Asking a question using the word “how” is common especially when a person wants to know something. Usually, unfamiliarity with something, unfamiliarity with a place or situation and the desire to know are often the reasons people ask questions.

The word “how” in Tagalog is “paano.” Examples of using the word “paano” include “paano ako sasakay” (how will I commute), “paano ko mahahanap ang hotel” (how do I find the hotel), and “paano ko mahahanap ang …” (how can I find …. ). However, when these questions are directed at someone who is your senior, or someone much older than you are such as parents or grandparents; then you should add the word “po” to the question. The word “po” is a more formal word and when added to a sentence it shows respect for the person to whom one is speaking.

When someone needs to get somewhere but does not know how, asking for directions is a solution. For instance, to get the directions to the nearest mall we could say “paano ako pupunta sa mall” (how do I go to the mall). In the previous example, “ako” means “I” while “pumunta” means “go” and “sa” is the word for “to.” To ask how to get to the market, just say “paano ako pupunta sa palengke” (how do I go to the market).

If a person wanted to learn the cooking style referred to as “adobo” in the Philippines then he or she could ask “paano magluto ng adobo” (how does one cook adobo).

When shopping and asking “how much” a different word is used instead of “paano.” For instance, if someone wants to know how much the pair of jeans they have their eyes on is, they would use the word “magkano” instead of “paano.” To find out the price of the item, ask “magkano ang mga ito” (how much are these). “Ang mga” stands for “are” and “ito” means “these.”

If you want to know the distance then do not use “paano” instead use the words “gaano kalayo” which means “how far.” To inquire how far the next gas station is, simply say “gaano kalayo ang sunod na gasolinahan?” (how far is the next gas station).

If one is interested in knowing the size of something then the way to ask this is “gaano kalaki” which means “how large” or “how big.” If someone said “Gaano kalaki ang pizza” then the translation of this would be: “how large is the pizza?” To say “how big is the watermelon,” you can say “gaano kalaki ang pakwan?”

After learning and memorizing the different words for “how” in Tagalog and the different ways to say “how” in Tagalog, one should be better able to ask for instructions, directions, the size of something and be able to inquire about distance.

Missing someone is a very common feeling shared by everyone at some point. You experience such emotion, in instances when a beloved brother is in a distant land, when you lose contact with your best friend or when you are far from loved ones who might have immigrated to another country. Such situations can evoke nostalgia and feelings of longing or loneliness. Many people in such situations, often try to contact their loved one or the person they miss. They often convey what they feel, and at times tell the person “I miss you.” For others, depending on their situation, the relationship or their personality, they may just be satisfied with chatting and hearing the other person’s voice.

“I miss you” in Tagalog is translated as “namimiss kita” or “naaalala kita.” “Namimiss” is the slang way of saying the word “miss.” This is, sort of, the more modern way of saying “miss” compared to its old Tagalog counterpart “inaalala.” To say “I miss you” in Tagalog using the the word “inaalala” would be “Inaalala kita” or alterntively one could say “Naaalala kita.”

With the popularity of emails and text messaging in the Philippines, saying “namimiss kita” can be done more easily and quickly. Aside from the very bold “I miss you,” there are other more subtle ways of texting someone to let them know that you are thinking of them. Such subtle text messages may include: “kamusta ka/musta” (how are you), and the common expression “kamusta ka naman” (how have you been). Another expression used and which you might hear is “kumain ka na” which is asking the person if she or he has eaten yet. This is an expression that shows concern for the person’s well being.

Another way of showing that you miss your family and friends is through giving a “pasalubong.” A Pasalubong refers to a gift but it is not merely any ordinary kind of gift. When someone has traveled to another city or province, he is expected to bring home a souvenir that the city or province is known for. For example, locals of Mindanao are known for the beautifully-made cloth called “sarong” or alternatively known as “malong.” A person who visits Mindanao often brings home a malong for his or her family upon returning from the trip. Other common pasalubong are dried mangoes (pinatuyoung mangga) from Davao, since Davao is known for their mangoes. And when visiting an area known for its dried fish (tuyo) from then that is what is often brought back since the area is known for that.

