Kamusta

'Hello' in Filipino

Photo by Eibner Saliba

Language

Filipino

Austronesian Family
Left to Right Script
Non-Gendered Language
Filipino, an Austronesian language, is spoken by over 80 million people, primarily in the Philippines and among diaspora communities worldwide. It is a standardized form of Tagalog, serving as the national language of the Philippines. Filipino uses the Latin alphabet, with the modern Baybayin script occasionally used for cultural purposes. Known for its syllabic clarity, Filipino grammar is agglutinative, featuring a verb-subject-object word order, no grammatical gender, and complex verb conjugations with affixes to indicate focus, tense, and aspect. Its vocabulary is based on Tagalog with Austronesian roots, enriched by loanwords from Spanish, English, Chinese, Malay, and other Philippine languages like Cebuano and Ilocano to promote inclusivity. As an official language of the Philippines alongside English, Filipino is central to national culture, media, education, and literature.

Flashcards

do
Filipino Verb

gumawa

do

To perform an action or activity.

house
Filipino Noun

bahay

house

A building for human habitation; a dwelling.

day
Filipino Noun

araw

day

A 24-hour period; the time between sunrise and sunset.

life
Filipino Noun

buhay

life

The condition that distinguishes living beings from the dead or inanimate.

Agents

Maria
Filipino

Maria

Helping in a community clinic
Female
34
Manila, Philippines
Nurse
Compassionate
singing, cooking, dancing
Ana
Filipino

Ana

Studying Filipino culture
Female
22
Manila, Philippines
Student
Vibrant
dancing, reading, cooking
Jose
Filipino

Jose

Teaching Tagalog slang to students
Male
30
Manila, Philippines
Language teacher
Charismatic
cooking, dancing, basketball

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