Hello. It's been awhile since I wrote something here. Real life came over and in times like these, you really need to prioritize activities that help you earn. But whenever the need arises for me to write these lessons, I do what I can to make up for lost time. Let's use one of the love songs I enjoy playing in repeat mode in order to teach you Tagalog - "Paano" by Shamrock. "Paano" means "How" in English, a question that Shamrock sings here as a way to ask the person being dedicated to about love. For example, in this line, "Paano mo malalaman itong pag-ibig ko sa 'yo?" "Paano mo" is translated into "How [auxiliary verb] you" depending on the tense used in the next verb that this phrase will assume. "Malalaman" is the future tense of "know". "Ito" means "this" although once you translate "itong pag-ibig ko sa 'yo" in English, it becomes "my love for you" once you put it with the rest of the words to form the translation "How will you know my love for you?" "Itong pag-ibig ko sa 'yo" can also be translated as "this love I have for you" which is why I mentioned "this" as the translation for "ito". It made sense anyway knowing that "this" is classified as a demonstrative adjective in the English grammar. The alternate translation then becomes "How will you know this love I have for you?" Picking up from our previous line, "Paano mo" will be expressed in the future tense again since it shows here that the verb that follows the object pronouns "mo" is again in the future tense as well. "Ang tibok ng puso ko" means "the beating of my heart". "Ko" in this sentence can be translated into "my" or "mine" if you'd like to translate this sentence into "the beating of this heart of mine" which seemed too long. "The beating of my heart" sounds simpler though, making the complete translation as "How will you know the beating of my heart?" This line sounds like a continuation of the previous line that makes the question shift into intuitive mode due to the use of the word "Kung" which means "If" in English. "Lagi" means "always" so the phrase becomes "Kung lagi ka" meaning "If you are always". "Kinakabahan" means "nervous" with its root word identified as "kaba" meaning "nerves". The word "na" in this line can be translated into "that". "Ika'y" is an abbreviated phrase for "Ikaw ay" and "ay" is the closest word the Tagalog language can manage to come up for an auxiliary verb. "Masasaktan" means "to get hurt" expressed in the future tense. "Na ika'y masasaktan" ultimately gets translated as "that you will get hurt". The line "Kung lagi kang kiinakabahan na ika'y masasaktan" gets translated eventually as "If you are always nervous that you will get hurt". "Pangako" means "promise". "Pangako ko" means "I promise" as opposed to "Ang pangako ko" which means "My promise" so be careful in attaching "Ang" as an article before the noun since the context changes with the simple addition of articles where they should not be. "Pangako" is a noun if it comes after the article "Ang". "Pangako" becomes a verb without the article though. The reason I mentioned is because the next phrase is "ang puso mo". Now "puso" is a noun that is not applicable to switch into a verb since it means "heart" (and no, "I heart it" is not technically a correct sentence, more like an American English sentence). Whether you write "ang puso mo" or "puso mo", the translation is still the same - "your heart". Now if you write it as "ang puso mo'y", it's basically an abbreviation of "ang puso mo ay" "Hindi" means no although here, since it comes before a verb in the phrase "Hindi pakakawalan" It gets translated as "I will not let go". "Pakakawalan" is the future tense of "to let go" or "to release". The complete line then is "Pangako ko ang puso mo'y hindi pakakawalan" which is translated into "I promise that I will not let go of your heart". The second stanza then starts with "Paano" again. The verb that followed "Paano mo" this time though is "maiintindihan" which is the future tense of the verb "understand". "Na" gets translated again as "that" in this phrase. "Ako'y nananabik" is the abbreviated form of "Ako ay nananabik". "Nananabik" is the present tense of the verb "excite" or "to get excite" although in this line, it meant "longing". The line "Paano mo maiintindihan na ako'y nananabik?" then gets translated into "How will you understand that I'm longing?" "Kelan" is an alternate spelling for "Kailan" since "Kailan" is occasionally read with the English vowel sound /ae/. "Kelan" means "when" in English. If the expression "Kelan ko" is followed by a verb, the translation then becomes "When [auxiliary verb] I" depending on the tense assumed by the verb. "Madarama" is the future tense of the verb "to feel". "Kelan ko madarama" then gets translated as "When will I feel". But when you add "kaya" between "ko" (pronoun) and "madarama"(will feel), the translation then becomes "When will I ever feel". "Tamis" means sweet but in this phrase it meant "sweetness". "Ng" usually means "of" as it is used in this line. "Iyo" is a possessive pronoun that means "your" in English while "halik" means "kiss". The phrase "ang tamis ng iyong halik" then gets translated into "the sweetness of your kiss". The line "Kelan ko kaya madarama ang tamis ng iyong halik?" gets translated into "When will I ever feel the