Learn Tagalog – A Ridiculously Detailed Guide to Tips and Resources

Ever heard of Boracay, Palawan, or Cebu? Maybe tasted adobo?

These are just glimpses of the Philippines, known for its breathtaking landscapes, pristine beaches with crystal-clear waters, lush rice terraces, and the warmest, most welcoming people you’ll ever meet. But what’s really fascinating? The Philippines is home to an incredibly rich language and culture.

Nestled in over 7,000 islands of the Philippines lies a language as rich and diverse as the country itself: the Filipino language, Tagalog. As the national language of the Philippines, Tagalog not only serves as a way to communicate – it’s a bridge to understanding its history, resilience, and vibrant everyday life.

If you already know how you want to study Tagalog and want to read our recommendations and reviews, check out these posts:

• Apps to Learn Tagalog (Filipino) – We’ve Tested Dozens of Resources
• 7 Best Podcasts to Learn Tagalog (Filipino)
• 55+ Tagalog Learning Resources – An Ultimate List With Lots of Free Ones!

• The Language Exchange Showdown: Our Top Apps & Websites
• Most Spoken Languages In Asia: Plus Useful Language Resources
• The Best Language Learning Apps – We’ve Tested 40+ Options

In this article, we’ll explore the fascinating blend of English and Spanish influences on the language. Learn Tagalog with this extensive guide, exploring the Tagalog alphabet, grammar, vocabulary, and culture, along with study tips and resources. Start learning Filipino today!

Why Learning Tagalog is Your Next Exciting Adventure

Tagalog, the heart of the Philippines, isn’t just a language—it’s an invitation to experience a culture brimming with warmth, resilience, and delicious food. Spoken by nearly 30 million people natively and as the basis of Filipino, the country’s national language, Tagalog opens the door to understanding a nation of over 7,000 islands with its vibrant traditions, complex history, and endless culinary delights.

For someone like me—who adores uncovering the connections between language, culture, and food—learning Tagalog is a joyful adventure. It’s about more than just words; it’s about savoring pancit (noodles) at a bustling carinderia, singing along to heartfelt OPM (Original Pilipino Music), and exploring how the language has evolved through centuries of trade, colonization, and modern innovation.

Loanwords in Tagalog

Designed to be more diverse than the purist form of Pilipino, Filipino includes words from other Philippine languages besides Tagalog. Filipino also incorporates foreign loanwords, primarily from Spanish and English.

Other linguistic contributors to Filipino include:

• Sanskrit
• Chinese
• Arabic
• Tamil
• Nahuatl (Aztec-Mexican)
• Japanese

6 Fascinating Facts About Tagalog

1. A Gateway to Filipino Culture and History
   Tagalog reflects the Philippines’ rich and layered history. From its Malay roots to Spanish loanwords like mesa (table) and silya (chair), every word tells a story of cultural exchange. Learning Tagalog gives you a deeper appreciation for how the country’s past shaped its present.
2. Spanish Influences in Everyday Words
   Due to 300 years of Spanish colonization, Tagalog features many borrowed words, often with a uniquely Filipino twist. For instance, sapatos (shoes) and kamusta (how are you?) stem from Spanish roots but are now integral to Tagalog.
3. A Language of Music and Expression
   Tagalog is the key to enjoying heartfelt Filipino ballads, karaoke (a national pastime), and even contemporary hits. The language’s rhythm and flow make it perfect for storytelling and music.
4. A Phonetic and Easy-to-Learn Writing System
   Tagalog uses the Latin alphabet, making it more accessible to English speakers compared to languages with unique scripts like Thai or Japanese. Pronunciation is consistent—what you see is what you say!
5. Rich in Borrowed and Native Words
   Beyond Spanish, Tagalog borrows from English, Chinese, and Malay, creating a blend of words that feel familiar yet distinctly Filipino. At the same time, native words like bahay (house) and ulan (rain) highlight its unique Austronesian roots.
6. A Language of Hospitality and Community
   Filipinos are known for their warmth and friendliness, and Tagalog reflects this with phrases like po and opo—words that add politeness and respect to conversations. Even a simple Salamat po (Thank you) can make locals smile.

How Tagalog Differs from Other Languages

1. Pronunciation Simplicity
   Unlike tonal languages like Thai or Mandarin, Tagalog’s pronunciation is straightforward and phonetic, meaning words sound exactly as they’re spelled.
2. Grammar with Focus Markers
   Tagalog grammar features focus markers (ang, ng, sa) that dictate how a sentence’s emphasis shifts between the subject, object, or location. It’s unique and adds depth to the language’s structure.
3. Shared Vocabulary with Spanish and English
   With its mix of native and borrowed words, Tagalog feels approachable. You’ll encounter terms like doktor (doctor) and kutsara (spoon), which make the learning curve a little less steep.
4. Cultural Context in Words
   Tagalog embodies Filipino values, with terms like bayanihan (community spirit) and utang na loob (a debt of gratitude) reflecting deep cultural concepts.

How to Learn Tagalog: Hacking Tagalog for English Speakers

Here are a few facts that may make learning Tagalog just a little easier if you are a native English speaker. (Later on, for those who also speak some Spanish, we’ll look at more linguistic connections that will help you master Tagalog.)

