Best List of 500 Common Tagalog Phrases for Travel

7 min readOct 12, 2020

With beautiful beaches, unique history, and remarkable people, millions of tourists all over the world have included the Philippines as a must-visit destination in Asia. Aside from its strategic location and unique culture tied to other countries, which makes it a perfect destination is its native community. You see, Filipinos may seem shy, but they are actually one of the most fluent English speakers in the world. But, to make your adventure even more exciting, why not try to dazzle the locals with your superb Tagalog speaking skills?

You know, there is much more beyond “Mahal kita” or “Paalam.” To get you started, we have put together a solid list of about 500 words featuring the common Tagalog phrases for travel that you need to learn as you immerse yourself with the culture and its people. Additionally, this article will also explore on a brief overview of the country’s history, culture, and language.

Table of Contents

History of the Philippines and the Tagalog Language

Despite the country’s turbulent history, Filipinos still managed to become one of the friendliest and warmest people in Asia. Aside from being a travel destination because of its food and beautiful beaches, the Philippine archipelago also attracts tourists through its colorful history.

Before its discovery by the Spanish empire, the country was populated by rival tribes, which all have distinct traditions, gods, and “datu” (chieftains or rulers). Unfortunately, earlier records regarding their culture were destroyed as the Spaniards colonized the country. With the land ruled by Spanish governors for more than 300 years, Filipinos were able to adopt its language, religion, customs, and even the naming traditions.

Additionally, countries like the United States and Japan have also targeted the country due to its tactical position. It has become one of the major maritime trade routes, which is why the locals are well-versed in different languages and are familiar with other countries’ traditions.

As the way of living changed over time, the Philippines’ language has also been under consistent development. While Tagalog is considered the official language, you may be surprised to know that there are also about 170 regional dialects. Some of the examples are Cebuano, Chavacano, Waray, and Hiligaynon.

Culture of the Philippines

The country’s unique yet diverse culture is deeply rooted in the customs and traditions of its foreign colonizers and its neighboring countries. Due to its strategic location and a humble number of islands, history proves that the Philippines has always been part of the trade route of other nationalities such as Malays, Arabs, Chinese, and even westerners. And since it is often visited, the locals have grown to love, learn, and ultimately adopt the cultures, dialects, cuisine, and even languages of these foreign visitors.

For instance, scattered all over the country are different religious monuments, mosques, and shrines in the hopes of catering to the varied religious communities existing in the country. While it is true that most of the Filipinos are baptized as Catholics, there are still a considerable number of people who come from different religions. The country and the government fully recognize this by proclaiming specific holidays for each!

Despite having an intense blend of traditions, Filipinos developed distinct qualities that set them apart. For instance, even today, the locals (along with their extended families) still put a premium on joining community festivals as this is an opportunity for them to show appreciation towards music, fashion and art, food, and religion.

Tagalog Language

You might be wondering why the Philippines does not seem to have its own writing system, unlike other Asian countries. Well, to be honest, the country has its old writing system called “Baybayin.” While the origins of Baybayin are still unclear even today, it can be noted that the script is influenced by Proto-Sinaitic script. This 14th-century writing was rampantly used in Luzon back in the 16th -17th century, but it has somehow lost its popularity as the locals learned about the English.

Note: In 2018, the Baybayin is slowly being revived by the country, so some of the busiest places in Manila are adapting Baybayin translations in government signages. As a tourist, you do not have to worry since about 90% of signages are still in English.

Tagalog Language Structure

Ready to speak Tagalog? To navigate the Philippines like a pro, allow us to share with you the basics such as the Tagalog alphabet and sentence structure.

Tagalog Alphabet

What makes Tagalog an easy language to learn is that its alphabet is reasonably easy to memorize. Each letter is called “titik” or “letra,” and each of it represents a spoken sound that is directly similar to the English alphabet. The modern Filipino alphabet holds over 28 letters: 26-letter set from the Latin alphabet, one special Spanish “Ñ” ( /ɲ/ or sounded as “enye”), and the Tagalog digraph “Ng” ( /ŋ/ as the “ng” in words like “sing,” “length,” and “thing”).

Tagalog Sentences

Compared to English, the Tagalog sentence stricture can be deemed as somewhat flexible. To form basic sentences in the Tagalog language, you may use the structure “Adjective +Subject/Pronoun.” For instance, you may simply say “Maganda si Beng” which is literally translated as “Beautiful is Beng.” Another example is “Naiinitan ako,” which literally translates to “Feeling hot me.”

Of course, you may also use the classic SVO agreement to make sentences like “Ako ay pagod,” which means “I am tired” in English.

Tips to Learn Tagalog Fast

Learning any language entails that one must put effort and set aside time to actually read, write, listen, and converse using the target language. Scientifically, it is found that if you will set aside time and immerse yourself in the language, you are trying to learn (may it be through music, movies, or apps) every single day, then there is a huge chance that you will become proficient in no time. To speed things us as you learn Tagalog, we listed three major tips below:

Focus on vocabulary. Language proficiency is highly dependent on strong vocabulary size. It plays a significant role as words and phrases alone can help build context, which can significantly assist in analyzing what is being said.
Play Tagalog music. Not only is this a great tool in immersing oneself with the vocabulary words, Tagalog slangs, and phrases, but it also helps in giving you an idea about the Philippines’ culture and traditions.
Use mobile apps. Unlock the Tagalog language by consistently allowing yourself to learn systematically through dedicated language apps and websites.

Best Apps for Learning Tagalog While Traveling in the Philippines

For learning the Tagalog language, you may find it easier to use the applications below since they all offer distinct multimedia experiences depending on your needs. Our app recommendations are all available to use, whether your device is an Android or an iOS.

Ling

With the concept of gamification, the Ling app makes a great companion for both beginners and experts. You see, it is packed with exciting challenges, dialogues, and systematic quizzes that can help strengthen your knowledge in areas such as grammar, pronunciation, and memorization of words and phrases.

Simply Learn

This Simply Learn application is basically a phrasebook that contains native voice samples, learning techniques, and pronunciation tips. This can be your go-to app for checking whether you are saying the words and phrases in the right manner.

Vocly

Vocly is mainly focused on enhancing your vocabulary in Tagalog. Through a mixture of multimedia elements, users will be able to have fun and engaging learning sessions through mini-games.

Write Me

Write Me mainly targets to improve your writing prowess in the Tagalog language. It can greatly help beginners recognize and write on their own each of the characters in the target language.