sweetness of your kiss?" This line starts again with "Kung lagi mo", followed by the verb "inaatrasan" which is the present tense for "to step backwards from" a.k.a. "stepping backwards from". "Sugod" means "attack" although in this line "ang sugod" meant more like "the advancement". "Nagmamahal" is the present tense of the verb "love" although in this line it's more like "a loving person". The line "Kung lagi mong inaatrasan ang sugod ng nagmamahal" then gets translated into "If you are always stepping backwards from the advancement of a loving person". "Sana" means "I hope". "Sana nama'y" is the abbreviated form of "Sana naman ay". "Naman" was more of a filler in this line though. "Pagbigyan mo" means "you let me" although in this context, it sounded more like "give me a chance". "Hiling" means "wish" so the phrase "hiling ng puso ko" gets translated into "my heart's wish". But add "pagbigyan mo" to "hiling ng puso ko" and it becomes "pagbigyan mo hiling ng puso ko" which gets translated into "give my heart's wish a chance" Word order and chronology becomes a factor eventually. The line "Sana nama'y pagbigyan mo hiling ng puso ko" gets translated into "I hope that you give my he "Subukan" means "to try". "Subukan mo" means "You should try". "Subukan mong magmahal" means "You should try to love". "O giliw ko" means "Oh my love". The line "Subukan mong magmahal o giliw ko" eventually means "You should try to love, oh my love". "Kakaiba" means "unique". "Kakaibang ligaya" means "Unique happiness". "Ligaya" means either "happiness" or "joy". "Matatamo" is the future imperfect tense of the verb "to attain". The line "Kakaibang ligaya ang matatamo" then gets translated into "Unique joy will be attained". "Magmahal" means "to love". "Iba" means "other" although in this line it meant "another person". "Di" is the abbreviation of "hindi" which means "not". "Gagawin" is the future tense of the verb "to do". The line "Ang magmahal ng iba'y di ko gagawin" then gets translated as "To love another person is what I will not do" "Pagka't" is short for "Sapagkat" which means "because". "Lang" means "only". "Ikaw lang" means "Only you". "Tangi" also means "only" but in this line it meant more like "the only one". "Sasambahin" is the future tense of "worship" although in this line it meant more like the future tense of "adore". The line "Pagkat ikaw lang tanging sasambahin" gets translated into "Because I will adore only you". "Wag" is short for "huwag" which means "do not". "Mangangamba" is the future tense of "be afraid". "Wag ka nang mangangamb "Pag-ibig" means "love" when used as a noun instead of as a verb. "Wala ng iba" means "no one else". The line "Pag-ibig ko'y ikaw wala ng iba" then gets translated into "You are my love, no one else". I think this is one of the most detailed Tagalog lessons I have ever written. I had fun actually teaching everyone a heartwarming Tagalog song. I hope you learned a touch of romantic Tagalog along the way. Thanks for reading.
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Love quotes don't always have to be romantic or broken-hearted. Some quotes that you can find on Kapag ako naka-Move On, HU U ka sakin :"> are realistic - the kind of emotions that you find within you just because it's time to address the elephant in the room now. Sometimes, you don't want to snap but you need to find a way to express how some things can't be tolerated anymore. And so we use another quote from their Facebook fan page in order to teach not only grammatical factors but a slice of life too.
The closing statement ended up like an awkwardly poorly translated sentence perhaps because I took it a little too literally. The sentence "Para malaman nilang hindi unlmited and pasensya mo" can be translated better into "So that they will know that your patience is not unlimited". Sentence formulas for Tagalog sentences vary depending on the thought that you would like to express and how native speakers understand it best. While Tagalog sentences are usually easy to flip and still be understood correctly, when done incorrectly due to lack of practice, you might end up sounding like the Tagalog version of a caveman (not very nice, if you come to think of it) Interested to maintain a steady stream of Tagalog lessons? Subscribe to our newsletter and in due time, learn Tagalog words, phrases and sentences exclusive to those who subscribe to us. Have fun learning Tagalog
Why the use of love quotes? I may not see myself getting married soon enough but deep inside there is still this hopeless romantic kid in me - the kind of person that finds it easier to explain things when viewed from a romantic vantage point. Quite hard to believe for some folks that knew me personally. Don't worry. They don't always have to be the heart-broken type of quote to be applicable in these lessons. The word "love" alone can be defined broadly right? I selected another clip from our regular source of imaged quotes as mentioned on the caption. Let's break this quote down into grammatically digestible nuggets
If you would check the 4th column, it can pass off as the translation of the quote I just posted plus some pointers in terms of translation. The translation may not be direct because some words change their translations and definitions once put together in a phrase.
