Lesson 2: In the Philippines





Initial Conversation and Training

In the following conversation, Mrs. Cruz introduces Mr. and Mrs. Ramos to the Turners.

Gng. Cruz: Ginoo at Ginang Turner, gusto kong ipakilala sa inyo ang mga kaibigan ko, sina Ginoo at Ginang Ramos.
Bob Turner: Nagagalak kaming makilala kayo.
G. Ramos: Gayon din po kami. Matagal na ba kayo sa Pilipinas?
Bob Turner: Hindi po, dalawang buwan lamang.
G. Ramos: Gusto ba ninyo ang Pilipinas?
Anne Turner: Opo, gustung-gusto namin. Maganda ang Pilipinas pero mainit.
Gng. Ramos: Taga-saan po kayo?
Bob Turner: Taga-Michigan po. Taga-Olongapo po ba kayo?
Gng. Ramos: Hindi po. Taga-Maynila kami.

Now, let’s practice speaking.

Listen to how Mrs. Cruz greets Mr. Turner.

Ginoo at Ginang Turner

Means “Mr. and Mrs. Turner”

REPEAT

Ginoo at Ginang Turner
Ginoo at Ginang Turner

To say “I like”, you say

Gusto ko

REPEAT

Gusto ko
Gusto ko

Now, listen to Mrs. Cruz say “I’d like to introduce to you”

Gusto kong ipakilala sa inyo..

The word for “introduce” is

ipakilala

REPEAT

lala
kilala
pakilala
ipakilala

ipakilala

Listen again to Mrs. Cruz say “I’d like to introduce to you”
Gusto kong ipakilala sa inyo

Notice she added a linker to the end of “ko

LISTEN

kong
kong

LISTEN AND REPEAT

Gusto kong
Gusto kong

Gusto kong ipakilala
Gusto kong ipakilala.

Here’s how to say “to you” when addressing more than one person, or in a formal sense.

sa inyo
sa inyo

REPEAT

Gusto kong ipakilala sa inyo
Gusto kong ipakilala sa inyo

The word for “friend” is “kaibigan

REPEAT

kaibigan
kaibigan

“My friend” is “kaibigan ko

REPEAT

kaibigan ko
kaibigan ko

To speak of more than one friend, in English we say “friends”. In Tagalog, you say “mga” before the word “kaibigan

mga kaibigan

REPEAT

mga
mga

mga kaibigan
mga kaibigan

To say “my friends”, say “mga kaibigan ko

REPEAT

mga kaibigan ko
mga kaibigan ko

Now, let’s put it all together.

LISTEN

Gusto kong ipakila sa inyo ang mga kaibigan ko.

REPEAT

Gusto kong ipakilala sa inyo ang mga kaibigan ko.
Gusto kong ipakilala sa inyo ang mga kaibigan ko.

If you refer to somebodies name, you precede it with “si

REPEAT

Si Carla
Si John

If you are referring to the names of more than one person you use “sina“.

Remember, the word for “and” is “at

REPEAT

at
at

Sina Carla at John
Sina Carla at John

Sina Ginoo at Ginang Ramos
Sina Ginoo at Ginang Ramos

Now, let’s start to put it all together.

REPEAT

Ginoo at Ginang Turner

gusto kong ipakilala sa inyo

ang mga kaibigan ko

sina Ginoo at Ginang Ramos

Let’s try that again.

REPEAT

Ginoo at Ginang Turner

gusto kong ipakilala sa inyo

ang mga kaibigan ko

sina Ginoo at Ginang Ramos

Now, let’s say the whole thing without the pauses.

REPEAT

Ginoo at Ginang Turner, gusto kong ipakilala sa inyo ang mga kaibigan ko, sina Ginoo at Ginang Ramos.

Ginoo at Ginang Turner, gusto kong ipakilala sa inyo ang mga kaibigan ko, sina Ginoo at Ginang Ramos.

Ok, now let’s move on to the Turner’s reply.

Here’s how to say “We are pleased”

LISTEN

Nagagalak kami

REPEAT

lak
galak
gagalak
nagagalak
nagagalak
Nagagalak kami

The word “kami” means “we”. It is known as an exclusive “we”. That means it excludes the person you are speaking to. In this case it is Mr. and Mrs. Turner that are pleased to meet the Cruz’s. So, they use the exclusive we.

Again “We are pleased” is “Nagagalak kami

Now, let’s say “To meet you”

LISTEN

makilala kayo

Makilala” means “to meet”

REPEAT

makilala
makilala

makilala kayo

The word “kayo” means “you” when speaking to more than one person. It can also be used when speaking to one person very formally.

REPEAT

kayo
kayo

Nagagalak kami

makilala kayo

Now let’s say “We are pleased to meet you”

REPEAT

Nagagalak kami makilala kayo.
Nagagalka kami makilala kayo.

Mr. Turner responds with “Likewise for us, sir”

LISTEN

Gayon din po kami

REPEAT

Gayon din po kami.
Gayon din po kami.

The word for “also” or “too” is “din

REPEAT

din
din

The Tagalog word “gayon” means “likewise” or “like that”

REPEAT

gayon
gayon

Now lets say “Likewise too”

REPEAT

gayon din
gayon din

Now we will add “we” to the end to say “likewise also we” or “Like that also we”

REPEAT

gayon din kami
gayon din kami

To make it more formal, let’s add “po

REPEAT

Gayon din po kami.
Gayon din po kami.

In the conversation, Mr. Ramos ask “Have you been in the Philippines long?”

Matagal na ba kayo sa Pilipinas?

