recent blog entries,
but we haven’t yet touched on the topic of replaceable sounds. Under certain
conditions, some Tagalog vowel sounds can be replaced.
The /i/ sound, for instance, can be changed to the /e/ sound:
 lalaki (man, male) → lalake
 hindi (no) → hinde
 mabuti (good) → mabute
 mabait (friendly) → mabaet
 madami (plenty) → madame
The /e/ sound can also be changed to the /i/ sound. This usually happens when the
last syllable is immediately followed by a word:
 sige na (come on, go ahead) → sigi na
And then there’s the changing of the /o/ sound to the /u/ sound:
 total (after all) → tutal
This also happens when the last syllable is not followed by a pause:
 Ano pa? (What else?) → Anu pa?
 Botika (Drugstore) → Butika
Keep in mind that the change in sound is only applied to spoken language; they
keep their original spelling in written form.

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Syllable Repetition
One thing that’s unique about the Filipino language is the repetition of syllables in
words, particularly when conjugating verbs. The word awit (to sing), for instance,
becomes aawit (will sing) in its future tense.
The rules for syllable repetition are simple. If the syllable begins with a vowel, the
first vowel alone is repeated.

amin (admit) aamin (will admit)

iwan (leave behind) iiwan (will leave behind)

uwi (go home) uuwi (will go home)

Now, if the syllable begins with a consonant, the first consonant and the first vowel
are repeated.

balik (return) babalik (will return)

sayaw (dance) sasayaw (will dance)

kain (eat) kakain (will eat)

Roots and affixes are the building blocks of Tagalog words.

4 – Markers
Markers play an important role in Tagalog grammar. These are short words that
indicate what role a word is playing in a sentence. The three main markers
are ang, ng, and sa.
The Ang Marker
The four ang markers are: ang, si, sina, and ang mga.
The ang marker is used to mark a word as the focus of a sentence.

Matalino ang babae. The woman is smart.

Magulo ang usapan. The discussion was a mess.

May limang anak ang lalaki. The man has five children.

However, it’s not used to mark people’s names. We use the si marker for that one.

Masipag si Marco. Marco is hardworking.

Nagbabasa si Denise sa loob ng kwarto niya. Denise is reading inside her room.

Nasa opisina si Roxanne. Roxanne is in the office.

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Take note that the si marker is only used to mark singular names. To indicate the
names of two or more people, we use sina.

Nasa labas na sina Paul at Aileen. Paul and Aileen are already outside.

Dumating kanina sina Rudy. Rudy and company arrived earlier.

Hindi nakauwi sina JR at Lisa. JR and Lisa were not able to make it home.

What about ang mga? Well, we use this marker to mark a word that’s in its plural
form.

Naglalaro ang mga bata. The kids are playing.

Nagliparan ang mga ibon. The birds have flown away.

Biglang nagsidatingan ang mga tao. The people suddenly started arriving.

The Ng Marker
The ng markers are: ng, ni, nina, and ng mga.
Ng is used to indicate possession, with the name of the possessor coming right after
the marker.

bahay ng presidente home of the president

pagkain ng pusa food of the cat

aklat ng estudyante book of the student

It’s also used to mark a direct object that is not the focus.

Naghanap ng trabaho si Anton. Anton went looking for a job.

Bumili ng bahay ang pamilya ni Marc. Marc’s family bought a house.

Binigyan niya ako ng maraming pera. He gave me a lot of money.

The Sa Marker
The sa markers are: sa, kay, kina, and sa mga.
Sa is used to mark location, direction, future time, and the beneficiary of an action
in a sentence.

Location May pagtitipon sa bahay ko. There’s a party at my

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 house.

Direction Pumunta siya sa Maynila. He went to Manila.

Mico will arrive on

Future time Dadating si Mico sa Martes.
Tuesday.

Beneficiary of an Nagluto siya para sa asawa

He cooked for his wife.
action niya.

2. Nouns
Nouns are the most important words you can learn when you begin studying a
language. But they can only benefit you if you know how to use them! In this
section, we’ll cover a couple of basic Filipino grammar rules concerning nouns and
their usage.
1 – Gender
Filipino is considered a gender-neutral language. That said, there are no equivalents
for the words “he” and “she” in Tagalog.
In the following sentences, siya is used to refer to both the male subject and the
female subject.
 Siya yung sinasabi ko. (He was the one I was talking about.)
 Umalis siya para bumili ng pagkain para sa amin. (She went to buy some
food for us.)
In these examples, niya is used for the pronouns “he” and “she,” serving as a
substitute for an unfocused actor.
 Kinuha niya ang telepono ko. (He took my phone.)
 Hinugasan niya ang kanyang mga kamay. (She washed her hands.)