Constantly exposing yourself to all kinds and manners of reading, writing and speaking Tagalog increases your chances of learning Tagalog closer to how the native speakers enjoy it. And basically, that's one of the tricks usually applied in learning Tagalog. There is no single usage for some words and with constant practice and exposure, you eventually can tell the difference. Have fun learning Tagalog
Hello and we're back. The time difference between our pilot episode and this episode. The articles that I write here are not exactly as long as the ones I write on DuLaBoo but I would also be very appreciative just in case you're still there waiting for a longer more detailed article from me. On the other hand, I don't want to overwhelm my students with too much material. I can cause boredom after awhile. And once a student gets bored, he or she ends up not learning anything at all. And so we go straight to our lesson. Again this image is taken from "Kapag ako naka-Move On, HU U ka sakin :">" This is message is about handling haters. You don't have to be a celebrity to have haters. In fact you don't even need social media to have haters. Just think of your workplace or your group of "friends" (a.k.a. backstabbers) or if you are a student, folks in campus. Now let's dissect the words.
Sometimes dissecting the words apart from their sentences and reassembling them into phrases for the sake of learning how do they work as a unit sometimes end up looking like adjective conjugation. Not sure if there is such a thing as adjective conjugation but since the present of "-g", "-ng" and "na" in most Tagalog phrases is almost common, I might as well include that. It also helped a lot that this quote is about learning how to ignore those who will never be helpful in your career or in your life. So we move forward to assembling them into sentences.
At first it's difficult to understand why such people exist. Then again, you remember that you have a career to maintain and if it's doing really well, other people would do everything to be you and as of late, some of them won't hesitate on getting nasty just to snatch your happiness (whatever it may be) from you for their own happiness. If you really want to piss them off, ignore them. Sometimes they just wanted to ruffle your feathers so that somebody would pay them any attention. The moment you made them feel how ignored they could ever get then they'd get even more pissed off and irritated. At least you got the last laugh. It's a mantra I am happy to teach in order to at least minimize that "balat-sibuyas" mentality that still persisted in Philippine society. Thanks for reading.
I have been thinking about making my Tagalog lessons here at Weebly on a seasonal basis similar to how I assemble my episodes at DuLaBoo. I think it made sense that you would have a group of articles with a common theme and later have a "season break" so whoever reads these lessons would immediately understand why you went out on a break. But first, you might be thinking - what concept could possibly fit into the seasons that we are trying to assemble here? This is why I decided to check out some quotes here on Facebook to use as motivational tools. And for our season opener, our first set of articles would come from the Facebook Page: "Kapag Ako Naka-Move-On, HU U Ka sa akin :">" Most of the quote images that get liked the most involved love and being heart-broken. This is why I picked this quote from aforementioned page for us to learn. Let's break it down for everyone to understand
See what I did there? I broke them down first into words, reassembling them into phrases to at least get an idea on what this image is trying to tell us. And it's basically about regret. Whenever you fall in love, either you don't want it to end and you don't want it to start at all because it's mostly the same destination - the pain of losing a loved one.
Did it bring back some memories? We all have those. I hope this article was of help to you. Thanks for reading.
This would look a little like a follow-up post from the previous episode about handling haters, or critiques if you don't want to call them haters. I know of some folks who never called their critiques as haters because for them, that's subliminal admission that their haters are within the same league as they are. I wonder what league that is. Why the hell do haters exist anyway? Simple - they have nothing positive to say about you. They bask in this abyss called negativity, waiting for you to fail at every opportunity that you dared succeed into. How you handle criticism would always be your call. And once you succeed, just wait for them to eat their words. .... which brings us to another funny quote by "Kapag ako naka-Move On, HU U ka sakin :">" As our folks once said "Keep your words short and sweet, just in case you need to eat them" Dissecting this quote would then help us see the connection
"Eat your words" has become one of the funniest idiomatic expressions ever taught in any language possible. But of course this ends up earning a whole new meaning when in Filipino culture, your haters have a lot to say online because they can't say it to your face (and most of the time, the perceived anonymity online gives them a false sense of courage to talk). So the moment you succeed and they see you succeed, they end up eating their words. All of it. And the funny thing is this isn't the first time that they ate their words.
