“Salamat” & More Basic Tagalog (Filipino) Words To Learn

You know what’s not cool, overcooking your soft-boiled eggs that they turn into hard-boiled eggs. If soft-boiled eggs are what you’re looking for, then you should get soft-boiled eggs. Not hard-boiled eggs. I mean don’t get me wrong, hard-boiled eggs are still great. However, soft-boiled eggs just hit a little different, you know what I mean?

Now, what’s cooler, especially if you’re about to spend a season in tropical Manila or any place in the Philippines, is learning essential phrases in Tagalog (Filipino). Just simple phrases that help you slowly connect with the locals. Because what better way to make friends and connect with your surroundings than by speaking the language around you?

A very quick info: Tagalog is only one of the many languages spoken in the Philippines and it was chosen as the basis for the national language (Wikang Pambansa or Pambansang Wika) of the country by President Manuel L. Quezón. Then, in 1959, it was renamed to Pilipino. Sometime in 1972, a constitution announced both Pilipino and English to be the country’s two official languages. After that, Filipino (not Pilipino) became the new national language to be made from all the languages spoken in the Philippines.

• hi: hi (hi)
• good morning: magandang umaga (ma-gan-dang oo-ma-ga)
• good day: magandang araw (ma-gan-dang ah-raw)
• good noon: magandang tanghali (ma-gan-dang tang-ha-lee)
• good afternoon: magandang hapon (ma-gan-dang ha-pon)
• good evening: magandang gabi (ma-gan-dang ga-bih)
• *informal* thank you: salamat (sa-la-mat)
• *formal* thank you: salamat po (sa-la-mat poh)
• *informal* thank you very much: maraming salamat (ma-ra-ming sa-la-mat)
• *formal* thank you very much: maraming salamat po (ma-ra-ming sa-la-mat poh)
• *informal* you’re welcome: walang anuman (wa-lang ah-noo-man)
• *formal* you’re welcome: walang anuman po (wa-lang ah-noo-man poh)
• yes: opo (oh-poh)
• *informal* no: hindi (heen-dih)
• *formal* no: hindi po (heen-dih poh)
• sorry: sorry (so-ri)
• don’t worry: wag kang mag-alala (wag kang mag-ah-la-la), huwag kang mag-alala (hoo-wag kang mag-ah-la-la)
• bye: bye (by), babay (ba-bay)
• goodbye: paalam (pa-ah-lam)
• how are you: kamusta ka (ka-mus-tah ka)
• how much: magkano (mag-ka-no)
• *informal* how much is this: magkano ito (mag-ka-noh ee-toh)
• *formal* how much is this: magkano po ito (mag-ka-noh poh ee-toh)
• take care: ingat (ing-at)
• I don’t know: hindi ko alam (heen-dih ko ah-lam)
• I love you: mahal kita (ma-hal kee-tah)
• let’s go: tayo na (ta-yoh nah)
• let’s eat: kain na tayo (ka-een na ta-yoh)