2 – Plurals
In English grammar, regular nouns in their singular form are changed into their
plural form by adding -s at the end of the word. In Filipino grammar, a word is made
plural by placing the marker mga before the word.

English Filipino

Singular Plural Singular Plural

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bird birds ibon mga ibon

car cars kotse mga kotse

tree trees puno mga puno

→ Don’t forget to check out our list of the 50 most common Tagalog nouns!

3. Pronouns
In Filipino grammar, pronouns are categorized in the same manner that English
pronouns are. However, it’s important to note that not all English pronouns have a
direct equivalent in Tagalog. Tagalog pronouns are unique in that they’re divided
into three groups—the same groups that are used to classify markers—ang, ng,
and sa.
1 – Ang pronouns are the focus in a sentence.

English Filipino Example

Ako ang nag-ayos ng

problema niya.
“I” ako (singular first person)
“I am the one who fixed his
problem.”

Ikaw ang hinahanap nila.

“you” ikaw (singular second person) “You are the one they are
looking for.”

Siya ang may pakana ng

“he” / lahat.
siya (singular third person)
“she” “She is the mastermind of all
this.”

tayo (inclusive) / kami (exclusive) (plural Nanalo tayo.

“we”
first person) “We won.”

Dapat pumunta kayo lahat

“you all” kayo (plural second person) dun.
“You all should go there.”

“they” sila (plural third person) Umuwi na sila.

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 “They went home already.”

2 – Ng pronouns replace unfocused nouns in a sentence.

English Filipino Example

Natupad ang kahilingan ko.

“my” / “of me” ko (singular first person)
“My wish was granted.”

Nasa labas ang mga

“your” / “of you” mo (singular second person) kaibigan mo. “Your friends are
outside.”

Nahanap niya ang nawawala

“his” / “her” / “of
niya (singular third person) kong aso.
him” / “of her”
“He found my lost dog.”

namin (exclusive) / natin (inclu Isinauli namin ang kotse.

“our” / “of us”
sive) (plural first person) “The car was returned by us.”

Nariyan na ang mga grado ninyo.

“your” / “of you” ninyo (plural second person)
“Your grades are now available.”

“their” / “of Malayo ang opisina nila.

nila (plural third person)
them” “Their office is quite far.”

3 – Sa indicates an unfocused direction and location in a sentence; it also

indicates possession.

English Filipino Example

Nasa akin ang anak mo.

“me” / “my” akin (singular first person) “Your daughter is with
me.”

“you” / “your” iyo (singular second person) Tatawag ako

sa iyo bukas.
“I am going to call you

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 tomorrow.”

Nasa kanya ang

“him” / “his” / mikropono.
kanya (singular third person)
“her” / “hers” “The microphone is with
him.”

amin (exclusive) / atin (inclusive) Amin ito.

“us” / “our”
(plural first person) “This is ours.”

Sa inyo yata ito.

“you” / “your” inyo (plural second person)
“This is probably yours.”

Kanila na lang yang

“them” / “their” kanila (plural third person) pagkain.
“Give the food to them.”

4 – Kita
In instances when “I” (ko) acts as the doer and “you” (ka) functions as the object,
the pronoun kita is used. The best example is the statement, Mahal kita (“I love
you”), or literally, “You are loved by me.”
Here are more examples where kita (“I…you”) is used:
 Nakita kita sa TV. (I saw you on TV.)
Lit. “You were seen on TV by me.”
 Tinatawag kita kanina. (I was calling you earlier.)
Lit. “You were called by me earlier.”
 Kaibigan kita. (You are my friend.)
 Tuturuan kita. (I will teach you.)
 Bibigyan kita ng pabuya. (I will give you a reward.)

Did you know that there are different ways to say “I love you” in
Filipino?

4. Verbs and Tenses

 Verbs are arguably the most difficult aspect of Tagalog

grammar. Non-Tagalog speakers might find them complicated
at first as they don’t work the same way that English verbs do.

