How hard is Tagalog?

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kooks77_kit

not too hard, although for most native English speakers, it's the pronunciation that kinda gets them. Tagalog has words that are almost the same as the spanish words(diue to the fact that we were occupied by them for 300 years).

You do need to first learn to pronounce the vowels a,e,i,o,u in the tagalog way, "ah" "eh" "e" "oh" (pronounced like the o in "oil" ) and "uh" (pronounced like the u in ubiquitous, sorry this was the first word that i could think of that has the same sound).

learn the first few basic words, salamat (thanks), kamusta (hello), masarap (delicious), ako (me), ikaw (you), silya (chair), upuan (seat), aso(dog), pusa (cat), tao (people), upo (sit) but this word you will also encounter as a word for a vegetable but pronounced differently. The word that means sit has the stress on the last syllable uPO, and the vegetable has the stress on the first syllable Upo.

come to think of it, it might be pretty complicated too, considering there are words that are spelled the same, but has different meanings when pronounced differently.

Since Filipinos have different dialects, most will pronounce the same words differently with different inflections and accents. Should you really want to learn, try looking for a pure tagalog speaker, mostly those who are born and bred in Tagalog speaking parts of Luzon.

Filipino's appreciate people who exerts the effort to speak their language, and even though you might "butcher" it, with your pronunciation, they will surely appreciate your effort.

Most Filipino's however, understand English as it is a second language and is taught to every student at school as part of the curriculum, so tourists, won't have a hard time getting themselves understood (providing they speak English that is!). But please be prepared to hear the American Influence in the English used by Filipinos.

Roger S

I'm also learning Tagalog. I am going to marry a Pinay this summer and want our future children to learn about both cultures and speak both languages. For me, trying to speak Tagalog is a way to show respect to Filipinos when I'm visiting. Americans seem to be upset with foreigners who don't speak English while in the States, so I think we should at least try. In my experiences (20 visits to the Philippines) Filipinos respond very positive when I say even a few words in Tagalog.

To the guy (purple something) who seems upset that English speakers are treated "special" you sound jealous, but think maybe you are right. I do find that I am treated special by Filipinos because I am white or kano, but I will tell you that being treated special really does leave a good impression on me and I appreciate how I am treated in the Philippines. Because I am treated so well there, I try hard to return that treatment to Filipinos. Maybe all I can do is give a extra good tip for service at a meal or say "salamat po" or offer to let someone in front of me in line at SM supermarket or something like that, but the good feelings I have about Filipinos remain with me long after the vacation is over. God bless the Filipino people and I pray for blessings for you all.

I'm sorry for getting off topic. Learning any language can be hard, but worth the effort if you plan to visit or have ties to that culture. It is made easier by learning one word a day and using what you have learned in conversation with a native speaker.

fakebobjones

Harder than French (I am a native English speaker--but then my French sucks as well). I can understand way, way more than I can speak. It is all phonetic which seems like that should make it easier but it does not for me.

I have determined that if I speak a sentence completely of nouns with no conjugation, people can usually understand enough to know what I am saying (but I get laughed at a lot also). Sometimes I will add a mga, ni, or si for no apparent reason but it sounds good in my head.

Bonus is people here are really, really, really nice at my attempts to speak even when I am butchering their language.

nena aka NENA

kinda-sorta hard, i guess...but if u wanna really learn, it should be easy...u must have motivation...rent pinoy movies...listen to pinoy songs on youtube

Just me!

don't worry, it's not really hard to learn tagalog or filipino language. u'll get there! = )

mrs. t

Congratulations Mr. Roger S for marrying a filipina. You will be happy for the rest of yourlives. I am filipina and married to kano also. I am so glad that you be able to learn tagalog. My husband can speak tagalog and he is very proud and now tagalog is his second language.

Learning any language not only tagalog is tough but if you really want to learn the language and very interested I think there is no problem at all, you can learn the language for the short period of time. I agree with most of the above answers. Good luck to you.

