# Professional Tagalog/Filipino Classes



## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

*TAGALOG Language Courses*

Does anyone know of any serious TAGALOG Language Courses being offered anywhere? I am interested in learning the structural elements of the language...not just memorize a few words and phrases but actually learn the language, sentence structure, proper business speaking etiquette, etc.

Since I will be opening an office here in the Philippines, I feel this could be a beneficial step for me. My wife is a wonderful person but she is not the best translator. When I speak to some one in English, they turn to her and reply in Tagalog to her rather than speak to me and my wife seems to leave a lot of the translation out! They can talk for five minutes but she will translate in one or two words and I know more was said than that.

If it were just normal chit chat, I would tune it out but I am conducting business and I need to know what is being said or negotiated.

Any ideas or suggestions would be helpful. I have already looked into one of the best online services from Rosetta Stone but they have a serious problem with their Tagalog language course. It seems that a natural born Filipino does not understand the Rosetta Stone language...it is not accurate...or else it is jumping from one dialect to another at random. But it is certainly not accurate because I have had several Filipinos tell me the phrases and usages are not correct! So I have scratched that option...

I am hoping to learn the language the right way if there are any options that someone here might be aware of.


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## George6020 (Apr 18, 2014)

Cebu Citizen said:


> Does anyone know of any serious TAGALOG Language Courses being offered anywhere? I am interested in learning the structural elements of the language...not just memorize a few words and phrases but actually learn the language, sentence structure, proper business speaking etiquette, etc.
> 
> Since I will be opening an office here in the Philippines, I feel this could be a beneficial step for me. My wife is a wonderful person but she is not the best translator. When I speak to some one in English, they turn to her and reply in Tagalog to her rather than speak to me and my wife seems to leave a lot of the translation out! They can talk for five minutes but she will translate in one or two words and I know more was said than that.
> 
> ...


Greetings.........I can relate very well with you about the Filipino language and translation. My wife tries too, but I get frustrated sometimes asking her pointed questions about what was said..........especially when they really do talk so long, but say very little in the English translation. My wife tells me in a few short words, but I'm sure more was said. She tells me this is normal, and wishes Filipinos would speak more English because its much shorter.

Getting back to a Tagalog language course, I would also be interested. As our feeding programs grow, it will be much better if I can communicate directly with people. I'm not sure where you are located, but I am in Cebu, about 1+ hours south of Cebu City. Let me know if you find something.


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## 197649 (Jan 1, 2013)

My wife speaks perfect English, I speak perfect English. The problem is that English to Tagalog and back something will be lost. Not all English words translate into Tagalog Even if you use Google translate it seems to loose meaning. I used Rosetta Stone to learn words it does teach sentence structure as well. I gave up. People here with any level of schooling speak English some people act as if they don't understand so I understand your need to speak and understand the language.


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## pakawala (Sep 10, 2014)

Cebu Citizen said:


> I have had several Filipinos tell me the phrases and usages are not correct! Any ideas or suggestions would be helpful.


My wife and I have traveled on Motorcycle to many locations in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. She speaks English, Tagalog, 4 Visayan dialects and a little Ilocano. Some of these places, my wife could not even communicate with others, (even speaking Tagalog).

She has friends who she went to school with in Visayas who are elementary school teachers in Manila who are actually shy to talk to others in Manila because Visaya is their primary language and they can't speak Tagalog well.

I think your best option is for you to find a retired school teacher (who grew up in the area where you live) and have them teach you the language spoken where you live. 

You could start out at your Barangay Hall or your Local schools to inquire if there are any retired teachers available willing to tutor you.


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## cvgtpc1 (Jul 28, 2012)

Could learn the old fashioned way from bargirls like some of us haha

But seriously you may not think learning the simple phrases helps but they give you the basics to expand as your vocabulary expands. I initially learned 30 or so phrase like how old are you, where do you live etc and progressed with my wife's help to to being able to get around pretty good. Doing that at least gets you as skilled in Tagalog as some are with English.