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 The good news is that, in Filipino grammar, tenses work pretty
much the same way as those in English.

 Basically, Tagalog verbs are made up of a verb root and an

affix. In order to change the meaning or tense of the verb, an
affix can be added to the beginning, middle, or end of the verb
root.

 1 – Verb Groups

 Tagalog verbs are grouped according to how they’re

conjugated. They can either
be mag-, ma-, um-, in-, or i- verbs.

 Below are examples of how words are conjugated in each

group:

 -Mag Verb
Root Verb Past Present Future Imperative

aral (to nag-aral (studie nag-aaral (studyi mag-aaral (will mag-aral (stud
study) d) ng) study) y)

 -Ma Verb
Root Verb Past Present Future Imperative

kinig (to nakinig (listene nakikinig (listenin makikinig (will makinig (liste
listen) d) g) listen) n)

 -Um Verb
Root Verb Past Present Future Imperative

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kain (to eat) kumain (ate) kumakain (eating) kakain (will eat) kumain (eat)

 -In Verb
Root Verb Past Present Future Imperative

tawag (to tumawag (called tumatawag (calling tatawag (will tumawag (call
call) ) ) call) )

-I Verb
Root Verb Past Present Future Imperative

inom (to uminom (was iniinom (being iinumin (will be inumin (drin
drink) drank) drank) drank) k)

2 – Verb Repetition

 Tagalog verbs can be repeated when expressing a prolonged

action. This is a unique characteristic of Filipino grammar.
When verbs are repeated in this manner, the two words are
linked by nang.

Kain nang kain si Raul. Raul keeps on eating.

Sumigaw nang sumigaw si Tanya. Tanya kept on shouting.

Iyak nang iyak si Joy. Joy keeps on crying.

Add these 25 most commonly used verbs to your arsenal of Filipino verbs!

5. Adjectives
Adjectives are the spice of language. This section will teach you what you should
know before using them yourself.
1 – Adjective-Noun Identicals

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Some Tagalog adjectives are identical to nouns in both spelling and meaning,
although they differ in pronunciation with the noun having a long vowel sound.

Noun Adjective

buhay (life) buhay (alive)

gutom (hunger) gutom (hungry)

hirap (poverty) hirap (struggling)

pagod (tiredness) pagod (tired)

sunog (fire) sunog (burnt)

2 – Adjective Gender
There are a number of Tagalog adjectives used to describe female individuals. These
words usually end in /a/.

Male Female

ambisyoso (ambitious) ambisyosa

bobo (stupid) boba

bungangero (vociferous) bungangera

luku-luko (crazy) luka-luka

suplado (snobbish) suplada

3 – Degrees of Adjectives
In Tagalog grammar, adjectives are sometimes repeated when describing a noun in
the intensive degree.
 In the superlative degree, pinaka is usually added before the word, as
in pinakamaganda (the most beautiful).
 Meanwhile, napaka is used to describe something to an intensive degree, as
in napakaganda (very beautiful).
This can also be achieved by repeating the root word, as in magandang-
maganda or ang ganda-ganda.
Take note that if the root word ends in a vowel, -ng is attached to it—but only to the
first appearance of the word, and not the repetition.

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batang-bata very young

basang-basa very wet

litong-lito very confused

sirang-sira extremely worn out

tuwang-tuwa very happy

On the other hand, if the root word ends in a consonant, the two words are linked
by na.

atat na atat very eager

gutom na gutom very hungry

laos na laos very obsolete

malinis na malinis very clean

pagod na pagod very tired

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION

Mike: Hi and welcome to the Absolute Beginner series .This is season 1, lesson 1, First Encounters
I’m Mike.

Amy: Kumusta! And I’m Amy.

Mike: The two of us will be your guides through your first steps in learning Filipino.

Amy: You said it Mike! So just sit back, relax and enjoy the series with us!

Mike: That’s right! Because we’ll make sure that you’ll have a great time learning Filipino.

Amy: Alright! So Mike, what will we be talking about in this lesson?

Mike: For this first lesson, we’ll learn how to say “hello” in Filipino in the daytime.

Amy: That sounds great! The conversation will take place on the street, right?

Mike: Yes. It takes place between two people.

Amy: Luisa and Ana know each other, but their relationship is formal, so they’ll be using formal Fili

Mike: Okay, let’s listen to the conversation.