I slightly expect you to have some questions about "ka" and "mo" since whenever they get translated to English, it's always "you". Here's the difference between the usage:
Learning Tagalog becomes easier whenever it comes with some nice lessons to live by without taking the preachy route. Think of them as nuggets worth digesting alongside the Tagalog grammar lessons. I hope I am of help to you. Thanks for reading.
Before you even have some not so friendly images hanging over your head because of my comeback lesson for today (how I missed doing this), let me inform you that this is about an old joke that I suddenly remembered while browsing my Facebook timeline. As you already know by now, the Tagalog lessons that I share here are mostly freestyle - not dependent on any book but more dependent on the conversational level or usage of the Tagalog language. Do I plan to use some books or references later on? Of course but for now we will make do with what we have. The version that I know of the story goes like this (and then we'd discuss the grammatical points later): May isang lalaking nilapitan ng isang bata. Ayon sa bata, siya ay nawawala. Ngayon, para matunton ng lalaki ang tirahan ng bata, tinanong niya ito. "Bata, sino ang nanay mo?" tanong ng lalaki. "Bruha po," sagot ng bata. Nagulat man ang lalaki sa tinuran ng bata, nagpatuloy siya sa pagtatanong, "Eh sino naman ang tatay mo?:" tanong niya ulit sa bata. "Demonyo po," sagot ng bata. Bagama't may natutunugan, nagbakasakali na itanong na rin niya ang pangalan ng lola niya, "Ano naman ang pangalan ng lola mo?" "Satanas po." "Eh ikaw, bata, ano namang pangalan mo?" "Diablo po." [It's not clear how the poor man found the kid's home so we would skip that part here] Habang papalapit sa bahay na naituro ng mga kapitbahay kung saan nakatira diumano ang bata, di sinasadyang marinig nila ang pagtatalo ng mag-asawa. Wika ng lalaki, "Hoy, magaling na babae! Saan ka na naman nanggaling? Tama si Inang, bruha ka nga! Inuuna mo pa ang pangangapit-bahay kaysa ang alagaan kami ng anak mong diablo!" Sumagot ang babae, "Ah ganon? Bruha ako? Kaysa naman sa yo, demonyo ka, na inuuna pa ang pag-inom sa kanto kaysa magtrabaho. Magsama kayo ng nanay mong si Satanas!" At doon naging malinaw ang lahat sa pobreng lalaki. You may have noticed how the words that I decided to put in bold letters are either phrases or sentences that involved asking questions or phrases that contain an adjective or adverb. This is in connection to one of the previous lessons that I have shared involving the use of the suffixes "-ng" and "-g" and the article/preposition "na". Let's list down the emboldened phrases and sentences for us to dissect them one by one: - lalaking nilapitan = the word "nilapitan" is a verb, in this phrase, the word "lalaki" answers the question "Ano/Sino ang nilapitan?" (Who was approached?). In the sentence, "nilapitan" is like an adjective since it describes what happened to the man (lalaki). The descriptive aspect makes it subject to the use of the suffix "-ng". You can flip that phrase over from "lalaking nilapitan" to "nilapitang lalaki" since in the featured sentence, the focus of the sentence is what the kid (bata) did at the beginning of the story. - isang bata = the number "isa" is technically an adjective and in Tagalog grammar, it's usually before the noun being described just like in English. Now adjectives usually get attached with the suffix "-ng" whenever the adjective ends in a vowel just like in "isa". So instead of "isa bata" (which sounds like Tagalog caveman speak for natives), you write and speak it as "isang bata" - nawawala = the root word of "nawawala" is "wala" which means "nothing" in English. "Nawawala" means missing. It can mean an object or in the featured story that we have, a person. - matunton ng lalaki = "matunton" means found. "ng" (pronounced as "nang"), in this sentence means "by". So the phrase "matunton ng lalaki" means "found by the man". There is no need to insert the article "ang" between "ng" and "lalaki" because "ng" already connects "matunton" with "lalaki" so the phrase "matunton ng lalaki" already states in a correct way the thought - sino ang nanay mo = "sino" means "who", a question commonly asked when looking for a person. "Nanay" is one of the variations for "ina" which means mother. . - bruha = a derivative of the Spanish word "bruja" but often used as a derogatory word or an insult. The word "bruha" is usually seen in social media when referring to some hated folks without the need to tag or mention them. - sino naman ang tatay mo = "Naman" is usually inserted in a sentence whenever it serves as a follow-up question in relation to the previous question like "Sino ang nanay mo?". It's like when you ask "Who's your mother?" it's like continuing with the asking routine with "Who's you father?" Although "naman" has a tendency to serve as occasional filler