Matagal” means “long time”

Here’s how to say “long time already”

LISTEN

matagal na

REPEAT

matagal na
matagal na

The word “na“, in this case means “already”

Now, let’s say “Have you been in the Philippines long?”

REPEAT

Matagal na ba kayo sa Pilipinas?
Matagal na ba kayo sa Pilipinas?

The question includes the word “ba” which turns the statement into a Yes or No question.

Let’s say “Long time already”

REPEAT

matagal na

Now let’s say “Long time already?” as a question.

REPEAT

matagal na ba?
matagal na ba?

To say “you in the Philippines” say “kayo sa Pilipinas”.

REPEAT

kayo sa Pilipinas
kayo sa Pilipinas

Now, “Long time already you in the Philippines?”

LISTEN
Matagal na ba kayo sa Pilipinas?

REPEAT

Matagal na ba kayo sa Pilipinas?
Matagal na ba kayo sa Pilipinas?

Gayon din po kami. Matagal na ba kayo sa Pilipinas?
Gayon din po kami. Matagal na ba kayo sa Pilipinas?

Let’s listen to the conversation up to what we’ve covered so far.

Gng. Cruz: Ginoo at Ginang Turner, gusto kong ipakilala sa inyo ang mga kaibigan ko, sina Ginoo at Ginang Ramos.
Bob Turner: Nagagalak kaming makilala kayo.
G. Ramos: Gayon din po kami. Matagal na ba kayo sa Pilipinas?

To say “No sir” or “No ma’am” you say “hindi po

Notice the word “po“is cutoff abruptly.  That is known as a “glottal stop”.

REPEAT

Hindi po
Hindi po

The word for “month” is “buwan

REPEAT

buwan
buwan

the word for the number “two” is “dalawa

REPEAT

dalawa
dalawa

To say “two months”, you say “dalawang buwan“. Notice the linker at the end of “dalawa“.

LISTEN

dalawang buwan

REPEAT

dalawang buwan
dalawang buwan

To say “Just two months” we add “lamang” which means “just” or “only”.

LISTEN

dalawang buwan lamang

REPEAT

Hindi po, dalawang buwan lamang.
Hindi po, dalawang buwan lamang.

To ask “Do you like” you say “Gusto ba ninyo?”

REPEAT

Gusto ba ninyo?
Gusto ba ninyo?

“The Philippines” is “ang Pilpinas

REPEAT

ang Pilipinas
ang Pilipinas

Do you like the Philippines?

LISTEN
Gusto ba ninyo ang Pilipinas?

REPEAT
Gusto ba ninyo ang Pilipinas?
Gusto ba ninyo ang Pilipinas?

Now, just listen to part of the conversation that you’ve been speaking.

Matagal na ba kayo sa Pilipinas?
Hindi po, dalawang buwan lamang.
Gusto ba ninyo ang Pilipinas?

You already know that the word for “no” is “hindi“.

To say “yes”, you say “oo

REPEAT
oo
oo

But, a more formal version of “oo” is “opo” which combines “oo” and “po“.

REPEAT

opo
opo

To say you really like something, say “gusto ” twice, like this “gustung-gusto

Notice you don’t simply say “gusto-gusto“. Instead, there is a linker between the two words.

REPEAT

gustung-gusto
gustung-gusto

Gustung-gusto” means, “really like”. It is common in Tagalog for words to be doubled to emphasize the meaning of the word.

You already learned that the way to say “I like” is “gusto ko“.

To say “we like”, you say “gusto namin“.

LISTEN

gusto namin

REPEAT

namin
namin

Gusto namin.

Opo, gusto namin.

Now let’s say “We really like”.

REPEAT

Gustung-gusto namin
Gustung-gusto namin

Let’s say “Yes, we like it very much”

REPEAT

Opo, gustung-gusto namin.
Opo, gustung-gusto namin.

Gusto ba ninyo ang Pilipinas?
Opo, gustung-gusto namin.

Listen to the following part of the conversation

Matagal na ba kayo sa Pilipinas?
Hindi po, dalawang buwan lamang.
Gusto ba ninyo ang Pilipinas?
Opo, gustung-gusto namin.

In the conversation, Anne Turner goes on to say “The Philippines is beautiful but hot..”

To say “beautiful”, say “maganda

REPEAT

maganda
maganda

Here’s how to say “The Philippines is beautiful.”

Maganda ang Pilipinas.

REPEAT

Maganda ang Pilipinas.
Maganda ang Pilipinas.

“but hot” is “pero mainit

The word for “but” is “pero” and the word for “hot” is “mainit

REPEAT

pero mainit
pero mainit

Now, let’s say “The Philippines is beautiful but hot”

REPEAT

Maganda ang Pilipinas pero mainit.
Maganda ang Pilipinas pero mainit.

Now, we will say that we like it very much. Then we will add that the Philippines is beautiful, but hot.

LISTEN AND REPEAT

Opo, gustung-gusto namin.
Maganda ang Pilipinas pero mainit.
Opo, gustung-gusto namin. Maganda ang Pilipinas pero mainit.

In our conversation Mr. Ramos asks “Where are you from?”

LISTEN

Taga-saan po kayo?
Taga-saan po kayo?

The plural word for “you” is “kayo“.

REPEAT

kayo
kayo

the word to show respect and be polite is “po

The way to say “where are you from” is “taga-saan“, which literally means “from-where”

REPEAT

taga-saan
taga-saan

Taga-saan po kayo?

Which means, literally “From-where you?”

REPEAT

Taga-saan po kayo?
Taga-saan po kayo?

Bob Turner replies “From Michigan ma’am”, “Taga-Michigan po.

REPEAT

Taga-Michigan po.
Taga-Michigan po.

Then he asks “Are you from Olongapo?”

