Filipinos love to have small talk. They may do that even if they are strangers to each other, especially when aggregated on long waiting lines, saying obvious facts like "we are already waiting too long" and "it is really hot in here".
If a Filipino meets a friend, expect them to start talking right away. Anyway, this article will provide you with the basic expressions that are most commonly used by Filipinos.
Some greetings in English are used literally in Filipino as they have no translations available. The expressions "hello", "hi", "goodbye", "excuse me", "please", "thank you", "you are welcome" and "good night" are much preferred to spoken literally by Filipinos because they will sound more sincere and formal when spoken in the national language.
Some greetings in English are used literally in Filipino as they have no translations available. The expressions "hello", "hi", "goodbye", "excuse me", "please", "thank you", "you are welcome" and "good night" are much preferred to spoken literally by Filipinos because they will sound more sincere and formal when spoken in the national language.
| English expression | Filipino equivalent |
|---|---|
| How are you? | Kumusta ka na? |
| Have you eaten? | Kumain ka na? |
| Thank you. | Salamat. |
| Thank you very much. | Maraming salamat. |
| Goodbye. | Paalam. |
| Please... | Paki... |
| Excuse me. (to ask for space) | Makikidaan. |
| Sorry. (sincere) | Paumanhin. / Patawad. |
| Good morning. | Magandang umaga. |
| Good afternoon. | Magandang hapon. |
| Good evening. | Magandang gabi. |
| Until next time! | Hanggang sa muli! |
| Good. | Mabuti. |
| Great! | Magaling! |
| You are welcome. | Walang anuman. |
| See you tomorrow. | Magkita tayo bukas. |
The expressions above are what you would be able to hear from Filipinos most of the time as soon as they start talking until they end the conversation. If you would be able to remember and speak them to Filipinos, you will be able to impress them with your effort to speak in the Filipino language.