Survival Tagalog. Joi Barrios

is simply a fast way of saying siya thus making it seem like one syllable.

      Similarly, Biyernes is seen as “Bi-yer-nes” but can be pronounced “Byer-nes.”

      For this guide, I opted for the traditional way—“si-ya” and “Bi-yer-nes.” Why? Because it is easier to learn the language if you learn these syllables. However, as you get more accustomed to it, you can speak these words faster and sound like a native speaker!

      Summing Up

      Here are some key pronunciation tips, some of which reiterate what we’ve discussed:

      1. There are no long vowel sounds in Filipino/Tagalog. Do not extend the sound of the vowel. For example, when saying “Kumusta ka?” (How are you?), do not say “Kumusta kaaaaaaa?”

      2. Unless you are asking a question, the intonation should fall at the end of the sentence.

      3. When you see two vowels together, bear in mind that they are not pronounced as one vowel.

      4. Some letters such as d/r, i/e and o/u may be pronounced interchangeably by some speakers.

      5. Practice the diphthongs discussed on pages 12–13. When you look at the pronunciation guide that appears after each sentence in this guide, if you see hay (as in buhay or life), remember that this is pronounced like high.

      6. In many instances, you will hear that pronunciation varies. So if you hear someone say ba-ba-e and another say ba-ba-i, that is fine. Also, siya (third person pronoun, singular) will sometimes be pronounced si-ya (the official dictionary pronunciation), while you may hear other people pronounce this as sha with a noticeable h sound.

      7. In this book, diacritic marks will only appear when a word has to be said quickly and the accent is on the last syllable; when there is a glottal stop; and to avoid confusion in case the accent changes the meaning of a word. Moreover, the accent only appears the first time the word is used.

      8. To review: báyad (noun, payment) shows that the accent is on the first syllable; bayád (has been paid [verb]) shows that the accent is on the last syllable; tamà (correct) shows that there is a glottal sound and the accent is on the first syllable; and hindî (no) shows that there is a glottal stop and the accent is on the second syllable.

      Get Sentenced! Grammar

      I usually advise students to learn three things: how affixes change words; honorifics or words used for polite language such as po and opo; and the structure of the language—and then just to plunge into speaking the language. For example, let’s say you know of the affix nag-. Now, a friend asks you “Ano ang ginagawa mo tuwing Sabado?” (What do you do on Saturdays?). If you play soccer, you can just say, “Nagsa-soccer ako.” (I [play] soccer.) Note that the affix nag was simply added to the word soccer and the first syllable of soccer (“sa”) was just repeated.

      Some students of mine will just add “po” to every sentence to “sound Filipino” to their parents.

      Parent: What time will you be home?

       Student: I don’t know po.

      There are four main points we need to remember in Tagalog/ Filipino grammar: sentence order; focus and markers; the complex system of affixes; and aspects of the verb.

      1. In spoken Filipino, the usual order of the sentence is verb-subject-object.

      In English we say: I am eating an apple.

      In Tagalog/Filipino, we say: Eating I marker apple. (Kumakain ako ng mansanas.)

      The marker here is ng because it “marks” the object—the apple.

      2. This bring us to the second point: markers, focus and affixes. Tagalog/Filipino has a complex system of affixes and these affixes change depending on the focus of the sentence. For example:

      Kumain si John ng mansanas.

       John ate an apple.

       (Literally, Ate marker John marker apple.)

      The focus here is on John as indicated by the marker si, and not on the apple he is eating.

      If we would like to change this and make the apple (mansanas) the focus instead of John, the doer of the action, then we can say:

      Mansanas ang kinain ni John.

       Apple is what John ate.

       (Literally, Apple marker eating marker John.)

      We know that the focus is on the apple because of the marker ang which is closer to the word mansanas (apple).

      3. Third, as you may have noticed by now, the affix used for the verb kain (to eat) changes depending on the focus.

      When the focus was on the subject or the doer of the action we used um before the first vowel of the root word kain. Thus “um” + “kain” results in kumain. When the focus was on the object “apple,” we used the affix in before the first vowel of the root word kain. Thus, “in” + “kain” results in kinain.

      As you read and speak Tagalog/Filipino, a good knowledge of affixes will be helpful. Let us go back to our root word kain or “eat.”

       With the affix:

      • pag → “pagkain.” The affix pag, usually used for nouns, gives us a clue that “pagkain” means “food.”

      • nagpa → “nagpakain,” and means you did something for others. “Nagpakain ako sa mga kaibigan ko.” (I fed or gave food to my friends.)

      • pina → “pinakain,” and means someone did something for you. “Pinakain ako ng kaibigan ko.” (My friend fed or gave food to me.)

      • pa → “pakain,” which you use when asking a favor. “Pakain!” (Please let me eat some of the food you have.)

      Some affixes also give you clues to the meaning of words. The affix ka, for example, connotes relationships. A few words that start with ka are kapatid (brother/sister), kaibigan (friend) and kaklase (classmate).

      The affix ma is usually used for adjectives: mabait (good person), maganda (beautiful), matangkad (tall person).

      4. Finally, most Filipino language scholars are of the opinion that Tagalog/Filipino does not have tenses, but aspects. Instead of past, present, and future tenses, Tagalog/Filipino has completed, incompleted, and contemplated aspects.

      Completed action—Kumain ako ng mansanas. (I ate an apple.) (literally, Ate I marker apple.)

      Incompleted action—Kumakain ako ng mansanas.

       (I am eating an apple.) (literally, Eating I marker apple.)

      Contemplated action—Kakain ako ng mansanas.

       (I will eat an apple.) (literally, Will eat I marker apple.)

      For the equivalent of the present perfect tense, simply add the word na.

      For example, in response to the question, “Have you eaten?” we can answer: Kumain na ako. (I have eaten.) (literally, Eaten already I.)

      Or in response to the question “Have you ever eaten an apple?” we can use the affix naka-: Nakakain na ako ng mansanas. (I have eaten apples.) (literally, Have eaten already I marker apple.) Here the verb is used with the affix naka, connoting “have eaten.”

      Many people tend to be overwhelmed by all these grammar rules. But this is what I think: your goal is not to have the most perfect grammar. It is to use the language to communicate. Remember that most Filipinos will not mind a grammar slip here and there…so just start speaking!

* In recent years, you may find that many Filipino-Americans, Filipino Canadians or those born in other countries who are of Filipino descent have studied the baybayin as a way of learning more about their heritage. There are websites such as www.baybayin.com