LISTEN

Taga-Olongapo po ba kayo?

Which means, literally “From Olongapo sir you?”

REPEAT

Taga-Olongapo po ba kayo?
Taga-Olongapo po ba kayo?

Let’s review each part.

Repeat each of the following sentences after the speaker.

Taga-saan po kayo?
(Where are you from?)

Taga-Michigan po.
(From Michigan sir.)

Taga-Olongapo po ba kayo?
(Are you from Olongapo?)

Then, Mr. Ramos replies “No sir.”

REPEAT

Hindi po.
Hindi po.

Then he says “We are from Manila”.

LISTEN

Taga-Maynila kami.

REPEAT

Taga-Maynila kami.
Taga-Maynila kami.

Hindi po. Taga-Maynila kami.
Hindi po. Taga-Maynila kami.

Now, listen once again to the entire conversation. Repeat each line during the pause and imitate the speaker as closely as you can.

Ginoo at Ginang Turner,

gusto kong ipakilala sa inyo

ang mga kaibigan ko, sina Ginoo at Ginang Ramos.

Nagagalak kaming makilala kayo.

Gayon din po kami.

Matagal na ba kayo sa Pilipinas?

Hindi po, dalawang buwan lamang.

Gusto ba ninyo ang Pilipinas?

Opo, gustung-gusto namin.

Maganda ang Pilipinas pero mainit.

Taga-saan po kayo?

Taga-Michigan po. Taga-Olongapo po ba kayo?

Hindi po. Taga-Maynila kami.

LESSON 2 EXERCISES:

Exercise 1: Practice Introductions

In this exercise you will practice saying that you want to introduce someone. Sometimes you will introduce one person, sometimes more than one.

Listen and repeat

Ginang Cruz, gusto kong ipakilala sa inyo si Carol, maybahay ko.
(Mrs. Cruz, I’d like to introduce to you Carol, my wife.)

Rose, gusto kong ipakilala sa iyo ang aking asawa, si Julie.
(Rose, I would like to introduce to you my wife, Julie.)

Ginoo at Ginang Ramos, gusto kong ipakilala sa inyo ang mga kaibigan ko, sina Bill at Joan Preston.
(Mr. and Mrs. Ramos, I’d like to introduce to you my friends Bill and Joan Preston.)

Juan, gusto kong ipakilala sa iyo si Bob, kaibigan ko.
(Juan, I would like to introduce to you Bob, my friend.)

Alan’s Notes:

Note: When I lived in Pampanga, there was a little school girl that passed by the house each day with her friends as she came and went to school. She and her friends often said hello to me as they passed. They even asked me “What is your name?” in English. I replied “Ako si Alan.”

One day, the little girl was with a small boy about her age. She stopped in front of my house and said “Alan, gusto kong ipakilala sa inyo ang kapatid ko, si Juan.” I was delighted! First, because she was so formal about it, which was very sweet, and second, because I understood exactly what she said! At times like that, this language comes fully alive! I didn’t ask her, but I believe she learned in school how to introduce somebody, and wanted to practice it by speaking to me.

Notice that inyo (the plural of “you”) is used for respect even though only one person is being addressed.

“My” is “aking” when it precedes the noun and “ko” when it follows. The word “akin” normally has a linker attached to it when used before another word. Example: “aking bahay” (my house).

Exercise 2: More Practice Introducing

In this exercise you will practice introducing someone to Mr. and Mrs. Cruz. You can use kaibigan, maybahay, asawa or just their name depending on what you see in your book.

For example:

You see, “your friend Tom”

You will say:
Ginoo at Ginang Cruz, gusto kong ipakilala sa inyo ang kaibigan ko, si Tom.

Ready?

your wife, Barbara

Ginoo at Ginang Cruz, gusto kong ipakilala sa inyo ang maybayhay ko, si Barbara. (or ang asawa ko, si Barbara.)

Mr. Thompson

Ginoo at Ginang Cruz, gusto kong ipakilala sa iyo aking kaibigan, si Tom. (or ang kaibigan ko, si Tom)

your husband, Robert

Ginoo at Ginang Cruz, gusto kong ipakilala sa inyo ang asawa ko, si Robert.

your friend, Karen Adams

Ginoo at Ginang Cruz, gusto kong ipakilala sa inyo ang kaibigan ko, si Karen Adams.

your friends Paul and Ellen Johnson

Ginoo at Ginang Cruz, gusto kong ipakilala sa inyo ang mga kaibigan ko, sina Paul at Ellen Johnson.

Exercise 3: Practice Using Ka and Kayo

In the conversation for this unit you heard “Matagal na ba kayo sa Pilipinas?” which means “Have you been in the Philippines long?”

The word “kayo” means “you”, and it is plural. Which means it addresses more than one person.

If you want to address one person, you use the word “ka

REPEAT
ka
ka

When you use the word “ka” the word order changes a bit.

LISTEN

Matagal na ba kayo sa Pilipinas?
Matagal ka na ba sa Pilipinas?

Listen again. Listen for the word order difference.

Matagal na ba kayo?
Matagal ka na ba?

REPEAT

Matagal na ba kayo?
Matagal ka na ba?

Matagal ka na ba sa Pilipinas?
Matagal ka na ba sa Pilipinas?

Matagal ka na ba?
Matagal na ba kayo?

Say to one person “Have you been in the Philippines long?”:

Matagal ka na ba sa Pilipinas?

Now, ask the same thing to more than one person:

Matagal na ba kayo sa Pilipinas?

What if you want to ask “Have you been HERE long?”