The living are not the only people who are missed. Beloved family members and friends who have passed away are also remembered. Particular days marking the days when somebody passed away are remembered such as the ninth day (ika-siyam na araw ng kamatayan), fortieth day (ika-apatnapung araw ng kamatayan), and the one year anniversary (ika-isang taon ng kamatayan/babang luksa). During these days, the dead are remembered by friends and family.

Aside from this, there are holidays which serve as times of remembrance in the Philippines. For example, National Heroes Day (Araw ng mga Bayani) and on that day heroes are commemorated.
There are indeed many ways how Filipinos show affection, longing for loved ones and commemorate those who have come before. Many people are not afraid or shy to express what they feel. The words “I miss you” are often used.

Ownership is often shown by using the word “my.” The word “my” is also used to show the relationship between one person and another. For example if two people are brothers then they might refer to each other as “my brother.”

To say “my” in Tagalog the word “akin” or “ko” are used to say “my.”

When the word “akin” is placed before the object of ownership, the rule in Tagalog grammar is to add –g to “akin.” Thus, “akin” now becomes “aking.” Examples of phrases which connote ownership and which begin with aking are: aking damit (my dress), aking kapupuntahan (my destination), aking envelope (my envelope), aking layunin (my goal), aking bahay (my house), aking bansa (my country), and aking pera (my money).

Another approach of saying that you own something is to use “ko.” When the word “ko” is used to show ownership it most often is placed after the object that is being spoken about. For example, “damit” is an object and it means “dress.” To say “my dress” using the word “ko” the speaker would say “damit ko” and as mentioned “ko” is used after the object. Additional examples include: “my car” (kotse ko), “my house” (bahay ko), “my country” (bansa ko), and “my goal” (layunin ko), and so on.

If introductions are necessary then the word “my” again is used and to introduce yourself the speaker could say “my name is …” (ang aking pangalan ay ….). Alternatively, you may introduce yourself in this manner, “ang pangalan ko ay ….” However, no matter which way you choose, both mean the same thing and not e that in Tagalog “pangalan” means “name.”

A form of “my” which indicates, ownership is the word “mine.” In Tagalog, “mine” can be translated to “sa akin” or “akin.” When someone wants to state that they are the owner of a dress, they could state “ang damit na iyan ay akin (that dress is mine).”

Another example is the statement “ang mga regalong iyon ay akin.” This sentence means “those gifts are mine.” The word for “gift” is “regalo” in Tagalog. If someone wanted to say “gifts” which is a plural word then the word “mga” is placed before the word “regalo” as seen in the previous example. Note that the word “iyon” used here means “those.”

The word “my” can also be used when speaking of the relationship between people. For instance, “my sister” would be “aking kapatid na babae” in Tagalog and to say “my wife” would be “aking asawa.”

Visiting family, friends in the Philippines or taking a trip there as a vacationer may be reason enough to brush up on some Tagalog words or even learn new ones. Those who have been to the Philippines know that it is breathtakingly beautiful. There are thousands of islands that make up the region known as the Philippines so as you can imagine, each island has something different to see. Whether it is the beaches, beautiful sunrises, and sunsets there is always something to do and to see.

In the Tagalog language the word for “beautiful” is “maganda.” Many observers have noted that the sandy beaches, caves and ancient man made structures and sites some of which date back over two thousand years and the many other things to see in the Philippines can be summed up in the phrase “Sila ay maganda” which means “they are beautiful.” The word “sila” means “they, ” while “maganda” mean “beautiful” and “ay” means “is / are” since there is no plural for is/are in Tagalog.

In Tagalog the word “maganda” can also mean “good” therefore the word can also be heard in greetings such as: Magandang Umaga which means “good morning” and “Magandang hapon” which means “good afternoon” and other greetings which include the word “good.”

Some Tagalog phrases which include the word beautiful (maganda) include “Ako ay maganda” which means “I am beautiful” and the phrase “Ang iyong anak na babae ay maganda” means “your daughter is beautiful.” Note that “anak na babae” means “daughter.”

Visiting family, friends in the Philippines or taking a trip there as a vacationer may be reason enough to brush up on some Tagalog words or even learn new ones. The word for beautiful in Tagalog is “maganda.”

