# Tagalog



## louiedepalma (9 mo ago)

Anyone learned it well enough to speak fluently and understand it when spoken?

Any books you recommend?

Most of the words I know I picked up from movies. Netflix has many Filipino movies speaking tagalog with closed caption translated to english. My wife has taught me a few. Her tagalog is often wrong though.

She speaks bisaya very well.(masbate) I want to learn the more popular tagalog first.


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## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

There are some good apps out there , download some and play around with them. A couple:









Learn Tagalog Language - Drops – Apps on Google Play


Study Filipino words, and learn to speak with this visual language learning app!




play.google.com













Learn Tagalog Filipino – Apps on Google Play


Learn Filipino 9000 Common words & phrases offline & support 32 native language




play.google.com





Theres also a couple of websites like this one to get going on the very basics





__





Online Course - Learning Tagalog


Online Tagalog course with dialogues, audio, grammar, flash cards and more. Try Lesson 1 free!




learningtagalog.com





As with learning any language , immediately start using what you've learnt if youre in-country.

I struggle with this because of extreme shyness thinking I'll be laughed at.

Then in 2019 at the immigration counter (on arrival in the Philippines) the officer asked me where my gf lived. I replied and she smiled and said "_Your pronunciation of the town name and barangay is perfect!_" This was a huge boost to me. Go for it. Start small , like Im doing. It can be as simple as saying "bayad" as you pass along your payment in a jeepney. The locals will be impressed.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

I tried years ago (11 years with a Filipino) and the while the locals appreciate me and my limited efforts are astounded at times when I question or pull them up, Tagalog or Ilacano, seem happy with English now when having a drink or chat in the street. 
OMO but 12 years here I see 90 to 95% speaking English and I'm sure the other 10% are simply shy.

Cheers, Steve.


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## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

bigpearl said:


> OMO but 12 years here I see 90 to 95% speaking English and I'm sure the other 10% are simply shy.
> Cheers, Steve.


This one fact has made me lazy to learn Tagalog (or in my case Illongo). Everyone I've come across from trike and jeepney drivers to security guards speaks good English. 

No excuse I know, I still need to learn. I've made a deal with my gf and her family. I'll help her sisters, nephews & nieces brush up their conversational English and all of them will get me going on the basics of Illongo. I'm ready to be laughed at as I butcher the pronunciations of the more complex words 🤧


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## Lunkan (Aug 28, 2020)

@louie Is Tagalog the FIRST language where you are located?
Otherwice I would recomend learning the local language instead, specialy if its Bisaya, because some with Bisaya as first language prefer English before Tagalog, because of the unfairness their equal big as first language as Tagalog isnt counted as official language!!! 
((In Sweden ALL native origin languages are counted as official and some official info have to be available in all of them. "Rinkeby-svenska" =street language talked in immigrant dominated suburbs is not counted as native origin though  but main importance info for biger groups of immigrants get such in their home country language though.))
By that knowledge from real estate I could even correct a Filipino 🤣 concerning the difference between tabi ng (=just beside) and malapit (=close to) which can be very important concerning things as roads and rivers relations to real estate.

Far from speaking fluent, but I can speak some Tagalog related to real estate vocabulary by I have learned it from checking real estates  plus I understand much more than I can speak because rather many words are from Spanish (which I could speak rather fluent many years ago but need some refreshing.) That Spanish infliuence make I understand more but dont speak more by I mostly dont know which words they have borrowed. (Except I know Kamusta =from Como esta, and counting words Filipino use BOTH spanish and Tagalog.)


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## grahamw57 (May 27, 2018)

My ancient brain refuses to learn languages anymore, but fortunately, I normally have a 7 year-old bilingual son on the end of my arm, to do the translating.


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## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

grahamw57 said:


> My ancient brain refuses to learn languages anymore, but fortunately, I normally have a 7 year-old bilingual son on the end of my arm, to do the translating.


I also struggle with new languages , struggled even in school. The real kick in the pods was when I went to France and decided to try my high school French on the locals. 

Oh dear. I was laughed out of town , one of them said "Just speak English!" , i know they arent all like that, i just happened to draw the short straw and picked those losers but that experience affected me. To this day Im reluctant to break out in the local language afraid of being laughed at but know its a stupid mind-block I need to get over or I'll never learn.

Must be nice having your son by you for instantaneous translations!