In Tagalog, there’s two words for saying “here”, they are “dito” and “rito

Only the first letter is different.
Use “dito“, with a “d” if the word before it ends in a consonant. Otherwise, use “rito“, with an “r”.

Let’s say “dito” and “rito” a few times. Listen for the difference.

Listen and repeat

dito
rito

dito
rito

Here’s how to ask one person, “Have you been here long?”

Matagal ka na ba rito?

Listen again. Try to catch which word for “here” is spoken at the end.

Matagal ka na ba rito?
Matagal ka na ba rito?

You should have heard the rolled-r in the word “rito”. We use “rito” here because the preceding word, “ba” ends in a vowel.

REPEAT

Matagal ka na ba rito?
Matagal ka na ba rito?

You may recall that the word for “no” in Tagalog is “hindi“. It can also be used to mean “not”.

Listen to how you can say “not yet”.

Hindi pa

REPEAT

Hindi pa
Hindi pa

Now, listen to how to say “I haven’t been here long (yet)”

Hindi pa ako matagal dito.

Literally “Not yet I long-time here”.

REPEAT

Hindi pa ako matagal dito.
Hindi pa ako matagal dito.

Now listen to “WE haven’t been here long (yet)”.

Hindi pa kami matagal dito.

REPEAT

Hindi pa kami matagal dito.
Hindi pa ako matagal dito.

You may be asked “How long have you been in the Philippines?”

LISTEN

Gaano katagal ka sa Pilipinas?

In the sentence you heard the word “gaano“.

REPEAT

gaano
gaano

“Gaano” is used to ask “how much” of something. For example “how long, as in a measurement”, “how far” and in this case, “how long, as in time”.

Gaano” is not used to ask for how much something cost. You will learn that word, “magkano” in a later lesson.

Listen to “How long” in terms of time.

gaano katagal
gaano katagal

The word “katagal” is similar to “matagal” which you already learned. The difference is that “katagal” starts with the letter “k” instead of “m”.

Katagal” is used for asking about length of time when used with “gaano

REPEAT

gaano katagal
gaano katagal

Now let’s say “How long have you been in the Philippines?”

REPEAT

Gaano katagal kayo sa Pilipinas?
Gaano katagal kayo sa Pilipinas?

You used the plural “you”, which is “kayo“, in that sentence.

Now let’s say it as if speaking to only one person. Pay attention to the word order.

Listen and repeat.

Gaano katagal ka sa Pilipinas?
Gaano katagal ka sa Pilipinas?

Exercise 4: Days, Weeks, Months, Years and Hours

Now, you will learn the words for day, week, month, year and hour.
You will also use the pluralizer “mga” to say the plural form of each as in days, weeks, months, years and hours.

You will hear the word in English, then you will hear it in Tagalog.

Repeat after the Tagalog speaker

Ready?

day
araw
araw
days
mga araw
mga araw

Now the word for week, which is “linggo

REPEAT

linggo
linggo

Now let’s say the plural, “Weeks”

REPEAT

mga linggo
mga linggo

The word for month is “buwan

Repeat

buwan
buwan

The plural for, “Months”, is “mga buwan

REPEAT

mga buwan
mga buwan

The Tagalog word for “year” is “taon

Repeat

taon
taon

Now, the plural form, “Years”

REPEAT

mga taon
mga taon

The word for “hour” is “oras

REPEAT

oras
oras

Now the plural form, “hours”

mga oras
mga oras

Exercise 5: Learn Some Tagalog Numbers

To answer questions about “how long” you need to know some numbers.

In this exercise you will begin to learn some basic Tagalog numbers which will be used in later exercises and lessons.

First, here are the Tagalog numbers from 1 to 10.

You will hear the number in English, then you will hear the Tagalog number.

Repeat each number after the Tagalog speaker during the pause provided.

one
isa

two
dalawa

three
tatlo

four
apat

five
lima

six
anim

seven
pito

eight
walo

nine
siyam

ten
sampu

You will see those numbers throughout the rest of the lessons in this course.

Now, lets learn a few more numbers. We will start with eleven and count to nineteen.

You will see that the numbers one through nine are simply preceded by “labing“. For example, the number for “eleven” is “labing-isa“.

As before, you will hear the English number, then the Tagalog number. Repeat each Tagalog number after you hear it in the pause provided.

Ready?

eleven
labing-isa

twelve
labindalawa

thirteen
labintatlo

fourteen
labing-apat

fifteen
labinlima

sixteen
labing-anim

seventeen
labimpito

eighteen
labingwalo

nineteen
labinsiyam

Finally, here is the word for twenty.

REPEAT

dalawampu
dalawampu

Alan’s Notes:

Note that “labing” is used before numbers which begin with a vowel or “w”;
labim” is used in front of “p”, and “labin” in front of other consonants.

When “mga” is used with a number, it means “about’, or “approximately”

The word for 2 is “dalawa” and the word for 10 is “sampu“. Look at the word for 20, it is “dalawampu“. It’s similar to saying “two tens”.

Exercise 6: Practice Using Numbers with Time Periods

In exercise 4 you learned how to say periods of time such as day, week, month, year and hour. Then, in the last exercise you learned to say the numbers from one to twenty.

Earlier in this lesson you learned about the pluralizer “mga“. The same word, “mga“, can be used with numbers to mean an approximation.

In English we say “about”, such as “about twelve” or “about four”.

Let’s practice using the numbers and time periods together. Some examples will use the Tagalog word “mga” to mean “about”.

Ready?