Ayasi

as hard as learning and speaking english...

mariposang_gala

Not really hard as you think..my friends father is a pure iranian and if you can hear him now the way he speak he almost sound like filipino..as long that you really want to learn it you can dig it..

it is a good start to learn abcd in tagalog term like a ba(b) ka(c) da(d) e ga(g) ha(h) i la(l) ma(m) na(n) o pa(p) ra(r) sa(s) ta(t) o wa(w) ya(y)

a e i o u is a vowel but you have to speak it as hard as you can like saying a is not "ey" in tagalog its " ah' "

Jordan C

Not as hard as Spanish.

GKole

I started off with no background at all, my parents refused to use Filipino in front of me and so I've been "leaning" Filipino for the past 10 years.

The hardest part with Filipino is learning how to pronounce the words. As with English (and I'm sure with other languages, though I wouldn't know because I haven't had to learn any other languages) the slightest difference in a word will have you saying "We ate off of a corpse..." instead of "We ate in a hut on a raft..." Not only that, but the stressing of syllables is also very important. One minute you're talking about your friend, the next minute with the wrong inflection you're talking about your boy/girlfriend.

The best way to learn Filipino is to talk with other people who are native speakers. Depending on how good your ear is and how well you can control your tongue would make all the difference in leaning. Me? I suck. Ten years down the line, I'm sure I'll still be saying "Come on and eat, you people with no shame..." at family get-togethers.

If you're leaning Filipino in order use it in the Philippines, I'd strongly recommend using it only with family members - the rest of the time, use English. What that other kid said about getting perks when using English is true in some cases. It works, but then you come off looking like a jerk to smarter people around you if you're milking it (which is what i suspect with that kid). Filipinos seem to understand perfect English far better than badly worded Filipino. Heck, even if the words are right, the English accent muddies their understanding.

Jester7.62

My mom is Filippino but refuses to teach me tagalog saying it'll allow more racism from my peers so i taught myself. It's not that hard to learn. At least it wasn't for me because I've heard her speak it all my life so i no how the words are suppose to sound. i no a few words (erang=cat, aso=dog, ect.) and a few cuss words. (simbutong=s**t) but not enough to say an entire sentence. thank you for tryng to learn a part of my heritage and good luck with your lessons.

Steve C

I am an American, and learning Tagalog is hard,,mostly the pronunciations, to have it just right. The actual memorization of words is not hard, because a lot of it is spanish based. I find it best, to learn when there,, swap words with friends there,,easy to learn for both of us. Salamat,,,,,,,,,,,Steve,,,,,,,,,

Honest Expression

Its not hard. It just takes practice. If you have people like relatives to help you or talk to you in tagalog thats good. What that guy purple tactic said is true about speaking english in the philippines and sometimes its better that way. Some areas people have stronger dialects and working on pronouncing words without sounding too american might be the hardest part.

whantmoore

Its not too hard to speak certain words but I have found it harder to read since they way the words are written really mess you up if you are native English speaker

purple tactics

If you are planning on learning it so you can speak tagalog in the Philippines...don't learn it dude!!! Speak George Bush's language and you'll get prioritized in shops and restaurants. You'll get smiles and giggles, your food will come faster. Plus, the cops won't bother giving you a ticket and let you go when you speak fluently ingles amigo... they get all nervous and don't know how to respond! Just don't speak english in jeepneys and busses, if you do, your chances of getting mugged/stabbed will increase.

(To my fellow Filipinos, have the honesty in you and admit that this is true. Don't bother with the hostile replies.)

elmo

it's as hard as malayalam.. the indian language..

Heart Break Gal

im familiar with that "tagalog" stuff.. filipinos are surrounding me before when i was in LA.. they were our helpers at home.. i learned alot of stuff from them.. maganda-umaga!! lol.. pretty hard actually so i do not intend to learn some more..

Well

I am kano but learned it early on when my family was still living in the Philippines. It's pretty straightforward, it is a language best learned from conversation than in the written word. The most important key is that you must get to a point where you start thinking at least partially in the language. When you walk up to a pinoy, instead of "Good Morning, how are you today", think and say "Magandang umaga, kumusta kayo?" and do not do any ad-hoc translation while saying it.
I know it's hard given that most pinoys would rather speak to you in English.

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