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## Lunkan (Aug 28, 2020)

Its much harder for people with English as first language to learn any of the Philippine languages by English pronounce some letters wrong 
in difference from Filipino languages and e g German, Swedish and Spanish, which pronounce (almost) same as each other, so we can just read loud from dictionary and Filipinos would understand. 
(A Filipina wanted to learn some Swedish so she did read loud some SWEDISH without having a clue what it ment, but I had no problem to understand her. Similar in opposite direction. Same Filipina (Bisaya) said her 8yo daughter was bad at reading, I thought she ment Tagalog, but not odd she had problem reading that close after she had learned reading Tagalog, because it was English with letters sounding much different - or even not sound at all !!!  (As e g in some, came, sea, eyes...)


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## louiedepalma (9 mo ago)

Thanks for the help. I am looking into the suggestions.

I am struggling with alot of the uses of different words. I am wondering if there is slang involved.

I was watching a Vice Ganda movie and realized I didn't understand this. I think I do now. I hope not to offend anyone as that is actually what I am trying to avoid.

So bakla means gay. And ladyboy would be transvestite. They are not necessarily the same thing at all which I had previously been taught when I stayed in Angeles. I went to go look at a used motorbike and my neighbors accompanied me. I asked how do i address this person who was the owner. My neighbors said to use bakla or ladyboy. However this is not correct.

Vice Ganda is obviously a ladyboy because of the way he dresses. I cannot assume he is bakla just because he is a ladyboy. 

Two men who are homosexual are bakla. They are not necessarily a ladyboy as they dress in regular men's clothing. So calling either one ladyboy could be offensive.

The same is true of two Filipinas who are homesexual. They are also bakla. There is no Filipina ladyboy. The correct term would be tomboy.(I think) Again I cannot assume a tomboy is bakla just because they dress in men's clothing.

If I am wrong here feel free to let me know.


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## grahamw57 (May 27, 2018)

Well, I guess one just has to 'suck it and see'.


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## Lunkan (Aug 28, 2020)

Well. (My interpretion of) ladyboy is NOT transvestite, its a man wanting to *change gender* to female with or without any hormon treatment or sex change surgery (yet). So they are kind of "gay" by being man liking men BUT they think of themselves as female. (Even village doctors make Adams apple surgeries in Thailand!)

Transvestite is something ELSE, thats STRAIGHT men, who get turned on by dress as female. 

But they can LOOK same. 

I have no idea of the language part but rather many call themselves "ladyboy". In Phils thats seem much more accepted than being gay. or perhaps they have just reached level when they bother less what people think?

I know a few ladyboy and gay Filipinos. Ladyboy ISNT secret about it, but the gay are.

And some claim they are women, but I believe they are ladyboys/transvestites, but I havent asked because perhaps they would find the question offending if they are female 

I dont mind what people are. Only if they run after me, but that goes too for them of the women I am not interested in haha


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

louiedepalma said:


> Thanks for the help. I am looking into the suggestions.
> 
> I am struggling with alot of the uses of different words. I am wondering if there is slang involved.
> 
> ...


We are foreigners here so they don't expect to be called those names by us and it could make things worse so we don't need to go that route, Louie, just call them by their names, find out what their names are.

Another note: Just speak English, we can't speak Tagalog we only think we can and it's a waste of time unless it comes to numbers or colors, vegetables and foods, you'll at times have difficulty trying to find items in the wet market or markets unless you know the Philippine name.

Another note but unverified: 70% of the Philippine population can't speak English, the guys that live in 1st Class neighborhoods and larger cities might not notice this but come on over to my region and get ready for a wake up call, I live 2 hrs from Manila so I'm not that deep in the jungle.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

And respect their choices in life, I am over uncle, po or sir Steve and while I understand the respect side of things? The guys working here for 2 plus months don't know my name, perhaps refuse to address me correctly? Who knows.

Cheers, Steve.


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## Lunkan (Aug 28, 2020)

M.C.A. said:


> Another note but unverified: 70% of the Philippine population can't speak English,


 It depend of what you count as cant speak English, if its manage to have a deep conversation or if manage just basic living.
Many Filipinos CAN some but are to shy/scared of lose face to speak the part they can. Even a 90+ yo farmer grandfather to an ex gf could speak some when he losened up after a while. perhaps by my accent is terrible too 🤣 
(Or perhaps its my personality treating all ages and wealth level with same respect - except when someone show they arent worth it. So "all" small kids like me and many grown ups relax so much so they even tell me for them embarassing secrrets. AND I can switch to being scary for missbehaving people just by looking at them.)
Its common Swedes speak English "to clear". I dont know if this related funny story is true but possible:.
Some Swedes touristed in England and had some trouble finding the bus they aimed going with.
-Hi. Do you know where the bus to Twi-ken-ham is? (I wrote the location like that because thats how a common Swedish accent sound. But mine is worse 
-Never heared of, said the Englishman.
-Oh there it is, said the Swede when spoted a bus with sign saying Twikenham.
-Oh you mean Twiknm! 