REPEAT

sampung araw (10 days)
sampung araw
mga anim na linggo (about 6 weeks)
mga anim na linggo
labintatlong buwan lamang (just 13 months)
labintatlong buwan lamang
mga labing-apat na taon (about 14 years)
mga labing-apat na taon
labinsiyam na oras (9 hours)
labinsiyam na oras
mga dalawampung araw (about 20 days)
mga dalawampung araw

Alan’s Notes:

When followed by another word, a number ending in a vowel adds –ng. If it ends in a consonant, “na” is inserted after the number.

Here are some examples:

If the number ends in a consonant, use “na” to link to the unit of time.
labing-apat na taon (14 years)
labinsiyam na oras (15 hours)

If the number ends in a vowel, use “-ng” at the end of the preceding number.
dalawampung araw (20 days)
labintatlong buwan (13 months)

Exercise 7: Comprehension Practice – Numbers and Time Periods

In this exercise you will hear a Tagalog number and a time period.  After hearing the Tagalog phrase, say what it means in English. After a pause for your answer, you will hear the correct response.

For example:  You hear, “isang taon“. You say, “one year”, then you will hear “one year”.

Ready?

isang taon
one year

dalawang linggo lamang
just two weeks

apat na araw
three days

mga anim na buwan
about six months

siyam na taon
nine years

walong buwan
eight months

mga limang araw
about five days

pitong linggo lamang
just seven weeks

sampung buwan
ten months

mga labing-isang taon
about eleven years

labimpitong araw
seventeen days

Exercise 8: Numbers and Time Periods in Sentences

In this exercise you will practice putting the numbers and time periods into a sentence.

For example, you will hear: “Gaano katagal kayo sa Pilipinas?” which means “How long have you been in the Philippines?”

You hear: “Two months”

So you say: “Dalawang buwan

Ready?

Gaano katagal kayo sa Pilipinas?
Two weeks.
dalawang linggo

Gaano katagal kayo sa Pilipinas?
Twenty days.
dalawampung araw

Gaano katagal kayo sa Pilipinas?
About one year
mga isang taon

Gaano katagal kayo sa Pilipinas?
Only six months
anim na buwan lamang

Gaano katagal kayo sa Pilipinas?
Just seventeen days
labimpitong araw lamang

Gaano katagal kayo sa Pilipinas?
About 15 months.
mga labinlimang buwan

Exercise 9: Pronunciation Practice

In this exercise you will simply repeat after the Tagalog speaker.

Then, after a pause for your response you will hear the English equivalent.

Ready?

Tatlong buwan na kami rito.

We have been here 3 months (now).

Apat na araw lamang ako rito.

I have been here only 4 days.

Labing-isang linggo na ako rito.

I have been here 11 weeks (now).

Labinsiyam na araw lamang ang maybahay ko rito.

My wife has been here for only nineteen days.

Anim na buwan na si Paul dito.

Paul has been here 6 months (now).

Walong linggo lamang ang kaibigan ko rito.

My friend has been here only 8 weeks.

Labing-anim na araw lamang ako sa Olongapo.

I have been in Olongapo for only 16 days.

Hindi pa ako matagal dito, dalawang araw lamang.

I have not been here long, only two days.

Alan’s Notes:

“Na” is “now,” “up to now.” This is not the same na used as a linker after numbers.

The topic of a sentence is identified by:
“si” or “sina” for names of persons; “ang” for nouns and names of places.

Exercise 10: Answering How Long You’ve Been Here

Say the following sentences in Tagalog.

I have been here for eight weeks now.

Walong linggo na ako rito.

I have been here for only three weeks.

Tatlong linggo lamang ako rito.

I have been in Olongapo for thirteen months

Labintatlong buwan na ako sa Olongapo.

I have been in Olongapo for thirteen months now.

Labintatlong buwan na ako sa Olongapo.

My wife has been here for only 6 months.

Anim na buwan lamang ang maybahay ko rito.

We have been in the Philippines for 2 years now.

Dalawang taon na kami sa Pilipinas.

We have not been in the Philippines long yet, only 6 weeks.

Hindi pa kami matagal sa Pilipinas, apat na linggo lamang.

Exercise 11: Expressing Liking Something Very Much

In the conversation Mrs. Ramos asked the Turners if they like the Philippines.

Gusto ba ninyo ang Pilipinas?

If she had been addressing only one person she would have said.

Gusto mo ba ang Pilipinas?

Repeat

Gusto mo ba ang Pilipinas?
Gusto mo ba ang Pilipinas?

To answer for yourself and someone else that you like something very much, you say

Gustung-gusto namin.

Repeat

Gustung-gusto namin.
Gustong-gusto namin.

To answer for yourself your self:

Gustung-gusto ko.

Repeat

Gustung-gusto ko.
Gustung-gusto ko.

Gusto” can be used for anything or anybody that you like.

Gusto ba ninyo ang San Miguel bir?

Oo, gustung-gusto ko.

Answer whether you alone or you and somebody else are being addressed.

For example, if you hear:

Gusto ba ninyo ang Pilipinas?

You say:

Oo, gustung-gusto namin.

If you hear:

Gusto mo ba ang Pilipinas? (Do you like the Philippines?)

Say:

Oo, gustung-gusto ko.  (Yes, I like it very much.)

You will then hear the correct response.

Ready?

Gusto ba ninyo ang Pilipinas? (Do you like the Philippines?)

Oo, gustung-gusto namin.  (Yes, we like it very much.)

Gusto ba ninyo ang Olongapo? (Do you like Olongapo?)

Oo, gustung-gusto namin. (Yes, we like it very much.

Gusto mo ba ang Maynila? (Do you like Manil?)

Oo, gustung-gusto ko.  (Yes, I like it very much.)

Gusto mo ba ang San Miguel bir? (Do you like San Miguel beer?)

Oo, gustung-gusto ko. (Yes, I like it very much.)

