Basic Expressions on Filipino / Tagalog
"Good morning" -"Magandang umaga" [emphasis on the last syllable, i.e. ma-gan-dang]
"Good afternoon" - "Magandang hapon"
"Hello / How are you?" - "Kumusta?"
"I am well" - "Mabuti" (more like [mabute])
"Goodbye / Bye" - "Paalam"(the two successive "a" are also pronounced separately here, i.e. [pa-alam])
"You're welcome “ - "Walang anuman"
"yes" - "oo"(the two "o" are both pronounced here, like [o-o])
"No" - "Hindi"(the second "i" is pronounced like an "e", like [hinde]
"Tomorrow" - "bukas" (example: "Tomorrow we are going to Baguio." - "Bukas pupunta tayo sa Baguio.")
"Nice" - "Maganda"
"Baby" - "sanggol"
"pretty / attractive" - gwapa (female), gwapo (male)
Filipino on the Road
"Where is...?" -"Saan ang...?"
“Do you speak English?" - "Marunong ka ba ng Inglés?"
"Where can I find a good hotel?" - "Saan pwedeng maghanap ng hotel? (The pronunciation of "saan" is such that both "a" are pronounced separately "sa-an"; "pwede" is pronounced like [poide]; the second "ng" in the example is pronounced like [nang])
"What time is the ferry from Cebu to Bohol? - Anong oras ang ferry galing Cebu papuntang Bohol?
"When does the bus arrive? -"Kailan darating ang bus?"
"Where is the toilet?" - "Nasaan ang kubita?"
Filipino when Shopping / Trading
"Did you/do you have...?" - "Mayroon ka / kayo nang...?"
"Expensive / cheap" - "Mahal / mura"
"How much (costs)...?" - "Magkano...?" ("magkano" is pronounced separately, i.e. [mag-kano]; example: "How much does one kilo of fish cost?" - "Magkano ang isang kilo ng isda?")
"banana" - "saging";
"pineapple" - "pinya"
"coconut" (ripe, pulp is hard) - "niyog"
"Left" - "Kaliwa"
"Right" - "Kanan"
Filipino at Dinner
"tasty" - "masarap"
"cut up" - "chop-chop"
"Tea" - "tsa" [chaya]
"Vegetables" - "gulay" (please note that Filipinos like to add some meat even to supposedly vegetarian dishes to make it "tastier"; if you really want to eat vegetarian, you have to make this clear when ordering "vegetables")
Numbers in Filipino
"One" - "Isa"
"Two" - "Dalawa"
"Three" - "Tatlo"
"Four" - "Apat"
"Five" - "Lima"
"Six" - "Anim"
"Seven" - "Pito"
"Eight" - "Walo"
"Nine" - "Siyam"
"Ten" - "Sampu"
The “W” questions in Filipino
"What?" - "Ano?"
"Where?" - Saan?
"Why?" - "Bakit?"
Explanation: Saan is used when referring to the verb "Where are you going?" Naasan is used when the noun is "Where is the church?"
"Who?" - "Sino?"
"What?" - "Paano?"
"Which one(s)" - "Alin?"
An excellent online lexicon for learning Tagalog - English can be found at www.tagalog-dictionary.com.
While locals in the Philippines predominantly speak English - at least at a conversational level - this doesn't take anything away from the importance of learning Tagalog for a more pleasant vacation experience in the country. Not only will you earn the admiration and respect of the locals but you will also gain a deeper understanding of the heritage of the Philippines.