Many years ago they knew enough English in the boondok at Bohol for me to manage with English combined with some body language (and writing prices when some higher amount.) I got there by myself some days before my back then gf travelled home from where she worked in Manila. I dont stay in big cities more than I have to  It was harder in Thailand but I managed to travel far to the destination by they understood "bus" and I had learned a few key words Thai. (In Thai same sounding words except if tone level same, up or down, mean much different things depending of tone, so I made the tone difference extra clear, which they found funny  Thats an easy way to make people happy 🤣 while references for understanding humor and humor is partly very different between countries so in Sweden very funny stories sometimes get no reaction elsewhere 

Even 8 yo kids can speak some English, although common they pronounce the letters as they are suppoused to be pronounced not as in English  but by Filipino languages pronounce the letters same as in Swedish, I can often "dechiffer" what they say if I get a bit thinking time.
A Filipina got interviewed in Tacloban, when typhon Yolanda had hit it. Same interview was shown several times at Swedish TV before I heared it was English she spoke by she had much accent. So perhaps many you BELIEVE dont speak English, DO speak English to you with so much Filipino accent so you dont hear its English?


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

You nailed it Lunkan, 95% of Filipinos I converse with pretend not to know English until pay day and suddenly?

My (Bens niece) is a lovely young lady but won't or rarely talks to me because she is embarrassed and easier to say nothing to me but I hear her talking in English to all others except me. 

Cheers, Steve.


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

Lunkan, I've had many conversations with citizens at first it seems they understand what I'm saying but right away I can tell they can't understand so it's not always a shyness they just are limited to certain conversations.

Example, I've been talking with my sister in-law for over two decades, she could somehow manage to reply but didn't find out until 3 years ago that she can't understand most of what I'm saying, she just came out once and said, brother Mark I can't understand.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

Yeah don't go there Mark, get it all the time here,,, lost in translation even when Ben does his best to translate.

Cheers, Steve.


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

bigpearl said:


> Yeah don't go there Mark, get it all the time here,,, lost in translation even when Ben does his best to translate.
> 
> Cheers, Steve.


I have had many quarrels with my wife over misunderstandings and she lived in the US for over 20 years. 

What's helped me is my youngest son, he really has impressed me, he enjoys attending school and is in 11th grade and the English language he helps to translate but he does have issues every now and then with some Tagalog words he's never heard of.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

LOL. Like the guys working here, straight line, make it perfect, doh.

Cheers, Steve.


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## Lunkan (Aug 28, 2020)

M.C.A. said:


> Lunkan, I've had many conversations with citizens at first it seems they understand what I'm saying but right away I can tell they can't understand so it's not always a shyness they just are limited to certain conversations.


 Yes, if you have high expectations. 


M.C.A. said:


> Example, I've been talking with my sister in-law for over two decades, she could somehow manage to reply but didn't find out until 3 years ago that she can't understand most of what I'm saying, she just came out once and said, brother Mark I can't understand.


 Good she finaly told 
As I have written elsewhere its common malay Filipinos neither ask nor tell when they dont understand, they have very odd "lose face" thinking prefering to screw up much worse to be noticed later, than to ask now to avoid screwing up!!!
("My" tribe is good at asking, thats why I prefer working with them. Only two tiny missunderstandings in two years by that.)


M.C.A. said:


> I have had many quarrels with my wife over misunderstandings and she lived in the US for over 20 years.