in Tagalog sentences, once you understand the concept of this word being used as supplement for previous sentences mentioned, you eventually learn how "naman" gets used in various sentences - demonyo = another Spanish word derivative, it's usually a word thrown against men since "bruha" is the gender-correct insult for women (talk about being politically correct and learning the rules of war between genders) - bagama't may natutunugan = the apostrophe sighting in Tagalog phrases usually meant some abbreviated phrases (similar to French liaisons except easier). the connected words are "bagaman" (which means "while" in this sentence) and "at" (and), although in this sentence I just realized that "at" became some sort of extender, some conversations still end up getting expressed this way. "May natutunugan"has the root word "tunog" to use as basis for. "Tunog" means sound or something you hear. In the Filipino context, it can also refer to something that you sense like in this feature story that we have. The man can sense something wrong but went on with his line of questioning hence the sentence "Bagama't may natutunugan, nagbakasakali na itanong na rin niya" and then continuing with another question. - nagbakasakali na itanong = :Nagbakasakali" means hesitated. It's like a variation of the phrase "baka sakali" which means "it might". It slightly exposed the Filipino tendency to doubt whatever plan they have in mind but still pushing through with it. Non-Filipinos tend to call it lack of confidence. And like I mentioned before, the word "na" in similar fashion with suffixes "-ng" and "-g" is often used as accompaniment with adjectives or adverbs. The verb in this phrase is "itanong" which means "ask". "Nagbakasakali" ended up looking like an adverb in this phrase because it tends to describe how the succeeding question got asked but instead of writing it as "nagbakasakali itanong", the better way to write it will be "nagbakasakali na itanong". - ano naman ang pangalan ng lola mo = "Ano" means what or a question that you throw in whenever an object is asked of. In this sentence, because the man is getting frustrated with the kid's answers to his previous questions, he then adjusted his line of question hoping that an answer favorable to his expectations to how a proper polite young boy should conduct himself. "Naman" ended up sounding like another extender but in connection to the previous questions meaning you are asking for a name but of a different person. Instead of "sino" though, the word "ano" is used in order to stress the point that he is asking for a name, not some label or description of a person. "Ano naman ang pangalan" becomes the appropriate question instead of "Sino naman ang pangalan" because if you translate that question, it would end up sounding like "Who is the name", grammatically correct in either languages. "Pangalan ng lola mo" means "Name of your grandmother" instead that the possessive pronoun "mo" is used instead of "iyo" since this formula is more conversational. - satanas = regardless of the religion of the people saying this, we can easily surmise that it's another Spanish derivative word which is Satan in English. - ano namang pangalan mo = this means "What is your name". Now I highlighted this because we see another sighting of the suffix "-g". Since some grammatical rules occasionally classify possessive pronouns under possessive adjectives, it is safe to say in this usage, it got used for identifying the ownership being asked in the line of questioning to the kid. Since "naman" ends in the letter "N", instead of attaching the suffix "-ng", attaching "-g" is fine since the letter "N" is already part of the word being used as an adjective. - diablo = not sure why the featured vocabulary words that meant the harshest are Spanish derivatives. but anyway, "diablo" is a variation of the word "demon". Later as you go further in the story, you'd see the connection between "diablo" and "demonyo" - habang papalapit = "Habang" means while. In this phrase, it got used as an adverb too since it refers to the word "papalapit". The root word of "papalapit" is "lapit" which means to come close. So when you put "habang" and "papalapit" into a phrase, the compound translation becomes "while getting close. - kapitbahay = "Kapit" means to stick or, in this sentence, to be very close. "Bahay" means house. When put together as a compound word (not 2 words separated by a hyphen), it becomes "neighbor" which makes sense since the people living in the same community as yours live in houses that are close to yours - nakatira diumano = I suddenly realized I can't tell which is the verb and which is the adverb. I guess that comes with the fact that I am writing a rephrased story. Anyway, "nakatira" means living. In this story, it referred to the house that the kid allegedly lived which brings us to the word "diumano". The