Gusto ba ninyo ang tenis? (Do you like tennis?)

Oo, gustung-gusto namin. (Yes, we like it very much.)

Exercise 12: Expressing Dislike

To say that you don’t like something, you say

Hindi ko gusto

or

Hindi namin gusto

Answer the questions in the negative. For example, if you hear:

Gusto ba ninyo ang Maynila?

You say:

Hindi, hindi namin gusto.

Or, if you hear:

Gusto mo ba ang Olongapo?

You say:

Hindi, hindi ko gusto.

Ready?

Gusto ba ninyo ang Baguio?

Hindi. Hindi namin gusto.

Gusto mo ba ang San Miguel bir?

Hindi. Hindi ko gusto.

Gusto mo ba ang Maynila?

Hindi. Hindi ko gusto.

Gusto ba ninyo ang Olongapo?

Hindi. Hindi namin gusto.

Alan’s Notes for exercise 12:

Exercise 13: Expressing Would You Like…?


Listen and repeat the following sentences, noting that

Gusto ba ninyo? or Gusto mo ba?

Can also be used to say “Would you like..?”

Ready?

Gusto mo ba ng bir?
(Would you like some beer?)

Gusto ba ninyo ng kape?
(Would you like some coffee?)

Gusto ba ninyo ng alak?
(Would you like a alcoholic drink?)

Gusto rna ba ng gatas?
(Would you like some milk?)

Gusto mo ba ng tubig?
(Would you like some water?)

Gusto ba ninyo ng tsa?
(Would you like some tea?)

Gusto mo bang uminom?
Would you like something to drink? (Lit.: Would you like to drink?)

Gusto ba ninyong kumain?
Would you like something to eat? (Lit.: Would you like to eat?)

To accept you say:

Opo, gusto ko.

Or

Oo, gusto ko (Yes I would.)

REPEAT

Opo, gusto ko.
Oo, gusto ko.

And when you are served:

Salamat po. or Salamat. (Thank you)

REPEAT

Salamat po.
Salamat.

To refuse, you say:

Ayoko po. or Ayoko.

REPEAT

Ayoko po.
Ayoko.

The phrase, “ayoko” means “I don’t like.” or “I don’t care for”

We don’t care for is:

Ayaw namin.

REPEAT

Ayaw namin.

Alan’s Notes for exercise 13:

-ng is a linker when gusto mo ba or gusto ba ninyo is followed by a verb.

Exercise 14: Practice Replying to”Would you like..”?

Listen and repeat the sentences that follow:

Gusto ba ninyo ng alak?
Would you like an alcoholic drink?

Ayoko po.
I don’t care for any.

Ayoko po ng alak.
I don’t care for an alcoholic drink.

Ayaw namin ng alak.
We don’t care for an alcoholic drink.

Gusto mo ba ng 7 Up.
Would you like some 7 Up.

Ayoko, ayoko ng 7 Up.
No, I don’t care for 7 Up.

Gusto mo ba ng bir?
Would you like some beer?

Oo, gusto ko.
Yes, I would (like some).

Gusto ko ng San Miguel bir.
I would like San Miguel beer.

Gusto mo ba ng kape, tsa o gatas?
Would you like coffee, tea or milk?

Gusto ko ng tsa.
I would like tea.

Alan’s Notes for Exercise 14:

Exercise 15: More Words Describing Weather

You already know that the word for hot is “mainit

Let’s learn some more words pertaining to weather.

Listen and repeat the words that follow:

mainit (hot)
malamig (cold)
mahangin (windy)
maulan (rainy)

Notice that “ma” which is similar to the ‘y‘ ending in English words like windy or rainy is attached to these words.

The word “heat” is “init“.

Coldness is “lamig.”

Wind is “hangin.”

Rain is “ulan“.

Alan’s Notes:

mainit (hot) = ma+init (heat)
malamig (cold) = ma+lamig (coldness)
mahangin (windy) = ma+hangin (wind)
maulan (rainy) = ma+ulan (rain)

I like to think of “ma-” as meaning “a lot of”.  For example, a city in the province of Pampanga is called “Mabalacat”.  Legend has it that many years ago there were a lot of “balacat” trees in the area.  Thus, it got the name “Mabalacat” (A lot of balacat).

Likewise, if something is hot, it has “a lot of heat (init)” thus it is “mainit”.  If something is has “a lot of beauty (ganda)” then it is “magandanda” (beautiful).

Alan’s Notes for Exercise 15:

Exercise 16: Responding to Questions About Weather

Respond to the following questions with the appropriate responses concerning weather.

For example, you will hear:

Gusto mo ba ang Alaska? (Do you like Alaska?)

If you see in your book the cue “cold”, say:

Oo, gusto ko pero malamig. (Yes I like it but it’s cold.)

Ready?

Gusto mo ba ang Alaska?

COLD

Oo, gusto ko pero malamig.

Gusto mo ba ang Oregon?

RAINY

Oo, gusto ko pero maulan.

Gusto mo ba ang Florida?

HOT

Oo, gusto ko pero mainit.

Gusto mo ba ang Chicago?

WINDY

Oo, gusto ko pero mahangin.

Exercise 17: A Little Hot, A Little Cold, Etc.

To say a place is a little hot, cold, rainy or windy you add “nang kaunti”

Listen and repeat

mainit nang kaunti (a little hot)
malamig nang kaunti (a little cold)
mahangin nang kaunti (a little windy)
maulan nang kaunti (a little rainy)

Alan’s Notes for Exercise 17:

Exercise 18: Practice Responding to Weather Questions

Respond as in the model. For example, if you hear

Mainit ba sa Pilipinas?

