Should Foreigners Learn Tagalog and Other Phil. Languages?

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Black Hat

It depends with your objective or interests.

Magic Mouse

Your Taiwannese friend looks somewhat similar to a pinay and you don't... so its psychological.

And they have so many different dialects and such that they just use english as their standard language. It is the language of instruction in all schools. So really English is their unofficial, official language. It is quite natural to them.

Francis: If a foreigner wants to visit the Philippines, which one of their many languages should they learn? the reason that philippinos often use English with each other is the same reason the philippinos speak English to us. Like it or not, your centralized language there is English. I feel weird explaining this as a foreigner to a pinoy.

mihoâ™¥rattail

white folks parading around the city with gorgeous Pinays warbling to them in English..hmmm why do i sense some bitterness here?

the answer is as simple as reciting abc. it's not a requirement for foreigners to learn tagalog, if they want to learn the language it should be up to their initiative, though it would be really nice if the interest and determination are present. my guy's american (yeah that's jason p up there) and if speaking in english is one of the common grounds we have to make our communication simpler and hassle-free then i don't see anything wrong about pinay gfs talking to their foreign bfs in the language of their choice. life is complex as it is.. can't we be entitled to things that can make us understand each other easier at least?

whoa.. enuff of this rant.

nena aka NENA

to really savor the beauty of the philippines and to enjoy the company and friendships of the filipinos, foreigners need not learn our language. we can understand them just fine if they speak in english. however, we do appreciate foreigners who are trying to learn a few phrases here and there. and in your case, if you want us to talk to you in tagalog, just say so - "sabihin mo lang - pare, marunong akong mag-tagalog" -
i speak tagalog; i prefer that you talk to me in tagalog. and we will gladly comply.

Brian F

Your question was a good one until we got to your little anti-westerner attitude you made in your comment about white folks with Pinay girlfriends. So maybe you should look within your heart, and address that first. As for your Tagalog comment. You have to understand that the Philippines is a bi-lingual country just like Canada. If you want Filipinos to talk to you in Tagalog then politely ask them to talk to you in Tagalog. I do it all the time when I go to Japan to practice my Japanese, and do it in the Philippines to practice my Tagalog.

stargazingmaniac

as both english and filipino are the official languages, you dont have to worry about learning filipino. jason p said something about english being an unofficial language. filipino was made the national language so people speaking different dialects can still understand each other. sometimes, people here just speak in english because they just want to. it's no big deal.

people might be speaking with you in english so you would be at ease. not many are like you in wanting to learn the language of a country. most rely on translators or keeping their fingers crossed for english speaking citizens. just politely tell them that you want to practice tagalog and they would gladly help you do so.

your taiwanese might have looked like a local (there are a lot of chinese locals. their families have been here for centuries).

as for your number 2 situation, the filipina gfs are probably too hospitable. or like i said, they may be not willing to learn the language.

but in general, foreigners dont have to learn filipino when coming to the philippines. even vendors and drivers can somehow speak and express themselves using english.

vibal

you're one in a million! we always talk the English language if you are foreigner to make you feel at home. and yes, in Cebu they don't converse in tagalog. they undestand tagalog but when they speak, they speak their own cebuano dialect. if you want to learn tagalog or cebuano, you can always ask them to talk in their dialict.

oneiloilojeepney

Well your "National Languages" are English and Tagolog. So get off your lazy butts and learn them !

Mutya P

If you want to learn Tagalog, please do get in touch with me so I can forward your Lesson No. 1 :)
Have a nice day!

Sexy No More

I think its fun for a foreigner to learn Filipino language.

I'm teaching my British boyfriend to speak Tagalog because he wanted to learn and talk with me in Tagalog. He also like to chat with his Filipino colleagues and other Filipinos he meet in the supermarket, hotel reception, anywhere. Although he find some words funny telling me its like a pygmy language.

papars

If they intend to settle in the Philippines, learning Tagalog as well as some local dialects will be of great help. For foreigners doing business or married to a Filipina, learning Tagalog can help bridge the cultural divide faster.

ANT0Nii

Well I think maybe if they will be staying in the Philippines for a long time would be good. Maybe if you get to know everyone they will know that you are able to speak Tagalog and they will respond back. But there are instances where the people do not speak any English at all which can be a hard situation like in a tricycle. So I think that if the people were to stay a long time in the Philippines... it would be Great to learn. I can only speak a little bit, but I understand more. Sometimes i get into the situation where I kind of ignore what they say because I can't understand it... ehehe. It would be a good thing because you won't know if there will be a time when It will come to a good use. Its always good to be prepared.. oh yeah i guess they want to speak english to practice it... hehe good luck with your tagalog.

jan-na~â™¥~ and im luvin it

it is their choice.. but it is always fun to learn a new language.

â„¦ allan y

"should" is too strong a word connoting that it is mandatory. learning another language should be voluntary and should be up to the foreigner to decide. you will certainly learn more if it is fun and no amount of coercion is needed.**

Troubadour

According to the 1987 Constitution, Filipino and English are both the official languages.

Not Tagolog

So when I go somewhere and speak english I am speaking one of the offical languages.

I also live in Cebu so I am also learning Cebuano.

Why should I have to learn Tagalog?

Otaku in Need

The answer above me has a point. If you plan on staying here for a looooong time, you'll have an easier time communicating if you learn the language. With reference to those 'other foreigners parading around the city with gorgeous Filipina gf's warbling to them in English. Not one speaks Tagalog.' only two words can explain that: Colonial Mentality.

francis g

If a typical filipino will be asked if he/she is willing to a language if he/she is going to some country let's say japan, he would automaticaly say yes.

it is sad that we filipinos are very hospitable which i may say has its drawbacks as well..

we are very tolerating when it comes to matters like these...

i say that foreigners should learn our language when they come here.... we should not adjust for them after all they are the visitors... it's just fair because when we come to they country, we try to learn their language ....

FILAMUSA

Learning Tagalog is a waste of time. You really are wasting your time by learning it because it is pointless.

You should only try to learn tagalog if you are really borred and have nothing better to do.

After you spend all that time learning Tagalog you will find that most filipinos will be surprised but totally not impressed. People that know you understand Tagalog are more likely not to talk about you in front of your face also. And if you knew what they said about foreigners that they thought did not understand them then you would have a different outlook on those people and your trip might not be as fun.

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