Anglophone-Friendly Characteristics of Tagalog

These aspects of the Tagalog language make it somewhat easier for English speakers to grasp.

Easy as A, B, C: The Modern Tagalog Alphabet

Writing systems used in the Philippines have evolved over time, due to both cultural changes and attempts to make the alphabet better suit the language.

With the exception of the letters ñ and ng, Makabagong Alpabetong Filipino (the modern Filipino alphabet) exactly matches the letters and order of the English language alphabet:

Image Source: Samutsamot

One way to learn the sounds made by the Tagalog letters is to listen to sound clips of the letters being pronounced — especially the ones that sound different than their English counterparts.

Here’s a table that shows the pronunciation of each Filipino letter, along with an example in English and Tagalog.

If you ever need to spell a word in Filipino, you’re in luck — almost all of the letter names are the same in Filipino as in English. For example, let’s take CR. This stands for “comfort room,” which is another name for a no-frills public banyo (bathroom/restroom). In Filipino, CR is pronounced just like it would be in English. (Phonetically, it would sound like “see are.”)

Android users can try The Learn Filipino Alphabet Easily – Tagalog alphabet app, which has alphabet sounds pronounced by a native speaker. Apple has the Filipino alphabet for students app — complete with simple illustrations, word examples and translations, IPA representations, and an audio clip for each letter. This iOS app only covers Abakada (the older, 20-letter version of the Tagalog alphabet, without non-native letters such as C, Z, Ñ, or Q).

Abakada can be a good start, but you’ll want all 28 letters of the modern alphabet to properly spell loanwords in Filipino.

Consistent Pronunciation

In English, the pronunciation of certain letters and letter combinations varies depending on the word. Think about combinations like “ou,” which is pronounced differently in each of the following words: “thou,” “though,” “through,” and “disastrous.”

In Filipino, letters are pronounced much more consistently. Since it’s largely phonetic, you have to pronounce each syllable clearly. Once English speakers learn how to properly pronounce Filipino vowels, as well as the Filipino letter ng, they should be able to confidently tackle the pronunciation of new Filipino words.

Words without Accent Marks

Not having to worry about accent marks is a relief for most native English speakers. In general, written Filipino doesn’t use accent marks, also known as diacriticals.

There are two notable exceptions:

●       Words spelled with the letter ñ, which will generally be loanwords from Spanish, will include the tilde in their spelling.

●       Accent marks are often used for instructional purposes, showing learners where to put the syllable stress in a Filipino word.

Syllable stress is something you probably don’t even think about when you’re speaking your native language — unless you hear someone using the wrong stress. This can make a familiar word sound strange to your ears.

When you’re learning new words in Filipino and you haven’t mastered the rules for syllable stress yet, these accent marks help you to stress words correctly. Correct stress makes your pronunciation more understandable to native speakers.

Gender-Free Nouns and Adjectives

Unlike numerous Indo-European languages, such as French, Spanish, and German, Filipino eschews the concept of grammatical gender. You won’t need to memorize Filipino nouns as masculine, feminine, or neuter.

Along with gender-free nouns, Filipino also frees you from making noun-adjective agreement. When talking about qualities such as size, emotional state, color, or height, there’s no need to worry about matching the adjectives to the gender and/or number of what you’re describing.

Simple Plurals

Even in English, nouns change when they become plural. Usually, we just add an “s” to the end of a singular noun — so “word” can become “words,” “language” can become “languages,” etc. There are many exceptions, such as “child” becoming “children” or “tooth” becoming “teeth.”

Filipino makes the process of creating plural nouns easy: Rather than changing anything about the noun itself, you simply place the word mga before the noun you want to make plural.

So, for example, anak (child) becomes mga anak (children) and ngipin (tooth) becomes mga ngipin (teeth).

The Magic of Mag

The prefix mag- magically transforms Filipino nouns into verbs. It can be used in front of Filipino/Tagalog words in Filipino, as well as foreign loanwords.

If you know the name of something in Filipino but don’t yet know the associated verb, you can use mag- to “do” the noun.

For instance, if you wanted to say, “to play guitar,” you’d start with gitara (guitar), then add mag-. So, mag-gitara would mean “to play guitar.”

Basic Tagalog Greetings and Phrases for Beginners

Here are a few phrases to get you started:

• Kamusta? – How are you?
• Magandang umaga/hapon/gabi. – Good morning/afternoon/evening.
• Magandang araw – Good day.
• Pakiusap – Please
• Salamat (po). – Thank you (polite)
• Walang anuman – You’re welcome
• Pasensya na – Sorry
• Paalam. – Goodbye.
• Oo / Hindi. – Yes / No.
• Anong pangalan mo? – What is your name?
• Ang pangalan ko ay… / Ako si… – My name is…(formal) / (informal)
• Saan ang banyo? – Where is the bathroom?
• Magkano ito? – How much is this?
• Anong oras na? – What time is it?
• Hindi ko maintindihan – I don’t understand

Mastering these phrases will help you navigate markets, connect with locals, and even score extra servings of halo-halo (a famous Filipino dessert).

