1600+ Essential Tagalog Phrases: Easy to Intermediate - Pocket Size Phrase Book for Travel

By Fluency Pro

Struggling to speak Tagalog like a native?

This Tagalog phrasebook is an invaluable guide for learning and speaking Tagalog while traveling. Designed for both beginners and advanced learners, learn how to speak in real life conversations with this organized guide.

Our book provides useful phonetic transcriptions of Tagalog words and phrases to use in the most common situations including greetings, ordering food, booking hotels, emergency situations, small talk… and so much more!

The layout is straightforward, so you can easily move from chapter to chapter and look up words at your own pace. This phrasebook is comprehensive and easy to use, providing you with quick reference to learn Tagalog fast and effectively.

Features include:

• 1600+ Conversational Words and Phrases Organized by Situation
• Includes Tagalog and English Translations
• Phonetic Descriptions for Each Entry, Providing Easy Reference for Pronunciation

• Language: English
• Publisher: CB Books
• Release date: Jan 6, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224404322

Book preview

Introduction

Welcome! This book contains common phrases that will be very useful when traveling to Tagalog speaking countries, as they will help you communicate with locals and navigate daily tasks, such as ordering food or asking for directions. This book can also help you understand common signs and notices, and may provide useful cultural information.

Tagalog is primarily spoken in the Philippines. It is the first language of the Tagalog people and is also widely spoken in other parts of the country, particularly in Central and Southern Luzon, as well as in Metro Manila, the capital region. It is also one of the official languages of the Philippines, along with English. Additionally, there are Tagalog-speaking communities in other countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia, primarily due to immigration.

There are approximately 31 million speakers of Tagalog worldwide. This number includes both native and non-native speakers of the language.

Learning Tagalog can provide numerous benefits, both personal and professional. One of the main advantages is that it can open up career opportunities in a variety of fields, including business, international relations, tourism, and education. By learning tagalog, individuals can communicate with a large number of people in different countries, which can be invaluable in the business world and beyond.

Another benefit of learning Tagalog is the cultural enrichment it can provide. Tagalog speaking countries have a rich cultural heritage, including literature, music, art, and cuisine. Learning the language can provide access to these cultural elements and deepen one's understanding and appreciation of them. In addition, knowing Tagalog can make travel more enjoyable and enriching, as it allows for easier communication with locals and a deeper understanding of the culture.

A phrasebook can be a beneficial tool when traveling to Tagalog-speaking countries as it can help individuals communicate basic needs and get around in unfamiliar places. For example, a phrasebook can provide useful phrases for ordering food in a restaurant, asking for directions, or checking into a hotel. This can be particularly helpful for those who do not speak Tagalog fluently, as it can provide a quick and easy way to communicate with locals.

In addition to providing translations, phrasebooks can also help you learn the basic grammar and sentence structures of Tagalog. By studying the phrases in this phrasebook, you can begin to understand Tagalog’s basic syntax and grammar rules, which can help you construct your own sentences and communicate more effectively.

How This Book Is Organized

In this book, you will find over 1600 common Tagalog phrases organized by usage or situation.

Using a consistent format, each entry includes the English phrase, the Tagalog translation, and a phonetic description. If you want to know how the Tagalog words you see in print sound, you can use the phonetic transcription to compare them to the sounds you already know. Every transcription has been divided into syllables with dashes between them. Words are separated by spaces. The syllables in capital letters are emphasized, whereas those in lowercase characters are not.

Grammar

The basic word order in Tagalog is SVO (Subject-Verb-Object), which means that the subject usually comes first, followed by the verb, and then the object. This is the most common sentence structure in Tagalog, as shown in the following example:

Example: Siya ay nagluto ng adobo

(She cooked adobo)

In this sentence, siya (she) is the subject, nagluto (cooked) is the verb, and ng adobo (adobo) is the object.

Tagalog also allows for a more flexible sentence structure, where the subject or the object can come first or last, depending on the emphasis or importance the speaker wants to give to certain parts of the sentence. For example, the following sentence can be rearranged in different ways:

Example: Kumain siya ng kanin

(He/She ate rice)

Ng kanin ay kumain siya. (Of rice, he/she ate.)