What pakawala said is very true. Also even if a foreigner speaks perfect Tagalog many will still be shy to speak it back.


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## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

pakawala said:


> I think your best option is for you to find a retired school teacher (who grew up in the area where you live) and have them teach you the language spoken where you live.
> 
> You could start out at your Barangay Hall or your Local schools to inquire if there are any retired teachers available willing to tutor you.


This may be the best suggestion for your situation as there are too many dialects for a formal course to cover.

Fred


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

George6020 said:


> Greetings.........I can relate very well with you about the Filipino language and translation. My wife tries too, but I get frustrated sometimes asking her pointed questions about what was said..........especially when they really do talk so long, but say very little in the English translation. My wife tells me in a few short words, but I'm sure more was said. She tells me this is normal, and wishes Filipinos would speak more English because its much shorter.
> 
> Getting back to a Tagalog language course, I would also be interested. As our feeding programs grow, it will be much better if I can communicate directly with people. I'm not sure where you are located, but I am in Cebu, about 1+ hours south of Cebu City. Let me know if you find something.


Thanks for the feedback...I'll let you know if I find out anything. I have also been told that this is why most every business sign is in English because the wording is short, concise and to the point and a Tagalog sign would be so much longer in wording and take so much more materials to produce the larger more detailed sign.

I understand that the Filipino people want to keep their cultural identity and not totally lose their language but I wonder why many of them even use the Tagalog language since English is taught in all the schools, all street signs, advertising and businesses are in English, Billboards and Malls are all in English and all government offices post English signage, (I have NEVER seen a Tagalog sign in any government facility).

Everywhere I go and everything I see here is always in English yet the vast majority of the local people still communicate in Tagalog to each other while their own country and government chooses to use English.

I have even noticed that in current technology there are not even any Tagalog words available, so computer language and electronics are ALL in English.

Hopefully we will receive some information about any available language courses.


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## Manitoba (Jun 25, 2014)

English has many words with just slightly different shades of meanings which generally makes it a more precise and concise language to communicate in.

I used to work for the Government of Canada. All our manuals etc were all bi-lingual French and English. They were all in split pages one column English the other column French.

The English side was always shorter than the French side.

People bi-lingual in other language pairs have also told me the same thing, English is just an efficient language but the cost of the efficiency is a larger vocabulary necessary.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

I purchased the Rosetta Stone Tagalog I & II (there's other programs) and it helped extremely well trouble is now I need another headset with a USB plug in, they don't sell those anywhere in the S Luzon area, it's the only thing that will work with the speech recognition software

Learning the words is the first step and then trying to pronouncing them correctly is another, you will be speaking Tagalog and nobody understands you because of the our Western accent, the program won't allow you to continue until you pronounce it correctly, there's also a voice chart or scale that gives you more help on how to get those words out correctly but the tutor does say the word correctly, even so some words take several times before you get it correct.


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## chinggayt (Mar 8, 2015)

Hi there! I'm new in the group. Does anyone here take up professional Tagalog language classes or just tutorials? How much is it and what are the schedules? Thanks!


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

I know I have said this before but it still amazes me why Filipinos even bother with Tagalog when there are so many dialects and variations. Everything in the business world here is in English...all government offices signage is English...billboards are in English...store front signs are all in English...television commercials are in English...they teach English in all the schools...college and university classes are taught in English and not Tagalog...legal documents and contracts are all in English...everywhere I go, (malls, markets, movie theaters, taxi's, etc.), are all in English...so why doesn't the general population just speak English? (This is not really a question but more of an observation).


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## EuroBob (Feb 23, 2015)

unggoy said:


> Never heard of any. National Bookstore barely even sells any Tagalog books for non-natives. Tagalog is essentially a dead language outside of the Philippines. Save for the Mormons. That's why people here struggle to learn English. Good luck learning the other 200 languages native to this country!
> 
> Your best bet is to just get some books and mps. You can torrent them too. Even PDFs. Watch GMA and ABS-CBN, and talk to you friends and workmates. Or even make tambay!