Tagalog Numbers

Here are the numbers in Tagalog from 0 to 10:

• 0 – wala
• 1 – isa
• 2 – dalawa
• 3 – tatlo
• 4 – apat
• 5 – lima
• 6 – anim
• 7 – pito
• 8 – walo
• 9 – siyam
• 10 – sampu

Notes:

• Pattern for Larger Numbers:
  • To form numbers from 21 to 99, use “pu” for multiples of ten followed by the unit number with an apostrophe or “t” to connect: e.g., dalawampu’t tatlo for 23.
  • For hundreds, use “daan” after the number, e.g., tatlondaan for 300.
  • For thousands, “libo” is used, e.g., dalawang libo for 2,000.
  • For millions, use “milyon”, e.g., dalawang milyon for 2,000,000.
• Remember, Tagalog numbers can be quite phonetic, but there are specific rules for combining numbers, especially when it comes to tens and units. Also, note that the use of “ng” instead of “n” in some numbers (like dalawang instead of dalawan) is for ease of pronunciation.

Tagalog Days of the Week

Here are the days of the week in Tagalog:

• Linggo – Sunday
• Lunes – Monday
• Martes – Tuesday
• Miyerkules – Wednesday
• Huwebes – Thursday
• Biyernes – Friday
• Sabado – Saturday

These names are derived from Spanish, reflecting the historical influence of Spanish on the Filipino language.

English Loanwords in Filipino

English is a major source of loanwords in the Filipino language, which is helpful for anglophones trying to learn Filipino.

Filipino tech terms are often English loanwords. For instance, Filipino uses the word “computer,” although it’s spelled compyuter or kompyuter. Filipino also uses the word “video,” sometimes rendering it bidyo.

Some traditional Tagalog words have been largely superseded by an Anglicized term: lider (leader) is often used instead of pinuno; miting (meeting) replaces pulong; madyik (magic) fills in for salamangka.

Here are a few other examples of English words used in Filipino, many with Filipino spellings and shortened forms:

Taglish

Like Spanglish and Franglais, Taglish is a combination of English and another language. In this case, it’s English intermixed with Tagalog. Taglish is used primarily in the National Capital Region.

Taglish is considered code-switching, meaning that the speaker switches back and forth repeatedly between Tagalog and English phrases in the course of a single conversation. This goes well beyond sprinkling in a few English loanwords. Taglish is more like a 50/50 mix between English and Tagalog.

There is a social element to the use of Taglish. It’s often used by well-to-do young people, or by poseurs trying to sound wealthy.

In a backlash against English social dominance and societal stratification, Taglish was banned in Filipino schools as far back as the late 1980s. Four decades later, it’s become an indelible part of the culture and is even the subject of scholarly papers and entire books.

If you’re trying out your Filipino around someone who speaks Taglish, you can probably get away with substituting some English words for the Filipino you haven’t yet learned.

One caveat, though: Some words that we use in North American English can have totally different meanings in Philippine English. Seemingly innocent words can take on unexpected and even puzzling connotations.

Tagalog Slang

Like any living language, Tagalog has its fair share of slang. You’ll catch a lot of it in audio and video resources, such as radio, television, music, and movies. Depending on the reading material you choose, you might also run across slang in Filipino books and magazines.

Some Filipino slang consists of words or syllables said in reverse, similar to Verlan in French. A lot of Filipino slang derives from loanwords that have been further modified.

An example of slang that’s a reversed loanword is lodi, which is the English word “idol” spelled backwards. Lodi can be used to describe extraordinary real-life characters; it’s also used to talk about celebrities like sports heroes or film stars.

Here are a few articles to get you started with understanding Filipino slang and casual speech:

●       “15 Filipino Slang Words to Help You Speak Like a Local”

●       “Filipino Idioms – 30 Examples of Commonly Used Tagalog Idiomatic Expressions”

●       “Filipino Slang 2017: What does ‘lodi’ mean?” (includes “backwards” slang)

●       “More Than 30 Tagalog Slang Words for Everyday Use”

●       “11 Filipino Slang Words With Surprising Origins”

One important piece of Filipino slang that you’ll encounter often is Pinoy. Taken from the last four letters of “Filipino” and capped off with the Tagalog diminutive ending “y,” Pinoy can refer to virtually anything Filipino — music, movies, books, cooking, and especially the people. (Sometimes, you’ll see Pinay, which refers to Filipinas.) Interestingly enough, Pinoy is not used to describe the Filipino language itself.

Tagalog Grammar: A Few Notes of Caution

Filipino’s similarities to English and extensive use of English loanwords can give you a jumpstart in learning the language. That said, there are numerous differences to note.

Here are a few potential stumbling blocks for anglophone learners of Filipino. You’ll probably find other challenges as you progress in your Filipino learning.

With practice and exposure to the many resources we’ll explore, these differences will become second nature to you as a Filipino speaker.

Vowel Pronunciation within Words

English is full of diphthongs, wherein two vowels together combine to make a unique sound. Filipino vowels work differently than English.

When pronouncing Filipino vowels, remember that each vowel is pronounced separately. For instance: paalam, the word for “goodbye,” is pronounced with three syllables — pa – a – lam. The slight pause between the second and third letters of the word is called a glottal stop.

