All Philippine languages and dialects belong to the Malayo-Polynesian family. The official language is Filipino (based on the North Philippine dialect Tagalog). Spoken by a quarter of the population as a first language, most Filipinos are able to understand and speak some form of Tagalog. In the Visayas and Mindanao, Bisaya is spoken (based on Cebuano) by almost all of the population.
The Philippines is the third-largest English speaking nation in the world, and English is widely spoken throughout the country since it is the medium of instruction in schools and is used on most road signs and documents. Spanish and Chinese are also spoken by small minorities.
Here are a few useful Filipino phrases, with the English word first, then the Filipino word, and finally a guide to pronunciation:
- Hello hello hello
- Good Morning Magandang Umaga ma-gun-dung oo-ma-guh
- Good Afternoon Magandang Hapon ma-gun-dung haa-pon
- Good Evening Magandang Gabi ma-gun-dung gaa-bii
- Goodbye Paalam puh-uh-lum
- My name is... Ako si ah-koh sii...
- One, two, three, four, five isa, dalawa, tatlo, apat, lima uh-nim, pee-toh, wuh-low, see-yum, sum-poo
- six, seven, eight, nine, ten anim, pito, walo, siyam, sampu ee-suh, duh-luh-wuh, tut-low, uh-pot, lee-muh
- Thank you Salamat suh-luh-mat
- Please Pwede po ba puh-weh-deh poh buh
- Excuse me Paumanhin po puh-ooh-mun-heen poh
- How much? Magkano po? mug-kuh-noh poh
- Where is...? Saan po ba ang...? suh-anh poh buh ahhng
- Ticket Tiket tee-ket
- Bill Kuwenta koo-wehn-tuh
- I would like Gusto kong goos-toh kong
- Where should I get off for...? Saan ako bababa papuntang...? Suh-anh ah-koh bah-bah- bah puh-poon-tung...
- Is this bus for...? Papunta ba ang bus sa...? puh-poon-tuh bah ahhng boos suh...
- Where are the toilets? Saan ang CR? suh-anh ang see-arrh?
- Yes Oo oh-oh
- No Hindi heen-deeh
Phrasebook information provided courtesy of TAGALOG, part of the SEAsite Project at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, USA and the Center for Southeast Asian Studies.