Why do you think Tagalog is a dead language outside of the Philippines? 
When I over-hear Filipinas in foreign countries, like on a bus in Norway, they are speaking Tagalog with each other.


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## EuroBob (Feb 23, 2015)

@unggoy, The thread on which we were discussing the differences between Tagalog and Filipino disappeared, at least for me.



unggoy said:


> I don't use wikipedia, as it has no real information on it. How could you quote that stuff?
> 
> Any how, I am uncertain what you are trying to say, but Tagalog is certainly not the national language. Why do people say that?


Apparently, people say that because of the history of the Philippines.
(I am just gathering this from articles on the web, not first hand.)

My understanding is that there was, and perhaps is, much rancor caused by declaring Tagalog as a National language. So, when writing Constitutions in the Philippines, the term "Filipino" has been used for political expediency. However, the language is still Tagalog at its base.

I am not sure what source you would find most believeable.
Would you change your mind if I found a suitable source document, or are you firmly entrenched in your stance?

I am open to changing my viewpoint and I realise that you have more knowledge and experience using the actual languages in question.

Can you provide a source which helps support your position?
I will read through it and try to learn.

Filipino? Tagalog? Pilipino? | Language | The Philippines


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## jcbf (Jan 15, 2015)

Oddly i cant find that thread about speaking tagalog. 

To shed some light, tagalog is "supposed" to be the primary language for the philippines. But there are 200 dialects in the country. I.e. Cebuano dialect for cebu, ilocano for ilocos and the northern part of luzon, kapampangan for pampanga, so on and so forth. 

Tagalog english or tag-lish as we locals love to call it is a perfect way to practice while still being able to communicate .

<Snip>


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## chinggayt (Mar 8, 2015)

Is there a Rosetta Stone that can be purchased in the Philippines?


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## chinggayt (Mar 8, 2015)

Cebu Citizen said:


> Thanks for the feedback...I'll let you know if I find out anything. I have also been told that this is why most every business sign is in English because the wording is short, concise and to the point and a Tagalog sign would be so much longer in wording and take so much more materials to produce the larger more detailed sign.
> 
> I understand that the Filipino people want to keep their cultural identity and not totally lose their language but I wonder why many of them even use the Tagalog language since English is taught in all the schools, all street signs, advertising and businesses are in English, Billboards and Malls are all in English and all government offices post English signage, (I have NEVER seen a Tagalog sign in any government facility).
> 
> ...


Filipinos use English as the main teaching method because the education system was built by the Americans when the Philippines was colonized way back when. Though natural speaking method is in Tagalog.


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## Nickleback99 (Aug 6, 2011)

EuroBob said:


> @unggoy, The thread on which we were discussing the differences between Tagalog and Filipino disappeared, at least for me.
> 
> 
> Poof! lol Things were getting rather "insulting" and into the gutter I recall.


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## simonsays (Feb 11, 2009)

chinggayt said:


> Filipinos use English as the main teaching method because the education system was built by the Americans when the Philippines was colonized way back when. Though natural speaking method is in Tagalog.


And rightfully it is being changed to mother tongue teaching in the new syllabus 

While pArt the world may want English what about those who are French speaking ? How about former Spanish colonies ? And regardless you like it or not mandarin is now the language of majority .. So ?????


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## simonsays (Feb 11, 2009)

jcbf said:


> Oddly i cant find that thread about speaking tagalog.
> 
> To shed some light, tagalog is "supposed" to be the primary language for the philippines. But there are 200 dialects in the country. I.e. Cebuano dialect for cebu, ilocano for ilocos and the northern part of luzon, kapampangan for pampanga, so on and so forth.
> 
> ...