We have the glottal stop in English, quite often in British English. In the case of English, it usually appears in place of the letter t, in words such as “little.”

In Filipino, the glottal stop separates the sounds of two vowels that are side-by-side in a word. Oo, which means “yes,” is pronounced something like “oh-oh” … and definitely not like “eww” in English.

Word Alchemy: Prefixes, Suffixes, and Infixes in Filipino

Way back in elementary school, you probably learned about prefixes and suffixes: Little “helper” parts that can be added to words to change their meaning in some way, or to make them into different parts of speech. For example, the adjective “rapid” becomes an adverb (rapidly) with the addition of the suffix “-ly.”

Collectively, suffixes and prefixes are called “affixes.”

Filipino has its own set of affixes, which include infixes (elements added inside the body of a word, rather than to the end or the beginning).

We mentioned the magic of mag earlier. Mag is one of the more straightforward Filipino affixes.

Filipino has detailed rules for using mga panlapi (affixes) such as pang, mala, um, and pa. In addition to changing a word’s part of speech, mga panlapi can also emphasize important words in a sentence or specify a verb tense.

These rules can get complicated, especially when you’re first learning the language. However, it’s worth studying them, because they’re used all the time and can greatly influence the meaning of a word or phrase.

Filipino Verb Conjugation

First, the good news: Filipino verbs are not conjugated for each pronoun. In other words, you won’t need to memorize the Filipino equivalent of “I walk, you walk, he/she walks, we walk, they walk.”

Now, for the more complicated news: Filipino verbs do change … quite a bit. You can’t just use the root/infinitive and be done with it. In Filipino, various affixes (suffixes and prefixes) are added to verb roots. These affixes can indicate tense (past, present, or future), or whether the verb is being used as a command (imperative).

There isn’t a single set of affixes to indicate all of these conditions, either. There are several different classes or groups of Filipino verbs, named for the affixes they use for their future tense and imperative: There are mag verbs such as linis (to clean), tago (to hide), and basa (to read). Then there are ma verbs, such as tulog (to sleep), lito (to confuse), and nood (to watch). There are also in verbs, um verbs, i verbs, and “o to u” verbs.

As you can see from the examples of mag and ma verbs we’ve used, there are no set patterns to distinguish one verb group from another. You’ll need to commit these verbs and their conjugations to memory.

Precy Anza, who speaks both Filipino and Ilocano, does Filipino learners a great service with her article on conjugating Filipino verbs. Precy’s detailed explanations will familiarize you with the mysteries of Filipino verbs. Conjugation tables with numerous examples further clarify usage, so you can generate action-filled Filipino sentences of your own.

If Filipino verbs seem daunting, take heart: At least you can dispense with the verb “to be.” As stated in an online Tagalog Dictionary, “There is no real verb ‘to be’ in Tagalog.” That’s why you’ll see Filipino constructions like Matalino ang babae (literally, “Intelligent the woman”) or Gutom ang lalaki (literally, “Hungry the man”).

Word Order in Sentences

As an English speaker, you’re used to a subject-verb-object word order in most sentences. For example: In English, you’d say, “I drink coffee.” In Filipino, you’d put the verb at the front of the sentence, so it would be (literally) “Drink I (of) coffee,” or Umiinom ako ng kape in Filipino. (The word umiinom means “(to) drink”; ako is the pronoun for “I”; ng is the preposition “of”; kape is “coffee.”)

This typical Filipino word order pattern is followed in other languages such as Arabic, Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Biblical Hebrew, and Breton.

Other word orders can be used in Filipino, but verb-subject-object is the most common. It’s very different from what you’re used to as an English speaker, though, so it can be a bit of a stumbling block at first.

The Spanish-Filipino Language Connection

And now, back to some good news: If you already know some Spanish, you can learn Filipino words even more quickly. Not surprisingly, given the length of Spanish colonial rule, Tagalog — on which Filipino is based —absorbed up to forty percent of its contemporary vocabulary from Spanish.

Filipino Spelling of Spanish Words

Despite the inclusion of letters such as Q and Ñ in the modern Filipino alphabet, Filipino spelling of Spanish loanwords often substitutes ke for “que,” ly for “ll,” ny for “ñ,” and h for “j,” among other adaptations. This article from Shelly Dimaculangan’s travel blog will help you make the mental transition from Spanish to Filipino spelling. Shelly is a native of the Philippines and a linguist by trade, so her explanations are right on the mark.

Spanish Loanwords in Filipino

Some Spanish words came into Tagalog without any changes. Both Tagalog and Spanish use the word sala to mean “living room,” the word mesa to mean “table,” and the word oso to mean “bear” (as in “Yogi.”)

Filipino names for the days of the week are extremely similar to their Spanish counterparts.

Kumusta?, an informal way to say “How are you?”, sounds very much like ¿Como está? in Spanish. Kuneho, the Filipino word for “rabbit,” is much like conejo, the Spanish word for “rabbit.”

A good number of Filipino verbs came from Spanish. Most of them retained their original Spanish meanings, although there are some exceptions.