 I bet many men married to wifes with SAME first language as themselves, say the same 🤣

There is an example story at how men and women communicate different, women count they have told things when they have made just a tiny hint, which few men notice:
A married couple were at a long driving trip. The wife saw a coffee pretelling sign.
-It would be nice with a cup of coffee.
-Yes, said the driving husband WITHOUT turning off the highway.
The wife got grumpy and the husband didnt understand why 🤣

An other risk for quarells (since before GPS or where there isnt any) is when trying to find how to get somewhere using map. 
One of the best map readers in the world is woman, she has wonn e g Dakar rally as map reader, but most women are crap at reading maps. It has something to do with sex difference in see things geometric/abstract. Women drivers drive BETTER than men in average (=less percent accidents by taking less risks). Inspite of these the common is the man drive and the woman try to guide by map!  
Then they have got lost by this, an other sex difference happen. Women would ask people they ask, while most men refuse to ask because dont wanting to admit have got lost. =A "western" type of stupid lose face action  

It isnt odd there is an expression "Women are from Venus and men are from Mars". There are differences between the sexes, in average one is better at some things, the other is better at some other things, inspite of what some stupid westerners claim. In Sweden they FORCE kindergarten kids to play with the opposite sex's common toys and they have even invented a new word which is a mix of he and she to never make difference between the sexes!!!


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

Forced or optional? Forced is totalitarian/control while optional is choice.
As a kid I never entertained the idea of playing with dolls nor any girls belongings and simply Mecano, legos, cars or eating sand. I turned out Gay after 22 years of marriage and 2 kids, wasn't the toys I played with but simple individual choice.
Options and equality should be learnt from day one, we all make choices both good and bad.
Sorry to go off topic
As for Tagalog? As for English? Even with Tagalog or Ilocano translations? There is the operative word. So many frustrations over the years as they hear and simply do what they want even after nodding heads in agreement. 
Classic example, yesterday we chatted with the roof company for some stuff, I gave the measurements and diagrams of the flashings I wanted, one set of diagrams was for a tapered flashing on a parapet wall,,,,,,, was met with "what's that?" After my explanation the rep told me they can't do that in their folders to which I replied that I as a roof plumber have been folding simple things like that for nearly 50 years. Other plans and dimensions (on paper) were incorrect by several inches to my simple ask. Asked for a price on flat sheets and I will find a local sheet metal shop to fold to my design. The response from the roof company, we can do that sir, my response was very simple, you don't listen and can't read diagrams, used to it here and still waiting a year on for your company to repair the ridge capping on the new roof you installed last November.

Duck shoving is prevalent here and I suffer Bens scorn for getting angry at ineptitude responses and so many misunderstandings.

Ah my bleat for the day.

Cheers, Steve.


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## lefties43332 (Oct 21, 2012)

I speak tagalog rather well. I always spoke it in pinas and teaching my son who was born there. My sons ninong complimented me 2 days ago on how well I still speak it. It depends on you as to learning time frame etc. I love languages and I believe in respecting the country by speaking it to them. Most people realize when you are from usa that we speak it a bit off but I never had anyone laugh at me just as I dont laugh at them if they speak english a bit off. My friend recently deceased in Pinas was from France. It was easy for him to speak tagalog as the pronunciation was similar and he was totally fluent. Speaking Tagalog opened so many doors for me and saved me alot of money.


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## magsasaja (Jan 31, 2014)

lefties43332 said:


> I speak tagalog rather well. I always spoke it in pinas and teaching my son who was born there. My sons ninong complimented me 2 days ago on how well I still speak it. It depends on you as to learning time frame etc. I love languages and I believe in respecting the country by speaking it to them. Most people realize when you are from usa that we speak it a bit off but I never had anyone laugh at me just as I dont laugh at them if they speak english a bit off. My friend recently deceased in Pinas was from France. It was easy for him to speak tagalog as the pronunciation was similar and he was totally fluent. Speaking Tagalog opened so many doors for me and saved me alot of money.


Like you I speak Tagalog and would say I’m fluent as it’s the language I have used on daily basis for a long time.
I didn't learn from a book, video, app or teacher. Everything was from speaking as I think you can learn a lot quicker. 
Personally I think you should try and learn the local language if you plan to live there long term, as it will help you assimilate and make life a lot easier. Locals appreciate if your making a effort.


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## ivocathedral (2 mo ago)

louiedepalma said:


> Anyone learned it well enough to speak fluently and understand it when spoken?
> 
> Any books you recommend?
> 
> ...


On youtube you find two series, one of 18 lessons and one of 25, if you manage to follow those, you are halfway home mastering some Tagalog. First is easy filipino, google that and click on series. Second is easy spoken filipino tagalog. also click on series. I am learning those and from that you realy learn, it is build upo verry good. You should start with the lessons easy filipino, followed by the searies, easy spoken filipino...Succes!!


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## grahamw57 (May 27, 2018)

Sooo easy to misinterpret what was said... even in our native language.  
.


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