As I said mother tongue teaching is being introduced to ensure children pick up faster in their mother tongue with Tagalog as secondary language and English as thitd language 

That's working fine in Luzon / mountain provinces


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## lefties43332 (Oct 21, 2012)

Cebu Citizen said:


> I know I have said this before but it still amazes me why Filipinos even bother with Tagalog when there are so many dialects and variations. Everything in the business world here is in English...all government offices signage is English...billboards are in English...store front signs are all in English...television commercials are in English...they teach English in all the schools...college and university classes are taught in English and not Tagalog...legal documents and contracts are all in English...everywhere I go, (malls, markets, movie theaters, taxi's, etc.), are all in English...so why doesn't the general population just speak English? (This is not really a question but more of an observation).


BcoZ they don't want


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## Phil_expat (Jan 3, 2011)

When I moved to the Philippines I desire to learn Tagalog also. English is a second language to Filipinos and is mostly spoken very badly. I had many frustrating cessions at the SM mall. I always got “out of stock” as an answer even if the item is never in stock or somewhere in the store. It is common for locals to say “yes” when asked a question in English that they do not understand. I do love traveling in the Philippines and did use my very limited Tagalog. I always got a puzzle looked and a reply in English “what are you trying to say”? There are so many dialects that my Tagalog was useless. My solution in the SM mall is look for an item myself and do not ask a salesperson. I have given up learning Tagalog.


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## chinggayt (Mar 8, 2015)

ecureilx said:


> And rightfully it is being changed to mother tongue teaching in the new syllabus
> 
> While pArt the world may want English what about those who are French speaking ? How about former Spanish colonies ? And regardless you like it or not mandarin is now the language of majority .. So ?????


your point being? I am just pointing out why filipinos speak tagalog but everything is in english


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Online purchase*



chinggayt said:


> Is there a Rosetta Stone that can be purchased in the Philippines?


You can purchase and download online. Need a quality headset with a USB plug for the voice recognition software.


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## lefties43332 (Oct 21, 2012)

mcalleyboy said:


> You can purchase and download online. Need a quality headset with a USB plug for the voice recognition software.


It takes work and DESIRE to learn a new language. A program is only as good as the person using it. When I speak Tagalog to my friends wives they all ask their husbands why they don't speak it.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Learning Tagalog*



lefties43332 said:


> It takes work and DESIRE to learn a new language. A program is only as good as the person using it. When I speak Tagalog to my friends wives they all ask their husbands why they don't speak it.


I've learned so much from my son and now my 4 year old grandson, TV, google translate and the Rosetta Stone, they all come together to help me but the Language software sure has been a helper to me, my hearing is very bad so when people speak a new word I have trouble trying to remember it because I didn't hear so well and I also can't spell it, spelling out words, pronouncing them correctly (many words) and some of the grammar words are big help for me in learning the language.


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

EuroBob said:


> Why do you think Tagalog is a dead language outside of the Philippines?
> When I over-hear Filipinas in foreign countries, like on a bus in Norway, they are speaking Tagalog with each other.



I think maybe you are misunderstanding the actual international linguistic meaning of "dead outside the Philippines", this, by language standards, usually refers to some one other than a Philippine National speaking the language outside of the country of origin. A Filipino speaking their own native language to another Filipino countryman does not qualify in this instance.

Literally hundreds of thousands of people all around the world learn to speak English, Spanish, German, Italian, French, Chinese, Japanese, Korean or a dozen other languages but rarely will you, if at all, ever find anyone anywhere around the world wanting to learn to speak Tagalog unless they are either a Philippine National or someone who actually lives in or will soon be living in the Philippines...which essentially means that this language is for all practical purposes dead outside of the Philippines.

When other countries do official business with or transact with the Philippine Government, it is transacted in English, (the official business language of the Philippines). When setting up our international office here in Manila, all correspondence was always in English. I have a Chinese friend and government official who sent correspondence from China to the Philippines and everything is in English. I also have a friend in South Korea who applied for an archeological permit and the documents are all in English. Every time the Philippine Government does anything with another country, they use English as their language of preference.

They teach a huge selection of foreign languages available in every high school and college or university in the world but I can't recall ever seeing an offer to learn Tagalog anywhere in any institute of higher learning where I have ever taught or attended school. This leads me to believe the same with no offense meant...but this language is dead outside of the Philippines...no one else uses it and no one else has a need to use it...only the locals.