Spanish loanwords were interwoven with native Tagalog words to form uniquely Filipino terms such as leong-dagat for “sea lion” and kabayong-dagat for “sea horse.”

Filipino Language Sites

Filipino websites and other media can help you practice what you learn through Filipino language courses and learning apps. Websites and blogs put your language learning in a larger context, helping you better understand the language as it’s used in daily life.

Both beginners and intermediate students will benefit from the informative content on the Tagalog Lang, Learn Tagalog, Learning Filipino sites.

The blog on FilipinoPod101 features interesting posts on Filipino language, history, and culture.

Another standout is Precy Anza’s blog. With a lively style, Precy clearly explains Filipino vocabulary and grammar. She includes rich cultural context so you can better understand how to use your lessons. Find more of her Filipino language-learning posts on HubPages.

Challenges of Learning Tagalog

Tagalog is rewarding, but like any language, it comes with its quirks:

• Focus Markers: The use of markers like ang and ng can take time to master but are key to understanding the language’s flow.
• Regional Variations: While Tagalog is the basis of Filipino, regional dialects and accents may introduce subtle differences.
• Verb Affixes: Verbs in Tagalog are modified with prefixes, infixes, and suffixes to indicate tense and focus, which can feel tricky at first.
• Limited Resources: Compared to widely taught languages, finding high-quality Tagalog learning materials can be a challenge, though online platforms and language exchange partners help bridge the gap.

Why Learning Tagalog is Worth It

Learning Tagalog isn’t just about picking up a new language—it’s about immersing yourself in a culture that celebrates joy, community, and resilience. For me, it’s been an adventure in connecting with a people whose love for food, music, and storytelling mirrors my own passions.

Whether you’re strolling through Manila’s bustling markets, sharing a meal of lechon (roast pig) with new friends, or diving into the lyrics of a soulful OPM song, knowing Tagalog makes every experience richer.

So, what are you waiting for? Tara na! (Let’s go!) Dive into Tagalog and discover a world of flavor, history, and heart.

Where to Learn Tagalog

Apps

Drops App

Drops is a phone app for iPhone and Android that covers 50 languages. Daily games test the user on thousands of vocabulary words, and many of these words are ideal for everyday use. Drops has an entertaining, user-friendly interface, but it also lacks grammar lessons, and it works better for some languages than others. For anyone looking to supplement their vocab lessons, this app is worth considering; however, the free version might be more worthwhile than the paid version.

Visit Drops

See our Super-Detailed Drops App Review

Clozemaster

Ideal for people who are already at an upper beginner/intermediate level, Clozemaster will help you build your vocabulary and learn new words and sentences in context. While you won’t learn much grammar or improve your speaking and writing much, it is great at what it does and the videogame aspect makes it fun and addictive to work though. Although the exercises are all pretty much identical, there are various ways in which you can increase the difficulty and Clozemaster’s free account is almost as good as the Pro User one.

Visit Clozemaster

See our Super-Detailed Clozemaster Review

Memrise

Memrise is a super popular language-learning app available online and on mobile. It functions much like a gamified flashcard app, and it offers a lot of content for free. A lot of the content is user-created, and there is a premium subscription that provides access to additional features. Memrise can be a great tool in your arsenal, but you’ll need more to learn a language seriously.

Visit Memrise

See our Super-Detailed Memrise Review

Ling

Ling is a gamified language-learning app with courses on over 60 different languages. Practice happens through short themed lessons, making for convenient and entertaining study time. It isn’t the most comprehensive resource out there, especially for more popular languages, but it can make a decent way to get started with a less common language.

Try Ling App

See our Super-Detailed Ling Review

Simply Learn

In Simply Learn, by Simya Solutions, you can search for and review over 1000 phrases in over 30 categories. It takes the typical phrasebook app one step further by allowing you to add your favorite phrases to SRS flashcards. Given that its developers also developed Ling, an additional, more comprehensive resource that supports language learning, it seems that Simply Learn is a supplementary app for individuals who need to learn basic phrases for traveling abroad. The creators don’t seem to have intended for people to use this app to learn a language in its entirety, but rather to support them in memorizing basic phrases for travel.

Visit Simply Learn

See our Super-Detailed Simply Learn Review

Anki

It is the go-to app for free (except on iOS) Spaced Repetition System (SRS) flashcards. It has a simple user interface with various features that more hard-core users can dive into if they choose. Your flashcards will appear according to your natural forgetting curve; the app will test you in increasingly spaced out intervals, with more difficult cards appearing more than once in a session, while easier cards spacing out over weeks — or even months and years. An SRS system is the most effective way to drive information into your long-term memory. The cards can sync between the web, desktop app, and mobile versions to keep your flashcards updated and with you at all times. You can add images and audio clips to your cards and change the text formatting (if you use it on your computer).

Visit Anki

See our Super-Detailed Anki Review

Quizlet

Quizlet is a flashcard-based learning system. Community-contributed flashcards are available for numerous languages. These vary in quality, but you can preview them to see how well they meet your needs. Each set of flashcards powers other activities: In Learn mode, you demonstrate your mastery of each word or phrase by using multiple choice to select the correct definition. There are also spelling and writing exercises. The spelling exercises can be frustrating, as they sometimes require the addition of alternate word endings that are not always pronounced by the speaker. A space-themed word game and a “Concentration”-style matching game inject some extra fun into your study time. 