In Tagalog the word for “good” is “magandang.” The following are some phrases that use the word “good” in Tagalog.

To say “good noon” when the clock strikes twelve o’clock pm, you would should say “magandang tanghali.” When you want to say “good afternoon” to someone you could say “magandang hapon.” If you want to wish someone a good day, then simply say “magandang araw.”

It is interesting to note that the word for “goodbye” in Tagalog is “paalam” and “maganda’ is not a part of the translation. “ Paalam” is used to say goodbye.

When you mean to compliment someone for the good job he did, you can say “you did a good job” which can be expressed in Filipino as “nakagawa ka ng maayos na trabaho.” “Maayos na trabaho” means “good job.” Another term that also pertains to “good job” is “galing ng trabaho.”

When you are speaking about food and you want to use the word “good” in reference to food then the word “masarap” is used. For example when we want to say “brewed coffee is good for breakfast” we would say “ang nilagang kape ay masarap sa umagahan.” And yet another example would be the phrase “gusto ko ng masarap na umagahan” which means “I want a good Filipino breakfast.”

Another term that also means “good” is “mabuti.” Here are some phrases using “mabuti.”: To say “good example” we could say “mabuting halimbawa” in Tagalog. The phrase “in good faith” translates as “nasa mabuting kapakanan.” As an aside, the word for “goodness” in Tagalog is “kabutihan.”

Although it may be a little overwhelming because of the different ways to say and use the word “good” in Tagalog, be aware that these words can be learned. Practice often, and put in the time and effort to learn them.

In the Philippines the word “salamat” is used when someone wants to say “thank you.” Thank you is usually said to show that one is grateful (pasasalamat) or is appreciatiative.

The following are additional words and phrases related to “thank you” in Tagalog.

Someone could say “thank you very much” in Tagalog by saying “maraming salamat” or “maraming salamat po.” By adding “po” the statement becomes more polite. Without “po” it is casual / informal and used among friends.

The way to say “thankful’ in Tagalog is “nagpapasalamat” or “mapagpasalamat.” The word “Nagpapasalamat” is used as an action verb in the present tense while “mapagpasalamat” is used as an adjective. Here are examples of “nagpapasalamat” being used in sentences. To say “I am thankful” this would translate as “ako ay nagpapasalamat.” If someone wants to say “I am thankful for my parents” then the person could say “ako ay nagpapasalamat sa aking mga magulang.” The word “ako” means “I” in Tagalog.

If the speaker wants to say “I am thankful we met” then he or she could say “ako ay nagpapasalamat at tayo ay nagkita.”

Now let’s look at the word “mapagpasalamat” (thankful) as it is being used in some examples: “she is thankful for the blessings” would be “siya ay mapagpasalamat sa mga biyaya.” To say “he was thankful” would be “siya ay mapagpasalamat” in Tagalog.

Another word that is closely associated with thank you is the word “glad.” Maybe this is because saying thank you evokes feelings of happiness or gladness in people. The word “glad” in Tagalog can be translated as “nagagalak.” To say “I am glad you visited” you can say “ako ay nagagalak na ikaw ay bumisita.” To say “I am glad I passed the exam” say “ako ay nagagalak na pumasa ako sa eksaminasyon.”

Of course, when someone says “thank you” the polite reply is “you’re welcome.” To say “you’re welcome” in Tagalog, this would be “walang anuman.”

Saying such polite words such as: thank you and you’re welcome really can do wonders for those who say and hear it. These words can be used not merely to be polite, but more importantly to spread the positive feelings that gratitude brings.

In Tagalog which is widely spoken in the Philippines, the words “iyo” or “iyong” and “mo” are used interchangeably to mean “your” in Tagalog. “Iyo / Iyong” or “mo” are used to indicate “your” when speaking about ownership/possession/relation; depending on usage.

Showing hospitality to guests is a universal characteristic. In the Philippines, whenever there are visitors, the host and family all work together to make their guests feel comfortable. Some Filipinos even go to the extent of borrowing money from relatives or friends to be able to provide for the needs of the guests. In Tagalog, you can express your gratitude for your hosts’ hospitality by saying, “salamat (thank you) sa (for) iyong (your) magandang pagtanggap (hospitality).”