Siya ay kumain ng kanin. (He/she ate rice.)

Kumain ng kanin siya. (Ate rice he/she.)

Ng kanin siya ay kumain. (Of rice, he/she ate.)

In all of these variations, the meaning of the sentence remains the same, but the focus or emphasis is shifted to a different part of the sentence.

Verb Affixes

Tagalog verbs have affixes, which are added to the base form of the verb to indicate tense, aspect, and mood. These affixes can change the meaning of the sentence and affect its structure. Here is an example of a sentence with verb affixes:

Example: Tumatakbo ako sa parke kanina

(I was running in the park earlier)

In this sentence, tumatakbo is the base form of the verb to run, and the prefix tu- and the infix -um- indicate the present tense and the actor focus aspect. The word ako means I, and sa parke means in the park. The adverb kanina means earlier.

Overall, Tagalog sentence structure is relatively straightforward, but the use of flexible word order and verb affixes can create variations in sentence structure and add nuances to the meaning of a sentence.

Vowels

In Tagalog, there are five vowel sounds: a, e, i, o, and u. The pronunciation of these vowels can vary depending on the position in a word and whether or not they are accented. Here is a brief overview of how each vowel is pronounced in Tagalog:

A (ah) - This vowel is pronounced as an open, central vowel, similar to the a sound in the English word father. For example, in the Tagalog word bahay (house), the a sound is pronounced as ah.

E (eh) - This vowel is pronounced as a mid-front vowel, similar to the e sound in the English word bet. For example, in the Tagalog word papel (paper), the e sound is pronounced as eh.

I (ee) - This vowel is pronounced as a high-front vowel, similar to the ee sound in the English word see. For example, in the Tagalog word pili (choose), the i sound is pronounced as ee.

O (oh) - This vowel is pronounced as a mid-back vowel, similar to the o sound in the English word bone. For example, in the Tagalog word kotse (car), the o sound is pronounced as oh.

U (oo) - This vowel is pronounced as a high-back vowel, similar to the oo sound in the English word boot. For example, in the Tagalog word sundo (fetch), the u sound is pronounced as oo.

It's important to note that the pronunciation of these vowels may vary slightly depending on the dialect or regional accent. Additionally, Tagalog has several diphthongs, which are combinations of two vowel sounds pronounced together. These include ai, au, ei, eu, oi, and ou.

Diphthongs

In Tagalog, diphthongs are combinations of two vowel sounds pronounced together. There are six diphthongs in Tagalog: ai, au, ei, eu, oi, and ou. Here's a brief explanation of how each of these diphthongs is pronounced:

ai - This diphthong is pronounced like the i sound in the English word wise followed by the a sound in the English word car. For example, in the Tagalog word mais (corn), the ai sound is pronounced as ah-ee.

au - This diphthong is pronounced like the o sound in the English word bone followed by the u sound in the English word boot. For example, in the Tagalog word tao (person), the au sound is pronounced as ow.

ei - This diphthong is pronounced like the e sound in the English word bet followed by the i sound in the English word see. For example, in the Tagalog word reyna (queen), the ei sound is pronounced as ay-ee.

eu - This diphthong is pronounced like the e sound in the English word bet followed by the u sound in the English word boot. For example, in the Tagalog word bukid (mountain), the eu sound is pronounced as eh-oo.

oi - This diphthong is pronounced like the oy sound in the English word boy. For example, in the Tagalog word kamote (sweet potato), the oi sound is pronounced as oy.

ou - This diphthong is pronounced like the o sound in the English word bone followed by the o sound in the English word go. For example, in the Tagalog word kumusta (how are you), the ou sound is pronounced as oh-oh.

It's important to note that the pronunciation of diphthongs in Tagalog may vary slightly depending on the regional accent or dialect.

Consonants

In Tagalog, there are 16 consonant sounds. Here is a brief explanation of how each of the Tagalog consonants is pronounced:

B (bee) - This consonant is pronounced like the b sound in the English word bet.

K (key) - This consonant is pronounced like the k sound in the English word kite.

D (dee) -