Visit Quizlet

See our Super-Detailed Quizlet Review

Brainscape

Brainscape is a flashcard app that uses a Spaced Repetition System, also often referred to as ‘adaptive flashcards’, to help you memorize new vocabulary and facts. It has a team of scientists, engineers, and education experts working to optimize their program for effective learning. Brainscape is quite similar to Anki, but has a more modern and colourful interface. They also have Certified Classes, which are decks that seem to have been developed by experts in the chosen topic. The app adds what they call Intelligent Cumulative Exposure (ICE) to some of their Certified Classes; it seems to combine a Spaced Repetition System with gradually introducing new concepts, increasing the difficulty of the concepts, and providing context so you can build your own sentences. It has several Certified Classes for various languages (and other topics), and many more decks created by users. Unlike Anki, edits that creators make to user decks seem to sync up even after you have downloaded the deck. With the free version, you have limited access to premium decks but unlimited access to user-made decks.

Visit Brainscape

See our Super-Detailed Brainscape Review

If speaking practice is what you need, then Nemo Filipino Tagalog is worth a try. Words are pronounced very clearly by native speakers. Learn Tagalog Fast provides lessons for everyday conversations and Turong Wika focus on grammar and vocabulary.

Courses

Preply

Preply is an online educational platform that matches tutors with students. There are tutors on Preply offering instruction in a wide range of languages and other subjects. As a learner, you can find a tutor that works best for you by browsing their demo videos and filtering by price and rating. Each tutor’s teaching style is their own, but they all receive teacher trainings and resources to improve their style.

Exclusive 50% discount for ALR readers! Make sure to use our link to receive it.

visit preply

See our Super-Detailed Preply Review

italki

italki is the most flexible and affordable place to find a tutor for the language you’re learning. They have a huge number of teachers offering classes to students of over 100 different languages. As a learner, you’ll be able to find a tutor that best fits your learning style, schedule, and personality. Teachers are able to set their own prices and make their own schedule.

BUY 1 ITALKI LESSON GET 1 FREE

See our Super-Detailed italki Review

Verbling

Verbling is an online language-class marketplace where you can take lessons with teachers of your choice. It has some student-friendly extra features, including a built-in online classroom, flashcards, homework calendar, and a filing system for lesson materials. There are also useful but disorganized forums where you can discuss languages, share writing for critique, and do free language drills and exercises.

The lessons are generally high quality and well structured, plus the filters make it easy to find teachers who specialize in everything from accent reduction to interview preparation. 

However, it can be slightly pricier than alternatives, so if you’re on a tight budget, you may want to look elsewhere. It also has fewer languages than some of the bigger competitors, so it might not be a good choice if you want to study Azerbaijani, Khmer, or Yoruba.

Visit Verbling

See our Super-Detailed Verbling Review

Pimsleur

Pimsleur is one of the most popular and longest-standing resources out there for learning a foreign language. Its courses place a strong emphasis on aural and verbal communication skills, paying less attention to grammar explanations and reading or writing skills. There are over 50 language courses available with Pimsleur, and the bulk of the material is taught with audio lessons.

Beat the Heat Sale! Save up to 40% off Lifetime Subscriptions! See details on the website.

GET 1 WEEK FULL ACCESS TO PIMSLEUR FREE

See our Super-Detailed Pimsleur Review

FilipinoPod101

FilipinoPod101 offers audio and video lessons (though they’re mostly audio) for learning Filipino. They’re similar to a podcast with two hosts teaching the language with the help of natural dialogues. They take the time to explain key grammar points, vocabulary, interesting cultural information, and so on. Their tends to be more content for beginners and the lesson structure could be improved. As such, it’s better as a supplementary tool for improving your Filipino, rather than a standalone course.

Summer sale! Get up to 45% OFF Basic, Premium and Premium PLUS Plans. See details on the website. Extended!

Visit FilipinoPod101

See our Super-Detailed FilipinoPod101 Review

Glossika

Glossika has learning resources for over fifty languages that impressively range from Armenian and Czech to Icelandic and Tagalog. While not suitable for absolute beginners, lower intermediates could use the resource to familiarise themselves with sentences in their language of choice using Glossika´s intuitive approach. Listening to native speakers and repeating what they say can help learners to improve their comprehension skills and spoken fluency. While it is amazing that so many languages are included, learners would have to use numerous other resources alongside it. The cost is unjustifiably high.

Try Glossika For Free

See our Super-Detailed Glossika Review

Mango Languages

Mango Languages is a pretty good resource with numerous languages available along with their regional variations.  It’ll work the best for beginners or for those interested in studying a few languages at the same time. Anybody past the intermediate level won’t find Mango Languages very useful.

Visit Mango Languages

See our Super-Detailed Mango Languages Review

Rosetta Stone

Rosetta Stone is one of the most well-known resources for learning languages. It takes an immersive approach to teaching and is widely used by corporations and individuals alike. High levels of repetition and an absence of translations or explanations are hallmarks of the course. Rosetta Stone course could be most suitable for learners that don’t mind repetitive exercises and prefer to learn from pictures and context rather than translations and explanations. It’s probably not a good option for anyone wanting to significantly improve their speaking or writing skills, or those looking for an engaging course.