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DIALOGUE

Luisa: Kumusta.

Ana: Kumusta.

Luisa: Kumusta ka na?

Ana: Mabuti naman. Salamat. Ikaw, kumusta ka na?

Luisa: Ganoon pa rin, gaya noon.

Gina: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly.

Luisa: Kumusta.

Ana: Kumusta.

Luisa: Kumusta ka na?

Ana: Mabuti naman. Salamat. Ikaw, kumusta ka na?

Luisa: Ganoon pa rin, gaya noon.

Gina: Now let’s hear it with the English translation.

Luisa: Kumusta.

Luisa: Hello.

Ana: Kamusta.

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Ana: Hello.

Luisa: Kumusta ka na?

Luisa: How have you been?

Ana: Mabuti naman. Salamat. Ikaw, kumusta ka na?

Ana: Fine. Thanks. How about you?

Luisa: Ganoon pa rin, gaya noon.

Luisa: Still the same as before.

POST CONVERSATION BANTER

Mike: Okay, so it’s time now to learn some interesting points about Filipino culture. So Betsey, wha
in the Philippines when people meet each other on the streets?

MIke: Well Mike, when you meet someone in the Philippines, it is customary to greet them with “Ku

Amy: Are there any specific gestures needed?

Mike: No. However, depending on the situation there are some common gestures used.

Amy: Hmm. So for business settings…

Mike: A handshake would be best.

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Amy: Oh that seems familiar. How about among friends?

MIke: When you see your friends, you should wave your hands while saying “Kumusta”.

Amy: How about among women?

Mike: Most women greet their close female friends with a kiss on the cheek while at the same time
“Kumusta”.

Amy: How about among men?

Mike: Filipino men sometimes pat each other on the shoulder if they’re close friends, as a greeting

Amy: Ok, so Mike, how should I respond when Filipinos greet me on the streets?

Mike: The common and general response to “Kamusta?” is “Mabuti”.

Amy: Which means “Well” or “Fine”, right? But how about if I’m not feeling well?

Mike: Filipinos mostly still say “mabuti” . Filipinos are very optimistic people, so they try to keep th
positive regardless of their actual feelings.

Amy: Wow, that’s nice to hear!

Mike: Isn’t it? Okay, so now let’s move on to the key vocabulary and phrases for this lesson.

VOCAB LIST

Amy: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson.

MIke: The first word we shall see is:

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Mike: naman [natural native speed]

Amy: accordingly; the same manner; likewise; similarly

Mike: naman [slowly - broken down by syllable]

Amy: naman [natural native speed]

: Next:

Mike: ka [natural native speed]

Amy: you (singular)

Mike: ka [slowly - broken down by syllable]

Amy: ka [natural native speed]

: Next:

Mike: Kumusta [natural native speed]

Amy: Hello, How are you?, How?

Mike: Kamusta [slowly - broken down by syllable]

Amy: Kamusta [natural native speed]

: Next:

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Mike: Salamat [natural native speed]

Amy: Thanks (informal)

Mike: Salamat [slowly - broken down by syllable]

Mike: Salamat [natural native speed]

: Next:

Amy: mabuti [natural native speed]

Mike: good, fine

Amy: mabuti [slowly - broken down by syllable]

Mike: mabuti [natural native speed]

: Next:

Amy: na [natural native speed]

Mike: now; already

Amy: na [slowly - broken down by syllable]

Mike: na [natural native speed]

: Next:

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Mike: ganoon [natural native speed]

Amy: in that manner

Mike: ganoon [slowly - broken down by syllable]

Amy: ganoon [natural native speed]

: Next:

Mike: gaya [natural native speed]

Amy: similar to, like

Mike: gaya [slowly - broken down by syllable]

Amy: gaya [natural native speed]

: And last:

Mike: noon [natural native speed]

Amy: at that time, in the past

Mike: noon [slowly - broken down by syllable]

Amy: noon [natural native speed]

KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES

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Gina: Let's have a closer look at the usage for some of the words and phrases from this lesson.
What do we have first?

Betsey: The first word is “ka”.

Gina: Which means “you”. So Betsey, how should we use it?

Betsey: “ka” is commonly used in questions and commands in Filipino. But “ka” is never used to s
a statement or a question.

Gina: I see. So does it usually follow a verb, an adjective, or a phrase describing the subject?

