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Philippine Language

7K views 34 replies 15 participants last post by  henrycollins 
#1 ·
My better half shared this with me, while I speak English and some French, a smattering of Tagalog and even less Ilocano (our local area). My better half advises that he speaks 2 recognised languages, English and Tagalog. He considers Ilocano, Bicol Which he converses fluently with as local dialects and don't count, interesting because he also has a firm grasp on Spanish and communicates comfortably with friends from Visayas and Mindanao.

Taglish rings a bell.

I always understood there were only perhaps 120 dialects within PH. but this link shows differently and the figures are interesting, have a look.



Cheers, Steve.
 
#2 ·
86% speak English LOL... not in my region they barely understand the words that are coming out of my mouth and for sure even if they understand some English the conversation going to be limited and then you'll be talking to yourself.

Just from my experience and this includes my in-laws who I thought understood me for at least a decade but it turns out they understood very little of our previous conversations they just ? They didn't' want to hurt the relationship or tried to understand as best they could without letting me know that I was basically talking to myself... So my best guess is that probably only 30% can understand English enough to get by with basic conversations and maybe a little bit more advanced discussions.

My youngest son is in an 8th grade private school and I asked him how many of his classmates can speak English and it turns out less than half.

Reminds me, I need to set aside an hour per day to learn the Tagalog language.
 
#3 ·
Interesting Mark, I do set aside time to learn Tagalog but not nearly enough probably because of where we live, family included have a very firm grasp and comprehension of the english language and those few that didn't fare well in the education system it's quickly translated by friends and occasionally by myself.
Definitely to date not my experience the 30% opinion, My personal experience within our locale would be 70 to 80% English communicable.

Different strokes I suppose.

Cheers, Steve.
 
#5 ·
I purchased a Tagalog I & II disc set from Rosetta Stone in 2011 and it's really helpful I need a new USB type headset or high quality because the program also checks not only grammar but how you pronounce the words and for sure I use the Google translate apps and they are very helpful.

Our area is listed as a 4th class municipality and it's rare if I see another expat in our region other than out at the major malls and grocery stores.
 
#6 ·
You may find it interesting if you ask your partner what dialect/language do they;
- Think in when relating to daily activities. (example driving & sees a tree), Dream in, etc.

My spouse speaks 5 dialects & English. When in the states she dreams & thinks in English, when in the PI it depends where she is and dreams & thinks in the local dialect.:confused2: LOL
 
#12 ·
If you visit tourist vacation spots and large cities you will run across more English speaking but out in the provincial area's not so much you'll be having a private conversation with yourself. My son is in 8th grade and in a private school and only 20% of his classmates can understand English well, I have noticed that kids seem to understand much better than the adults and when shopping in the municipality the store clerk sometimes they ask their children to translate the favorite term here when someone has trouble speaking English is that they have a nosebleed.

Unless you have cable TV the local programming is mainly in Tagalog so maybe only one channel devoted to movies in English and another US movie channel in Tagalog but you'd need to by a cable box for that we use the ABS/CBN TV Plus a one time fee of 1,500 pesos it's purchased in the store it also brings channels in crystal clear.
 
#17 ·
Grand kids



My grand kids have both learned English from living with me and also YouTube has been a real helper, I wish I could say the same for me learning Tagalog, I know many words but who am fooling I can't hold a conversation or understand even after living here a decade but the few words I have learned sure have helped me get through conversations or transactions.
 
#18 ·
Man, I speak a little Tagalog and Kapampangan. My Kapampangan is a little better than my Tagalog because of my mom speaking only Kapampangan to me 100% lol. My dad is all 100% English with me. Tagalog I maintained from my coworkers in the USA and watching Filipino tv/movies. I try to learn a few words here and there when I'm motivated. I can write and read a little from both Filipino languages.
 
#25 ·
I'm having a hard time with some of the Tagalog words that difficult to pronounce. It's like tongue twisting words that I can't utter. Glad that some of my staffs always teaching me how to pronounce it properly some of the basic Tagalog words. Well, I can't communicate well in Tagalog. Though, I understand some of the basic Tagalog words.
 
#26 ·
Tagalog the Correct Pronunciation



Welcome to the forum Cathsmith, I try speaking what little Tagalog I know and it's hard for them to understand there's no accent or correct pronunciation or they just refuse to admit you spoke Tagalog and are trying to figure out what you just said. :D

I had a businessman tell me once... Speak English :eek: He doesn't understand much English but he still wanted me to speak English over my bad pronunciation of Tagalog but I also had a very nice conversation while riding in a jeepney and I told them that story and they told me to speak Tagalog so they were encouraging me to keep trying was my take away from it, for sure it makes things a little easier just knowing simple phrases or words.

I do have a program from Rosetta Stone I & II and it has me pronounce words and also proper grammar but my headset failed years ago and it requires a high quality USB call center styled headset in order to work with the software.

My wife has no patience in teaching me Tagalog so I've learned so much from using public transportation the people all say the same things when giving their fair or when stopping so you can pick it up much faster, also some of these commercials.
 
#28 ·
I am a Ret Gysgt moving to P.I. it’s been so long since I’ve been there would like a friend either living there or someone going there like myself to share experience and sort of help each other out. An expat living there as a mentor would be great. I play golf and other activities and would like to meet other expats and get involved. Would love to hear from somebody. I have a friend from way back John Reveille that’s been there for a long time now but don’t know if he is still there.angles city
 
#30 · (Edited)
Fellow Expats



Welcome to the forum Tintree86 and so when's your final move? We do have a few members in Subic and Angeles and I'm pretty sure you will meet up with many other expats that live in these area's.

Are you going to use the SRRV Retired Military Visa? Just curious because you could probably knock out some of paper work before you arrive with your nearest Philippine Consulate Embassy of the Philippines - Consulate Finder Map

Philippine Retirement Authority (SRRV) https://pra.gov.ph
 
#29 ·
Interesting, I posted to our newest member many hours ago and it disappeared, not sure why and will start again. Hope I remember what I said as it's been beer o'clock here in Oz for an hour or more.

Welcome Tintree, hope you enjoy and contribute, I gather you are looking at the Angeles city area? We are 3 or 4 hours north but there are plenty of expats in Angeles that should jump in to help you out. Subic also has many expats and not too far away. Enjoy.

Cheers, Steve
 
#31 ·
For some of you in here, start off with "Mahal na mahal kita!!!" aka I truly love you in Tagalog. Or "Kalaguran daka" in Kapampangan. That should get you laid. Just kidding. That will get you married actually. Yeah, learn the vocabulary first. Start naming objects in your house you see everyday in Tagalog or province language. Cups, chairs, floor, wall, sink, bathroom, clothes, counting from 1 to 100, parts of your body, and all that. Like you're in kindergarten.
 
#32 ·
Good idea I need to set aside add an extra hour each day to study Tagalog words, I do remember studying the colors and the various names for vegetables and certain ingredients for cooking it's all important when you are at the market it makes things move much faster.
 
#33 · (Edited)
Exactly. The word "Gulay" pronounced Gooo-lie( like something gooey or you're lying) is Tagalog for vegetables. "Gule" is Kapampangan. I got the Kapampangan dictionary book in this picture below at a National Bookstore at the SM Mall. The Tagalog book on Amazon. I hope they still carry them. They cost P143 pesos each. Sorry for the pic, not to clear image wise. It's an English Kapampangan dictionary and it's pretty damn good. It's got common phrases, folk songs, and so on in the back along with being a dictionary.
 

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