ALR Readers Exclusive Holiday Deal!! Get the Lifetime Subscription for 25 languages for $179 (everywhere else it’s $199 right now!).

Visit Rosetta Stone

See our Super-Detailed Rosetta Stone Review

Speaky

Speaky is a social language-learning app for people interested in language exchange. It’s available for iOS, Android, and the web. Users can chat with other language learners, share photos, leave voice messages or even have voice calls. The basic features on Speaky are free to use, but access to more than five translations per day requires a subscription.

Visit Speaky

See our Super-Detailed Speaky Review

HelloTalk

HelloTalk is a mobile app for language learners interested in language exchange. It facilitates communication between native speakers and those learning their language with the use of built-in language tools. It also offers audio lessons in 10 languages as part of a separate subscription.

visit hellotalk

See our Super-Detailed HelloTalk Review

Tandem

Tandem is a popular language exchange app with over one million active users. It’s available for iOS and Android and aims to bring language learners from all over the world together. It’s largely centered around its chat capabilities and language tools that facilitate communication, but there is also a tutoring service offered in the app.

Visit Tandem

See our Super-Detailed Tandem Review

Udemy

Udemy is a helpful resource for many different topics of study, so there is a long list of Polish courses on the platform, too. Courses range from one to over seven hours and are available with a range of instructors. Each class has a money-back guarantee, but you also receive lifetime access to whichever courses you buy.
The video format helps hone your listening and speaking skills, but many instructors offer written supplements, too.

Now that you’re armed with a foundation of Filipino language lessons and a slick lexicon of slang, you can further expand your linguistic horizons with an abundance of Filipino media.

These diverse media resources are your all-access pass to Filipino as it’s really written, spoken, and used by native speakers.

Filipino Books

Whether textbooks or novels, print or electronic, books are a rich resource for language learners.

Children’s Books, Bilingual Books, and Other Print Books

If you’re still a beginner, ease your way into Filipino reading practice with children’s books and bilngual books.

KidKiddos Books specializes in publishing children’s books in about two dozen languages, including Filipino. Their print books are available in both Filipino and English-Filipino versions. You can get free shipping if you order about seven titles.

Language Lizard offers several bilingual books for Filipino learners. These colorful books, with richly textured illustrations, include fairy tales from around the world, as well as original stories. You can buy some of them in sets.

Eastern Dawn Books has about two hundred Filipino children’s books, some of which are Filipino-English bilingual volumes.

The Kabayan Central Filipino Store offers a variety of print books in Tagalog, comprising both fiction and non-fiction.

eBooks

The KidKiddos children’s books website has a selection of Filipino ebooks. Each title has a bilingual (English-Filipino) version, as well as a version that’s only in Filipino.

Tagalog Ebooks aggregates Filipino ebooks from various online sources. Most of the website is bilingual: The English descriptions appear first, followed by the Filipino text. There are many categories of books listed, although there aren’t a lot of books in each category.

Project Gutenberg has over fifty Filipino tomes available. Since these are older works in the public domain, some of the language used can be a bit antiquated. These works are better for advanced learners, who can adapt to outmoded spellings and word usages. You can download them in a couple of different formats or just read them online with your web browser.

Textbooks

Amazon is a reliable source for both ebooks and print books. The site has several Filipino textbooks for learners.

One popular textbook choice is . Its highly structured approach spells out the intricacies of grammar and sentence structure for beginners. The included audio helps with pronunciation.

by B. Jocelyn Agoncillo Ramos will take you methodically through pronunciation, grammar, and other essentials of fluent Filipino.

by Dr. Joi Barrios will also give you a great foundation in the language. This beginner’s book is reasonably priced and comes with audio. This particular text also features fill-in-the-blank exercises for the learner.

Intermediate learners can continue their studies with the companion book, . This intermediate book also comes with audio — although some comments in the reviews indicate that the audio is inaccessible in the Kindle version.

Grammar enthusiasts will cheer for by Teresita Ramos and Restituto Cena. Although this book was first published in 1990, new generations of learners are still finding value in its in-depth explanations of Filipino grammar. For logical-mathematical learners, who like understanding material in a systematic way, this book would be particularly valuable.

Borrowed Books

If you want to keep your costs down, a resource such as Hoopla Digital — often available for free through your local public library — loans out many of these same textbook titles at no cost, as audiobooks and ebooks.

Don’t have Hoopla? Your local library may be partnered with a similar service, such as Libby by Overdrive. Both services have matching apps, so you can enjoy the digital content on the go.

Filipino Newspapers

As you keep up with current events through Filipino newspapers, you’ll gain new vocabulary and learn more about the people who speak the language. Here are a few online Filipino-language newspapers and tabloids to get you started:

●       Abante

●       Bistado

●       Remate On-Line

●       Pilipino Star Ngayon

●       Hataw

●       Saksi Ngayon

Filipino Social Media

If social media is a regular part of your daily routine, try following a few accounts in Filipino. The official accounts of news outlets, such as @AbanteNews on Twitter, are more likely to avoid slang and poor grammar. More “proper” Filipino can be easier to understand for beginning and early intermediate learners.