Betsey: Yes it does.

Gina: Can you give us some examples?

Betsey: Sure. Let’s try to use “ka” after a verb. “Kumain ka ba?”

Gina: It means ‘Did you eat?’

Betsey: And now let’s try to use “ka” after an adjective. “Magaling ka ba?”

Gina: ‘Are you good?’ This could mean “are you good at something?” It’s context dependent.
Now, let’s try to use it in a phrase.

Betsey: “Kamusta ka na?”

Gina: ‘How are you now?’ Great! How about in a command?

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Betsey: “Kumain ka ng saging”

Gina: You should eat bananas.

Betsey: Finally, let’s use “ka” in a statement. “Maganda ka”

Gina: Which means “You’re Beautiful”. Okay, now let’s move on to the next word.

Betsey: The next word is “na”

Gina: Which means “now” or “already”.

Betsey: Yes. “na” emphasizes that the action being described has already been done, is currently
or is about to be done.

Gina: It sounds very flexible to me. So it can be used along with the present, past and future forms

Betsey: That’s right.

Gina: Let’s give the listeners some examples. First, let’s use it in the present form.

Betsey: Okay. “Kumakain na”

Gina: “Now eating”. This can refer to any number of people. Again, it is context dependent. Now le
in the past.

Betsey: “Kumain na”.

Gina: “Has already eaten.” Good. Finally, let’s use it in the future.

Betsey: “Kakain na”

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Gina: “Will eat now.” Great! Betsey, I’ve noticed that “na” usually follows verbs, right?

Betsey: That’s right. “na” never starts the sentence in Filipino.

Gina: Alright! Let’s move on to our final word…

Betsey: It’s “Mabuti”

Gina: ...which means “fine” or “good” and expresses the current state of the person or subject.

Betsey: “Mabuti” can be used to describe the condition of people, places, events, and things. And
can stand alone as a sentence itself.

Gina: Isn’t this also the general response to “Kamusta”?

Betsey: Yes, and we learned that earlier in the lesson.

Gina: All the words we talked about here can be used in formal and informal Filipino, right?

Betsey: Yes and they can also be used by both genders.

Gina: Fantastic! Okay, now let’s get to this lesson’s grammar point.

GRAMMAR POINT

Gina: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to greet someone in Filipino.

Betsey: And to ask them how they are feeling.

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Gina: So “Hello” in Filipino is…

Betsey: “Kumusta!”

Gina: “Hello” in Filipino can be used as a greeting between people of any level of closeness. For ex
people who have just met, or people who have a close relationship too.

Betsey: It’s also customary that whenever you meet someone, you should greet them with “kamu

Gina: Okay, so now how do we ask “How are you?” in Filipino?

Betsey: “Kamusta?”

Gina: And it’s the same with “Hello”?

Betsey: That’s right. This shows how Filipinos are always concerned about other people, since the
“Kumusta” greets people and at the same time asks how they’re doing. “Kamusta” is also used to
current state of a person, place, thing, or event.

Gina: So if we want to ask the current state of a person, for instance “How is my mother?”

Betsey: You could say “Kamusta na ang aking nanay?”

Gina: How about if I want to ask the current state of a thing, say, “How is the project?”

Betsey: That’s “Kamusta na ang proyekto?”

Gina: So Betsey, if I meet up with my really close friend, I just have to say “Kamusta” right?

Betsey: That’s right. However, you can also say “Ikamusta mo na lang ako sa pamilya mo”

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Gina: ...which means “Please send my regards to your family”.

Betsey: Yes. Since you are close friends, it is customary that you would also be familiar with your f
and greet them like you would greet your friend. This shows how close family ties are in the Philip

Gina: That’s nice! So Betsey, the word doesn’t change for informal and formal Filipino right?

Betsey: It doesn’t. You can use “Kamusta” in both informal and formal Filipino. Although, in informa
the shortened version “musta” can also be used.

Gina: Finally, do I need to respond when people greet me?

Betsey: Yes, and can you remember what the general response is?

Gina: “Mabuti!” Which means “Fine”.

Betsey: Good job! Now listeners, if you need to reinforce what you’ve learned in this lesson, please

Outro

Gina: Okay, that’s it for this lesson.

Betsey: Thank you for listening, everyone.

Gina: And see you next time

Betsey: Paalam.

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