The Philippines had been colonized by the United States of America for several decades only and yet this event had left an enduring mark in the Tagalog language. The main reason for this was the massive re-education program undertaken by the Americans when they established the public educational system in the Philippines. The massive re-education of the Filipinos had resulted in a large number of English words being assimilated into the Tagalog language. The resulting practice of intermingling English and Tagalog in everyday conversation had been dubbed Taglish.
What is Taglish ang how do you use it? Taglish is the accepted way of integrating English words in a Tagalog sentence. How do you do that? Well, let me give you some examples.
Audio: Click on the Play button below to hear the native
Filipino speaker read the sentences correctly.
Nag breakfast ka na ba? Have you eaten your breakfast?
Pahiram naman ng pencil mo. Can you lend me your pencil?
Ipakilala mo naman ako sa friend mo. Can you introduce me to your friend?
Mag classmate ba kayo sa Math? Are you classmates in Math?
Uy, the other day nagkita kami ng ex mo. Hey, the other day I saw your ex.
Huwag ka ngang mag wasting-wasting ng tubig. Will you please stop wasting water?
Nagpunta ka na ba sa dentist? Have you gone to the dentist?
Mag su-summer ka ba ngayong school year? Will you attend summer classes this school year?
Absent ako kahapon, eh. I was absent yesterday.
Nakita mo ba ang eraser ko? Did you see my eraser?
Saan kayo magsu-swimming? Where are you going swimming?
May date ka ba ngayon? Do you have a date today?
Hindi ako papayagan ng parents ko. My parents won't allow me.
Wish ko lang sana maka-meet ako ng OK na guy. Oh, how I wish to meet a really nice guy.
Akala ko kasama ang sister mo? I thought you sister is coming along?
Mag wash muna ng hands bago kumain. Wash your hands first before you eat.
Pakiabot nga ng juice? Can you please pass me the juice?
Nakita ko kayo loving-loving kayo, eh. I saw the two of you kissing each other.
You go ahead, I have baon, eh. Go and eat at the canteen, I brought some food from our house.
Take care, ha? Please be careful, OK?
Mag re-review pa ako dahil may exam ako bukas. I still have to review because I have an exam tomorrow.
A-attend ako ng rehearsals bukas. I will be attending the rehearsals tomorrow.
Mag o-overtime ka ba ngayon? Are you doing overtime work today?
Bumili ka na lang ng Coke at potato chips. Just buy Coke and potato chips.
Mauna ka na, I have to do some cleaning pa. You go ahead as I still have to clean the house.
Grabe ang traffic ngayon! The traffic is really bad today!
Mami-miss kita talaga. I'm really going to miss you.
Akala ko allowed ang mag smoke dito. I thought smoking was allowed here.
Diretsahin mo ang street na iyan tapos mag turn right ka sa third street. Go straight to that street then turn right on the third street.
Pag nakita mo na yung malaking letter M, iyon na iyon. When you see the big letter M, then you are there.
Na meet mo na ba yung bagong boarder ko? Have you met my new boarder?
Pwede ka bang ma-invite sa dinner sa Friday? May I invite you for a dinner on Friday?
Doon ka mag wait sa parking. Go and wait for them at the parking lot.
Bawal po ang mag loiter dito. Loitering is not allowed here.
Kumusta na ang best friend ko? How is my best friend doing?
Saan kayo magdi-dinner? Where are you going to eat dinner?
Paki bring naman ng stapler dito. Can you please bring the stapler here?
Mag wo-work ka ba bukas? Are you going to work tomorrow?
Gusto mo ba akong i-kiss? Do you want to kiss me?
Tomorrow na lang, rest day ko kasi ngayon eh. Let's make it tomorrow, today is my rest day.
Show me naman your room? Can you please show me your room?
Here ba kayo kakain o take home. Are you going to eat here or is this order to go?
When kaya ako makakapag travel? I wonder when I will be able to travel.
So there you have it. You know have an armory of Taglish words and phrases. The use of Taglish is one of the hallmarks of a native Tagalog speaker so if you can use Taglish, then you're on your way to become closely integrated into the fabric of Philippine society. Practice the words aloud by imitating how I have spoken them in this audio. Pretty soon, you'll become an accomplished Taglish speaker. Thanks for listening and let's learn more Tagalog!