As your grasp of the language grows and you have a better understanding of casual Filipino speech, look for accounts that match your personal interests.

You might consider microblogging about your Filipino learning journey on Instagram, TikTok, or another favorite platform. Invite comments from native Filipino speakers, who can clarify difficult concepts for you and engage you in written conversation practice.

Filipino Radio

One of the more reliable online players for Filipino content is Radio-Philippines.com. Stations from the National Capital Region are likely to broadcast in Filipino. A lot of the music tends to be in English, though, which is not helpful for learning Filipino.

Keep your ears open for Filipino-language songs by artists like Loisa Andalio or boy band The Juans. Even if a lot of the music on the radio is in English, you should get a good bit of Filipino language exposure through the announcements and advertisements.

Fans of indie music might particularly enjoy Jeepney Pinoy Radio, a streaming station that highlights up-and-coming Filipino artists. The station, named after a ubiquitous form of Philippine transportation, is based in Ontario, Canada. Because of its North American location, the advertisements are generally in English. However, the music is thoroughly Filipino.

Filipino Television and Movies

There are several options for watching Filipino television from outside the Philippines. Some of the programmings will be in English, but you should find a fair amount of Filipino fare.

Dish Network’s Filipino: GMA Pinoy package offers four Filipino television channels, plus a few Filipino radio stations.

If you have AT&T TV/DirecTV, you can add a Filipino television package to your existing service.

American cable TV provider Xfinity has a handful of Filipino channels as part of its International TV packages.

Spectrum cable TV also makes a few Filipino networks available to its customers.

At a modest price point, The Filipino Channel (TFC) can bring you streaming Filipino programming — independent of a specific cable or satellite provider. You can stream TFC to any device with internet access. Watch it on your television with an Apple Airplay, Google Chromecast, or Roku device.

Television streaming services Prime TV (from Amazon) and Netflix both offer a selection of Filipino television programs and movies. Netflix has the edge for greater selection of titles and better control over subtitles. Start by watching films with Filipino audio and English subtitles. As your mastery of Filipino improves, you can switch to Filipino subtitles … or turn them off completely.

To enhance your Filipino learning experience with Netflix, try the Language Learning with Netflix browser extension for Chrome. This tool will amp up the standard subtitles that Netflix offers. Hover on any individual Filipino word to see its direct translation in the dictionary of your choice. Access a transcript of the film or program you’re watching, so you can follow the plot better.

If you’re a classic film buff, check out these Filipino films of the 1930s through the 1980s, available in their entirety on Vimeo:

● 1939’s Tunay na Ina (Real Mother) by Octavio Silos — one of five Filipino films still extant from the World War II era

● 1948’s Pista Sa Nayon (Village Festival) by Manuel Silos

● 1952’s Aklat ng Buhay (Book of Life) by Lamberto V. Avellana

● 1956’s Puppy Love by Manuel Silos — an homage to American greaser films

● 1960’s Dahlia by writer-director Susana C. de Guzman

● 1980’s Aguila (subtitled in English) by writer-director Eddie Romero

Filipino Music

When you’re hunting for music in the Filipino language, a term you’ll see a lot is “OPM.” This originally stood for “Original Pilipino Music” but has now come to mean “Original Philippine Music” or “Original Pinoy Music.”

OPM can be your key to finding Filipino music that will aid your language studies.

A search for “Tagalog Songs” on YouTube will produce compilations from a good variety of eras and genres. While love songs and soft rock seem to be prevalent, you can even find Filipino reggae and Filipino hip-hop. Also look for the aforementioned “OPM” on YouTube, which will yield Filipino music from the past five decades through the present.

Similarly, searching for “OPM Filipino” on Spotify will get you dozens of Filipino music playlists. Try the same trick on Pandora, although you will get some search results that are unrelated.

Language learning site Tagalog.com has a page for Filipino music videos, accompanied by transcripts of the song lyrics and an online dictionary. In order to watch the videos or access the lyrics, you’ll need to create a free account on the site.

When it comes to learning Filipino, kung may tinanim, may aanihin (if you plant, you harvest.) Your perseverance will pay off in Filipino fluency and the reward of connecting with Filipino speakers across the world in their own language.

Websites

Learning a living language is messy. Even if you find a solid curriculum to study, and round it out with supplementary resources, you’ll still encounter aspects of the language that make little sense.

For all of those nagging questions about real-life Filipino usage, look to online forums to get answers from fluent or native speakers.

Although the language Q&A platform HiNative doesn’t cover Filipino, the discussion website Reddit takes up the mantle.

Beginners and intermediate learners can find answers on the r/Tagalog subreddit. The r/FilipinoLang subreddit is more suitable for intermediate/advanced learners since the content is primarily Filipino.

Similarly, the discussion site Quora has spaces where knowledgeable speakers field questions about Filipino. The Filipino (language) space and the Tagalog (language) space are home to numerous discussions of Filipino vocabulary, grammar, and usage.

FAQs