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
- ako → I
- siya /sha/ → he/she
- pusa → cat
- lugar → place
- lalaki → man/boy
- babae → woman/lady/girl
- simbahan → church
- probinsya → province
- estudyante → student
- pulis → police officer
- arkitekto → architect
- inhinyero → engineer
- Filipino → Filipino (nationality)
- Hapon → Japanese
- Koreana → Korean (female)
- maputi → white
- malinis → tidy
- masaya → happy
- masipag → hardworking
- gutom → hungry
- pagod → tired
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:
- Maputi ang pusa. → white the cat
- Malinis ang lugar. → tidy the place
- Masaya 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Maputi | ang | pusa |
| 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 pusa → a/the cat
- si John → John
- ang simbahan → a/the church
- si Jane → Jane
| English | Tagalog |
|---|---|
| The cat is white. | Maputi ang pusa. |
| The place is tidy. | Malinis ang lugar. |
| The lady is happy. | Masaya 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.
- Maputi ang pusa. → Ang pusa ay maputi.
- Malinis ang lugar. → Ang lugar ay malinis.
- Masaya ang babae. → Ang babae ay masaya.
- 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 | pusa | ay | maputi. |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| Masaya | ang babae. |
| Masipag | si John. |
Formal Tagalog
| Subject with the Inversion Marker | Predicate |
|---|---|
| Ang babae ay | masaya. |
| 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.
- Siya ay si Jane. → She is Jane.
Even in casual conversations, the “ay” is dropped.
- Ako si John. → I am John
- Siya 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 “taga-” is a prefix that indicates that someone/something is from that place.
Express profession or something you do
- Arkitekto ako. → I am an architect.
- Inhinyero si Jane. → Jane is an engineer.
- Pulis 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.
- Hapon si Sakuragi. → Sakuragi is Japanese.
- Koreana si Ryujin. → Ryujin is Korean.
- Gutom ako. → I am hungry.
- Pagod ako. → I am tired.
Express time
Though expressions of time do not always follow the marker pattern.
- Huwebes bukas. → Tomorrow is Thursday.
- Bukas ay Huwebes.
- June 4 ngayon. → Today is 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!