root word is "umano" which Google weirdly translated as "said". I find that weird because "umano" is commonly associated with things that are allegedly said. This might be the reason why some native speakers would rather use the word "diumano" since second-hand information is not guaranteed correct. - di sinasadyang marinig = in connection to the previous phrase "di" is the abbreviated form of the word "hindi" which means no. Now whenever this gets used in a sentence that expresses something that is not supposed to be there or not supposed to happen, it doesn't get translated in other languages literally as not. "Di sinasadya" as a phrase then becomes "unintentionally". Now "marinig" means heard, a verb written here that comes with the adverb "di sinasadya". So in the course of describing the incident of getting something heard, instead of writing it as "di sinasadya marinig", you write it down or say it as "di sinasadyang marinig". - ang pagtatalo ng mag-asawa = "Pagtatalo" is from the root word "talo" meaning loser. Now if the word "talo" gets used in Tagalog as an event or incident, it becomes "pagtatalo", a quarrel or argument just like the quarrel described in this story. "Pagtatalo" becomes applicable in sentences like these because both parties want the other to lose. "Ng" in this phrase is used in similar fashion to "or" in English since it answers the question "Who are quarreling?" "Ang pagtatalo ng mag-asawa" then gets translated into "The quarrel of the couple". - Saan ka na naman nanggaling? = "Saan" is a question asked whenever you're trying to know a place. In this sentence, the word "naman" is used implying that this is not the first time that the person asked this question. "Naman" also becomes an implied expression of being annoyed or irritated since it gives you the perception that the person always asks this to the same person several times already that it has become a bore or a chore to him. So a simple question "Saan ka nanggaling?" changes its context all of a sudden when changed into "Saan ka na naman nanggaling?"As you see, although "ka" end in a vowel, it did not get connected with the suffix "-ng"because expressions of exhaustion or being sick and tired can cause a few filler words to be inserted within a sentence. When some folks get angry (regardless of language), being articulate is the least of their concerns anyway so perhaps we can let that slip occasionally - inang = this is another variation of the word "Ina" or "Nanay" which means "Mother". But it's not that often used anymore unless you live in remote villages that spoke deep Tagalog - pangangapit-bahay = If "kapitbahay" means neighbor, "pangangapit-bahay" means dropping by your neighbors. Technically it's not a bad thing then again the intention of dropping by your neighbor's house becomes the issue. The term "pangangapit-bahay" earned a negative connotation because some women do this to "chismis" (gossip). Instead of being productive at home, much time is wasted on "chismis" and it really grates on the nerves of some men about their wives - kaysa naman sa yo = "Kaysa" is a word usually associated with comparisons since it can mean either "compared to" or "than". In this phrase "kaysa naman sa iyo", the person speaking is trying to justify something by comparing one's self to the person she is talking to. In our story, the wife is trying to justify her "pangangapit-bahay" stating that compared to her husband, what she is doing is not that bad (bad attitude to exude in life, whatever language you speak) - pobreng lalaki = "Pobre" is a Spanish derivative word which means "poor". In English, being poor doesn't always mean being financially down just like in the expression "Oh you poor little thing!" In our story, the man felt poorly about himself and the kid too, ending our featured story on a sad note because he wasn't able to do much other than help the kid find his way back home. I know that one issue that can be tough in Tagalog is the usage of these suffixes since some words get unintentionally attached with "-g" and "-ng" even if they're not supposed to be there. Practicing daily is still the key with the help of a native speaker. How can you monitor your progress in speaking Tagalog if you don't do it? Mistakes are part of learning, just minimize the frequencies and soon enough, you'd learn how to speak like a local. Thanks for reading. Speaking Tagalog is not simply about learning the figures of speech. It's also about learning what syllables to add to a root word to enhance the way it is expressed in consistency to how you would like to say it. Here we will discuss about the prefix "Nakaka-" The prefix "Nakaka-" is usually attached to a Tagalog word that currently describes the emotion you are getting into. Sometimes it is attached to adjectives. Sometimes it is attached to verbs. The way this prefix is used often spells the difference.
