Welcome to the first chapter of Tagaloguero! By the end of this chapter, you’ll be able to introduce yourself and describe things using simple, natural Tagalog sentences. First things first, let’s load up your vocabulary.
Vocabulary
- akó → I
- siyá → he/she
- pusà → cat
- lugár → place
- lalaki → man/boy
- babae → woman/lady/girl
- simbahan → church
- probinsya → province
- estudyante → student
- pulís → police officer
- arkitekto → architect
- inhinyero → engineer
- Filipino → Filipino (nationality)
- Hapón → Japanese
- Koreana → Korean (female)
- maputî → white
- malinis → tidy
- masayá → happy
- masipag → hardworking
- gutóm → hungry
- pagód → tired
💡BEFORE WE START: The term Tagalog used extensively in this guide refers to the variety spoken in Metro Manila. This variety is part of the broader Filipino/Tagalog umbrella that also includes Batangas and Quezon Tagalog, both of which retain more of the older, original Tagalog from history. This guide only covers the informal Filipino/Tagalog (or Taglish) used in everyday Metro Manila speech.
English vs Tagalog Sentence Structure
In English, sentences usually start with the subject, followed by “is” or “are”, and then the description.
- The cat is white.
- The place is tidy.
- The students are happy.
- John is hardworking.
In Tagalog however, it’s the other way around. The description comes first, followed by the subject:
- Maputî ang pusà. → white the cat
- Malinis ang lugár. → tidy the place
- Masayá ang mga estudyante. →happy the students
- Masipag si John. → hardworking (the) John
Let’s break it down. Each sentence follows this pattern: Descriptor → Marker → Subject
| Descriptor | Marker | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| Maputî | ang | pusà |
| Masipag | si | John |
Tagalog uses the marker ang to mark the subject of the sentence. Ang loosely translates to “a” or “the” in English. Use ang for common nouns, use si for proper nouns.
- ang pusà → a/the cat
- si John → John
- ang simbahan → a/the church
- si Jane → Jane
| English | Tagalog |
|---|---|
| The cat is white. | Maputî ang pusà. |
| The place is tidy. | Malinis ang lugár. |
| The lady is happy. | Masayá ang babae. |
| John is hardworking. | Masipag si John. |
Inverted Sentences
The Tagalog sentences I discussed above are what you would mostly hear and use in daily conversations. But Tagalog can also flip the order around.
- Maputî ang pusà. → Ang pusà ay maputî.
- Malinis ang lugár. → Ang lugár ay malinis.
- Masayá ang babae. → Ang babae ay masayá.
- Masipag si John. → Si John ay masipag.
Kind of familiar, right? That’s because it mirrors the English word order. These sentences are more formal and often used in news, documentaries, and official documents.
| Ang | pusà | ay | maputî. |
| The | cat | is | white. |
This kind of Tagalog sentence is achieved by using the “ay” sentence inversion marker. The “ay” marker exists to invert sentences to put more emphasis on the subject. However, it is not equivalent to “is” or “are” in English.
Normal Tagalog
| Predicate | Subject |
|---|---|
| Masayá | ang babae. |
| Masipag | si John. |
Formal Tagalog
| Subject with the Inversion Marker | Predicate |
|---|---|
| Ang babae ay | masayá. |
| Si John ay | masipag. |
Since this guide leans more toward casual Tagalog, you’ll encounter this sentence structure less frequently in the early chapters. The only time inverted sentences carry over into casual speech is when you’re stating someone’s name.
- Ako ay si John. → I am John.
- Siyá ay si Jane. → She is Jane.
Even in casual conversations, the “ay” is dropped.
- Ako si John. → I am John
- Siyá si Jane. → She is Jane.
Subjects will always be with its markers, though.
Other things you can express with this simple Predicate-Subject sentence structure
Express where you are from
- Taga-Manila ako. → I am from Manila.
- Taga-probinsya si John. → John is from the province.
*The “tagá-” is a prefix that indicates that someone/something is from that place.
Express profession or something you do
- Arkitekto akó. → I am an architect.
- Inhinyero si Jane. → Jane is an engineer.
- Pulís ang babae. → The woman is a police officer.
- Estudyante ang lalaki. → The boy is a student.
Say what you are or how you feel
- Filipino ako. → I am a Filipino.
- Hapón si Sakuragi. → Sakuragi is Japanese.
- Koreana si Ryujin. → Ryujin is Korean.
- Gutóm ako. → I am hungry.
- Pagód ako. → I am tired.
Express time
Expressions of time do not always follow the marker pattern.
- Huwebes ang bukas. ❌
- Huwebes bukas. → Tomorrow is Thursday. ✅
- Ang bukas ay Huwebes. ❌
- Bukas ay Huwebes. ✅
- June 4 ang ngayon. ❌
- June 4 ngayon. → Today is June 4. ✅
- Ang ngayon ay June 4. ❌
- Ngayon ay June 4. ✅
That’s about it for this chapter. In Tagalog, descriptions come first, subjects last. If it feels weird, don’t worry — it will sink in. Next up, basic adjectives!