You say

Oo, mainit nang kaunti.

Ready?

Mainit ba sa Maynila?

Oo, mainit nang kaunti.

Malamig ba sa Baguio?

Oo, malamig nang kaunti.

Mahangin ba sa Baguio?

Oo, mahangin nang kaunti.

Maulan ba sa Pilipinas?

Oo, maulan nang kaunti.

Alan’s Notes for Exercise 18:

Exercise 19: Expressing Very Hot, Very Cold, Etc.

To say a place is very hot, cold, windy or rainy you simply repeat the descriptive word.

Listen and repeat the following expressions.

mainit na mainit (very hot)
malamig na malamig (very cold)
mahanging-mahangin (very windy)
maulang-maulan (very rainy)

Alan’s Notes:

na vs -ng to connect the words

Notice that just as with the numbers, the form of the linker varies:

maganda ends with a vowel – (magandang maganda)
mainit ends with a consonant- (mainit na mainit)
mahangin ends with a ‘n’ – (mahanging-mahangin)

Alan’s Notes for Exercise 19:

Exercise 20: More Ways to Say Very Hot, Cold, etc.

Other ways to say it’s very hot, it’s very cold, or too hot, too cold and so on is to use “masyado” and the descriptive word.

Or to add “napaka” to the words for heat, cold, wind, rain.

Listen and repeat

masyadong mainit. (too hot)
napakainit (very hot)

masyado malamig (too cold)
napakalamig (very cold)

masyadong mahangin (too windy)
napakahangin (very wndy)

masyadong maulan (too rainy)
napakaulan (very rainy)

Alan’s Notes:

Napakabait (napaka- an adjective prefix means “very”)

Masaydo means “very, exceedingly” according to tagalog-dictionary.com

Alan’s Notes for Exercise 20:

Exercise 21: Practice Using Ba in Questions

It’s very hot in the Philippines is “Mainit na mainit sa Pilipinas.

To ask if it’s very hot, you add “ba” which is a particle used to form yes or no questions.

Mainit na mainit ba sa Pilipinas?

Change the following statements to questions. For example, if you hear “mainit sa Pilipinas.“, you would say:

Mainit ba sa Pilipinas?

Begin

Mahangin sa Baguio.
Mahangin ba sa Baguio.

Masyadong mau1an sa Mayni1a.
Masyadong ba maulan sa Mayni1a.

Ma1amig sa Baguio kung* Disyembre.
Ma1amig ba sa Baguio kung* Disyembre.

Mainit na mainit kung Hu1yo.
Mainit na mainit ba kung Hu1yo.

Napakahangin kung Oktubre.
Napakahangin ba kung Oktubre.

Alan’s Notes:

Kung is translated as “during,” “in.”

Exercise 22: Months of the Year

The climate varies in the Philippines according to the time of the year. The cold months are

Nobyembre, Disyembre, Enero at Pebrero.

In the months of  Marso, Abril at Mayo it is hot.

Hunyo, Hulyo at Agosto are rainy, and

Septyembre at Oktubre are panahon ng bagyo (typhoon season).

Listen and repeat.

Malamig nang kaunti kung Nobyembre, Disyembre, Enero at Pebrero.
(It’s a little cold during November, December, January and February.)

Mainit na mainit kung Marso, Abril at Mayo.
(It’s very hot during March, April and May.)

Maulan kung Hunyo, Hulyo at Agosto.
(It’s rainy during June, July and August.)

Masyadong mahangin at maulan kung Septyembre at Oktubre.
(It’s very windy and rainy during September and October.)

Panahon ng bagyo kung Septyembre at Oktubre.
(It’s typhoon season during September and October.)

Alan’s Notes:

Exercise 23: Practicing What You Learned

In our conversation Mrs. Ramos asked the Turners where they are from.

Taga-saan po kayo?

Bob answers simply, from Michigan.

Taga-Michigan.

To say “I am from Michigan”, you say

Taga-Michigan ako.

Listen and repeat some sentences.

Taga-California si John.
(John is from California.)

Taga-Michigan ako.
(I am from Michigan.)

Taga-New York ang asawa ko.
(My spouse is from New York.)

Taga-Maynila po ba kayo?
(Are you from Manila, sir?)

Maganda ang Hundred Islands.
(Hundred Islands is beautiful.)

Mainit sa Pilipinas.
(The Philippines is hot.)

Mainit ang kape.
(The coffee is hot.)

Malamig kung Disyembre.
(It’s cold during December.)

Si John ito.
(This is John.)

Exercise 24: Listening Comprehension Practice

Say in English the sentences you hear. Listen for the answers after the pause.

Taga-saan ka Bob?
(Where are you from Bob?)

Gusto mo ba ang Olongapo?
(Do you like Olongapo?)

Taga-California ako.
(I am from California.)

Gusto ba ninyo ang Pilipinas?
(Do you like the Philippines?)

Ginoong Johnson , gusto kong ipakilala sa inyo ang mga kaibigan ko sina Ginoo at Ginang Reyes.
(Mr. Johnson, I would like to introduce to you my friends, Mr. and Mrs. Reyes.)

Matagal na ba kayo sa Subic Bay?
(Have you been in Subic Bay long?)

Nagagalak akong makilala ka.
(I’m glad to meet you.)

Maganda ang Baguio, pero malamig nang kaunti.
(Baguio is beautiful, but a little cold.)

Masyadong mainit sa Maynila.
(It’s very hot in Manila.)

Napakahangin ba sa San Francisco?
(Is it very windy in San Francisco?)

Alan’s Notes for Exercise 24:

Exercise 25: Practice Speaking

Say the following sentences in Tagalog. Listen to the answers after the pause.