If you’ve been to a typical Filipino home, you will observe that the family is a very close-knit group. When people are with family there is a sense and a feeling of belonging.

Examples of using the word “your” in Tagalog, when referring to family relationship, include the phrases: your father which is “iyong ama” or “ama mo.”

To say “your mother” the words “iyong ina” or “ina mo” can be used. Similarly, if you want to say “your sister” then “iyong kapatid na babae” can be used and conversely when saying “your brother” then the phrase “iyong kapatid na lalaki” can be applied.

Although not all Filipino homes have extended families living there, there are some households where this is the case, especially in the provinces. There are also some extended families that do not live in one house but instead reside in the same compound, which is an area consisting of several houses exclusive to relatives.

The word for “your” in Tagalog is Iyo / Iyong” or “mo.”

In this article we will look at some ways to use the word “I” in Tagalog. In Tagalog the word “ako” means “I.”

Here are some examples using “ako.” In the Philippines people can introduce themself in casual situations by saying “Kumusta? Ako si ….” (Hi / How are you?, I am ….). If someone were asked the question “ilang taon ka na” (how old are you) then a possible reply could be “ako ay bentisingko anyos (I am twenty-five years old). In this case the word “anyos” means “years” and “benti” means “twenty” while singko” means “five.”

If one wanted to tell someone more about themself they could start by saying “ako ay nakatira sa Maynila” (I live in Manila). Furthermore the statement “ako ay pumasok ng kolehiyo sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas” would mean “I went to college in the University of the Philippines.”

Other common phrases where the word “I” in Tagalog, is used include: “ako ay naantok na” (I am sleepy) and the phrase “andito ako” (I am here) which can be used in a variety of situations. The phrase “ako ay gutom na” means “I am hungry.”

When speaking about what one likes the phrase “gusto kong” is often used in response. So for example if one is asked “anong uri ng pagkain ang gusto mo” (what kind of food do you like); the reply might be “Gusto ko ng….” (I enjoy ….) followed by the name of the food. For instance, the word for “chicken” is “manok.” Therefore, one could say “gustgo kong manok” which means: I like chicken.” Alternatively you could include the word “kumain” and say: “gusto kong kumain ng manok” which would mean “I like eating chicken.”

As seen, the term “gusto kong” can be used to express what you like. Let’s look at another way to use this word for saying “I like” in Tagalog. To say that I like (listening to) music then that would be: “Gusto kong nakikinig sa musika” (I like listening to music).

“I” in Tagalog is “ako” and when saying something such as “I am tall” (ako ay mataas) then it is used. However, to say “I like” in Tagalog then it would be “gusto kong” as in “I like pizza” (gusto kong pizza). Whatever food you like can be substituted in the phrase.

Before a child begins to start walking, the first thing that he has to learn is how to stand. A child learning how to walk is no different from a person trying to learn a language. In order to develop a certain skill, you always have to start with the basics.

Learning basic phrases is a good way to begin learning a language. Phrases serve as building blocks that can be used to make our own sentences and phrases are a good way to learn vocabulary.

Some useful Filipino phrases that can be used when speaking to a friend could include: “gusto ko matuto ng Filipino” which means “I want to learn Filipino.” The words “gusto ko” means “I want to.” Your friend might ask “naintindihan mo ba ko?” which means “do you understand me?” If you want to respond that you don’t understand then you could say “hindi ko maintindihan” which translates as “I do not understand.” The words
“hindi ko…” means “I do not….”

If there are specific things that you want to learn to say in Filipino (Tagalog), you can start your question with “how do you say” which can be translated as “paano mo sasabihin” in Filipino. When there are certain Tagalog words that you want to know, you can ask “what is the Tagalog word for…” and in Tagalog this is “ano sa Tagalog ang…..”

At the end of conversations, you can express the sentiment that you are glad that you met the person by saying “nagagalak akong makita ka” which means ”glad to meet you.”

Most skills are developed with practice and learning Filipino along with Filipino phrases is no different. If you continue practicing speaking the Filipino language with friends, then in time you should find that your language skills might have improved.