The last 3 adjectives actually pertain to skin color depending on the change your skin is going through at the moment. Sometimes, word attached with the prefix "nakaka-" get translated into English as gerunds for adjectives (confusing, I know, but this is simply a demonstration of the formula applied on words and attaching prefixes). I apologize for explaining them that got you confused even more but here are some examples.
*Instead of "sweating" it can also mean "getting sweaty" There are more to add although by this time you may have gotten the formula already. I hope I made it easy for you to learn verbal construction with the help of prefixes. Glad to be of help. Thanks for reading.
Believe it or not, Filipinos are relatively shy when dealing with things that they need to accomplish. If ever there would be one culture that need less reminders about being polite, it's Filipinos. The prefix "paki-" is one of those verbal proofs of it. The prefix "paki-" is applicable in other Tagalog verbs as a way to convert these verbs into requests within a complete sentence. This also helps make the sentences sound polite, prim and proper. The ability to use the prefix "paki-" appropriately is key to utilizing the prefix/suffix dynamic commonly found in Tagalog words (not just verbs but most words).
As you may have noticed, these verbs end up sounding like phrases that insinuate asking another person the favor of getting something done. Filipinos don't often have a bossy way of getting things done. In fact, Filipinos often act prim and proper towards individuals that can accomplish the tasks in their behalf. How do you expect some favors done for you if you are not polite and humble enough to be considered? One exception though is "pakialam". The root word is "alam" but when attached with the prefix "paki-", the definition slightly shifts into someone perceived as too nosy. For example, when somebody tries to ask you why you are too close for comfort towards your friend and you don't feel like explaining to any one, you blurt out "Pakialam mo?" which has several translations: - "Why are you too nosy?" - "Why bother?" - "Why do you care?" - "So what is it to you?" Now the expression "Pakialam ko" is sometimes blurted out as "Pakialam ko diyan!" a bitchy way of saying that you don't feel like touching a certain subject or you don't feel like touching whatever that you are casually asked to touch base upon. (like THAT rape case). If you don't want to sound bitchy or rude or both, you can say "Wala akong pakialam", a passive-aggressive way of saying "I don't care". And yes I care that you give my blog newsletter the time of the day. Subscribe to my newsletter and see yourself learning more not only from a grammatical perspective but also on a syllabic perspective of learning Tagalog. Thanks for reading.
A unique feature about learning Tagalog is the applied syllabic extensions otherwise known as the panlapi. These are applied either at the beginning of the word like a prefix, the end of the word like a suffix or in the middle of the word itself, a term I have yet to find in English. I mentioned on the previous blog entry how most Tagalog verbs use the add-ons "nag-" and "mag-" when trying to demonstrate the different tenses that a single verb changes into depending on the thought expressed in the sentence. Most of the time, it's a matter of expressing best whether the deed expressed in the sentence is already done (past tense), still being done (present tense) or just about to be done (future tense). And this time around, we will be dealing with the syllable "-um-" Let's demonstrate first how the syllable "-um-" is applied on the Tagalog verbs.
Although something tells me that the usage of "-um-" as opposed to "nag-" and "mag-" meant that verb groups exist in Tagalog too, once you go out and start speaking with the rest of the locals, it's not much of an issue anymore. But learning about the syllable "-um-" should give you an idea that there are other ways with which Tagalog verbs are used and expressed in everyday conversations. Let's analyze then the formula used on the list of examples we found.
Now let's move forward to demonstrating these words into complete sentences for brevity.
How do you know if you are using the right syllable additives into the Tagalog verbs that you are using? First, you listen to the native speakers that you get in touch with in terms of how they use the verbs in everyday conversations. Second, you try to wait for someone to correct the first person that spoke in terms of verb usage. Third, you try to use these principles yourself on your own in an effort to practice verb conjugation and sentence construction then allow some corrections to take place to polish up your Tagalog proficiency. Writing down notes in the middle of practicing your Tagalog helps too. At this point in Tagalog verbs, can you tell apart the usage between "-um-", "nag-" and "mag-" now? As long as you can express yourself well in terms of trying to explain what it is you're trying to do then you are good to go. Just don't forget the need to practice everyday in order to fine-tune your proficiency until the locals can no longer trace your non-Tagalog accent. Thanks for reading.
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Jing DalaganI've been blogging for as long as I could remember. But I made it a career as of late as a home-based writer. It is something I find comfort in doing. Archives
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