Learn Tagalog, from English.
Tagalog is the language of Manila and much of Luzon — and the base of Filipino, the national language of the Philippines. This course teaches contemporary Tagalog for English-speaking beginners: the sounds, the marker system, the famous verb aspect and focus, the politeness words po and opo, and the phrases you need first — all with clear audio.
Start here
Your recommended route through the course.
- START Learn Tagalog: How to Start Begin with the big picture — Tagalog vs Filipino, where it's spoken, and how to approach it.
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STEP 1 Sounds & writing The alphabet, vowels and consonants, stress, and the glottal stop.
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STEP 2 Core grammar Sentence structure, ang/ng/sa markers, and the verb aspect & focus system.
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STEP 3 Building sentences Pronouns and politeness, adjectives and linkers, particles, questions and negation.
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STEP 4 Daily use Greetings and po/opo, numbers and time, core words, conversation, travel phrases.
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Getting started
The big picture — Tagalog vs Filipino and how to approach the course.
Sounds & writing
Alphabet, pronunciation, stress, and the glottal stop.
- Tagalog Alphabet & Pronunciation for English Speakers The Tagalog alphabet, the five vowels, consonants including ng, and the spelling-sound rules English speakers need — with audio for every example.
- Tagalog Stress and the Glottal Stop How word stress works in Tagalog, where the glottal stop hides in plain spelling, and why both can change a word's meaning — búkas vs bukás, punò vs punô.
Core grammar
Sentence structure, markers, verbs.
- Tagalog Basic Grammar: Sentence Structure for Beginners How Tagalog sentences work — predicate-first order, no verb 'to be', the ay inversion, and the basic sentence patterns English speakers need first.
- Tagalog ang, ng, sa: The Noun Markers Explained The three core Tagalog markers — ang for the focus/topic, ng for other roles and possession, sa for place, direction and time — plus si/ni/kay for names and mga for plurals.
- Tagalog Verbs: Aspect and Focus Explained for Beginners The Tagalog verb system — completed/ongoing/contemplated aspect instead of tense, and the focus system where the verb changes shape to spotlight the actor, object, location, or beneficiary.
Building sentences
Pronouns, adjectives, particles, questions and negation.
- Tagalog Pronouns and Politeness: ako, ka, siya, tayo vs kami The Tagalog pronoun system — nominative and possessive sets, the inclusive/exclusive 'we' distinction English lacks, polite kayo, and how pronouns interact with po.
- Tagalog Adjectives and the na/-ng Linker How Tagalog adjectives work — the ma- pattern, using adjectives as predicates and modifiers, the na/-ng linker that glues words together, and comparison with mas and pinaka-.
- Tagalog Particles: na, pa, lang, ba, naman and Friends The Tagalog particle system — na 'already/now', pa 'still/yet', lang 'only', din/rin 'also', ba for questions, naman, nga, talaga, daw, sana — where they go and what they mean.
- Tagalog Questions and Negation: hindi, wala, huwag, ba How to ask questions and say no in Tagalog — the three negators hindi, wala, huwag, the question particle ba, and the question words ano, sino, saan, magkano and friends.
Daily use
Greetings, numbers, words, conversation, travel.
- Tagalog Greetings and Politeness: po, opo, and Everyday Courtesies Essential Tagalog greetings and the politeness system — po/opo, honorific kinship terms like ate and kuya, and the greetings you'll actually hear in the Philippines.
- Tagalog Numbers and Telling Time Tagalog numbers from isa to isang milyon, prices with piso, and telling time — the Spanish-derived ala- clock pattern Filipinos actually use.
- Essential Tagalog Words and Everyday Conversation The highest-value Tagalog vocabulary — people, things, verbs, and everyday survival phrases — plus short dialogues you can use immediately in the Philippines.
- Tagalog for Travel: Food, Directions, and Getting Around Practical Tagalog for the Philippines — jeepneys and tricycles, directions with kaliwa/kanan/diretso, ordering food, checking in, and the phrases travelers actually need.