Mr. and Mrs. Ramos, I would like to introduce to you my wife, Sarah.
Ginoo at Ginang Ramos, gusto kong ipakilala sa inyo ang asawa ko, si Sarah.
Are you from Manila, Mrs. Ramos?
Taga-Maynila po ba kayo, Gng. Ramos?

I have been here for 20 days only.
Dalawampung araw lamang ako rito.

My friend has been in the Philippines for two years now.
Dalawang taon na ang kaibigan ko sa Pilipinas.

We like the Philippines very much.
Gustung-gusto namin ang Pilipinas.

I’m from California.
Taga-California ako.

Is it very hot in Baguio in May?
Mainit na mainit ba sa Baguio kung Mayo?

Exercise 26: Conversation for Listening Practice

Here’s a conversation for listening practice. See how much you understand.

At a fiesta, Tom runs into Pedro and Pedro’s friend Victoria.

Hoy Tom, Saan ka pupunta?

Diyan lang. Kumusta ka?

Ok lang. Tom, ito si Victoria.

Ikinagagalak kong makilala ka, Victoria.

Gayon din ako.

Matagal na ba kayo rito?

Mga isang oras lang. Ano, gusto mo bang uminom?

Oo, mabuti. Gusto ko ng bir.

Ikaw Victoria, gusto mo ng coke or bir?

Coke para sa akin.

Translation:

Hoy Tom, Saan ka pupunta?
(Hey Tom, where are you going?)

Diyan lang. Kumusta ka?
(Just there. How are you?)

Ok lang. Tom, ito si Victoria.
(Okay. Tom, this is Victoria.)

Ikinagagalak kong makilala ka, Victoria.
(I’m pleased to meet you, Victoria.)

Gayon din ako.
(Same for me.)

Matagal na ba kayo rito?
(Have you been here long?)

Mga isang oras lang. Ano, gusto mo bang uminom?
(Only about one hour. What, would you like to drink?)

Oo, mabuti. Gusto ko ng bir.
(Yes, fine. I would like a beer.)

Ikaw Victoria, gusto mo ng coke or bir?
(You Victoria, do you want coke or beer?)

Coke para sa akin.
(Coke for me.)

Alan’s Notes on Exercise 26:

Self-Evaluation Quiz

This is the self evaluation quiz.

You will hear ten situations. Respond to each one during the pause. Then listen to the response on the tape.

SITUATION 1: You have just met Mrs. Bautista at a party. Ask her where she’s from.

Taga-saan po kayo Ginang Bautista?

SITUATION 2: You want to go to Hundred Islands for the weekend, but you’re not sure about the weather. Ask a Filipino if it’s very hot in Hundred Islands.

Mainit na mainit ba sa Hundred Islands?

SITUATION 3: Someone offers you some beer. Say that you don’t care for beer and that you would like a coke.

Ayoko po ng bir. Gusto ko ng coke.

SITUATION 4: You have just met Mr. Ramos. Ask him if he is from Olongapo.

Taga-Olongapo po ba kayo?

SITUATION 5: You are talking to an elderly Filipino. Ask him if Baguio is very hot in December.

Mainit na mainit po ba sa Baguio kung Disyembre?

SITUATION 6: You come from Oregon. You’ve been in the Philippines for about seven months, and you like it very much, but it’s a little hot.

Answer the following questions.

Taga-saan po kayo?

Taga-Oregon.

Gusto mo ba ang Pilipinas?

Oo, gustung-gusto ko, pero mainit nang kaunti.

Gaano katagal ka rito?

Mga pitong buwan na rito.

Alan’s Notes:
This ends lesson two. How do you feel? If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed, that’s natural. My brother often said “Learning is painful.” It can be if you let it be. I want to stress again that you are just learning this stuff. I can seem overwhelming, but believe me, it gets easier.

Try not to get discouraged. Enjoy the challenge. Remember to take it bite-sized pieces. I remember reading about a polyglot (someone that speaks a number of languages) that said he often learns a sentence or two and spends all day with that sentence as he goes about his day. He thinks about it, practices it, listens to it and makes it a part of him. That’s just one or two sentences! So, if you are feeling overwhelemed, slow down. Take one of the exercises and live with it for a day. Just one exercise. Maybe “live with it” for two days, or even a week. In that way you will internalize it and make it your own.

I want to mention something that might happen to some of you. The way the Headstart lesson pages are structured on this site allow for quick listening and reading. You can listen to the audio and read along with it. You may “FEEL” that you are learning when you are simply listening and reading along. I strongly suggest that you play the audio while NOT looking at the words on the webpage too. You really need to practice listening a lot.

It might be helpful to read along with the audio a couple of times, then play the audio again and again while just listening. The text is there to check yourself only. You should be careful to not use the text as a crutch too much. You may feel you can “walk” because you have the crutch, but find that you fail without the crutch.

I’ve read about many polyglots that start out learning new material by listening and reading along. Then just listening. Then just reading and speaking out loud. Then listening while reading along again. I would say that such a routine can be very helpful to some learners. Myself included. I find it helps my listening comprehension if I’ve read along with the audio a few times first. I get a kick out of completely understanding the material later while just listening. The initial reading along seems to anchor it in my head better. But then, everyone learns differently, your mileage may vary.

So, in short, hang in there and use the material in the lessons here as a way to learn incrementally. Also, use the self evaluation quiz to find your weaknesses. Be honest with yourself. If there is an area you feel uncertain about, then go back and practice that area in the lesson until you feel more confident. It’s not a race. There’s no pressure. Relax. 🙂

When you feel you are ready, move on to lesson 3.




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