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

*Rosetta stone...*



chinggayt said:


> Is there a Rosetta Stone that can be purchased in the Philippines?



You can sign up and use the Rosetta Stone system online...no need to buy or actually have the CD's anymore. The new online tutorials are even better than the old CD discs and they have more new options available. I use Rosetta Stone all the time for my international travels before going to another country and I love their system and using the online options are great and easy to use and they are always available as long as you have an internet connection.

AND Rosetta Stone is listed as the most sought after and easiest language courses used by more people and businesses than any other language course available. If a successful fortune 500 company does a lot of research into various language courses and they end up choosing Rosetta Stone...that's good enough for me...and then after actually using the system, I can see why it is so popular.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Tagalog Language*



Cebu Citizen said:


> I know I have said this before but it still amazes me why Filipinos even bother with Tagalog when there are so many dialects and variations. Everything in the business world here is in English...all government offices signage is English...billboards are in English...store front signs are all in English...television commercials are in English...they teach English in all the schools...college and university classes are taught in English and not Tagalog...legal documents and contracts are all in English...everywhere I go, (malls, markets, movie theaters, taxi's, etc.), are all in English...so why doesn't the general population just speak English? (This is not really a question but more of an observation).


I was surprised to learn on another forum "Philippine Forum" that most of the Philippine citizens commenting would rather speak more Tagalog even though some admitted it's necessary for business and they compared the Philippines with Japan and S Korea as having their own identity and language. 

Philippine politicians are very pro Tagalog language and very protective of their lands here. You won't get elected to high positions in office if your pro foreigner they won't allow any foreigners taking over land, I guess if they did it would be over run again by foreign investment and they'd become powerless, so it's best they speak English and keep the rest of the general population speaking the many Philippine dialects and poor and not so in touch with whats going on. 

When natural disasters hit they feed the people gerbil treats and with an uneducated mind it can be easily appeased with I love you drama, alcohol, food and small money, those that don't like it leave or make it here but the wages remain very low for those that work for someone and there's very little unrest.

Check out some of the costs of items in the grocery or malls, they're much more than the states or it's junk thats way overpriced and then look at the wages of the workers, somebody's making a huge profit and I wonder how many workers are just working on a commission or tips? In order to make it here as a foreigner you have to be very proactive in finding where to buy your vegetables, meats, products if not this isn't such a low cost spot to live in, there's no one stop shop here.

Bottom line is begrudgedly they'll learn English in order to make it here and abroad.


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## EuroBob (Feb 23, 2015)

Cebu Citizen said:


> I think maybe you are misunderstanding the actual international linguistic meaning of "dead outside the Philippines", this, by language standards, usually refers to some one other than a Philippine National speaking the language outside of the country of origin. A Filipino speaking their own native language to another Filipino countryman does not qualify in this instance.
> 
> Literally hundreds of thousands of people all around the world learn to speak English, Spanish, German, Italian, French, Chinese, Japanese, Korean or a dozen other languages but rarely will you, if at all, ever find anyone anywhere around the world wanting to learn to speak Tagalog unless they are either a Philippine National or someone who actually lives in or will soon be living in the Philippines...which essentially means that this language is for all practical purposes dead outside of the Philippines.
> 
> ...


You are correct that I did not understand/appreciate the finer points of the phrase "dead outside of the Philippines". Thanks for the explanation.


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## galactic (Dec 2, 2014)

If one ever does go about hiring a Tagalog teacher better make sure he is a native tagalog speaker.

Teachers whose native tongue are in Cavite, Manila, Laguna, Batangas, Bulacan are preferred.


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

EuroBob said:


> You are correct that I did not understand/appreciate the finer points of the phrase "dead outside of the Philippines". Thanks for the explanation.



You are quite welcome EuroBob and it is a pleasure to converse with you. I believe this is why we are all ultimately members of this Forum...to share in the exchange of information and ideas to better our lives and advance our level of knowledge as we scratch out our existence in whatever location we choose to call home.


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