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

You know what’s not cool? Overcooking your soft-boiled eggs so 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 bit of info: Tagalog is only one of the many languages spoken in the Philippines. It was chosen as the basis for the national language by President Manuel L. Quezón. After various constitutional changes, Filipino became the official national language, evolving from all the languages spoken across the archipelago.

• 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)
• Thank you (Informal): salamat (sa-la-mat)
• Thank you (Formal): salamat po (sa-la-mat poh)
• Thank you very much: maraming salamat (ma-ra-ming sa-la-mat)
• You’re welcome: walang anuman (wa-lang ah-noo-man)
• Yes: opo (oh-poh) / oo (oh-oh)
• No: hindi (heen-dih)
• Sorry: sorry (so-ri) / pasensya na (pa-sen-sha na)
• Don’t worry: huwag kang mag-alala (hoo-wag kang mag-ah-la-la)
• Goodbye: paalam (pa-ah-lam)
• How are you: kamusta ka (ka-mus-tah ka)
• How much: magkano (mag-ka-no)
• 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 eat: kain na tayo (ka-een na ta-yoh)