Do you speak Filipino?

Its hard with a Australian accent ...sometimes 5 times i repeat myself sometimes rather not talk ..tagalog is hard i find why you say gusto mo..  gagawin mo instead of mo gusto .mo gagawin ... even i can say kumusta ikaw my aussie accent hindi  mabuti ...

My intention is to move to Philippines in a few months. I shall be living in the Cebu area. I have just started learning Cebuano.
I am learning with a skype teacher who is Filipino but living in USA. Finding a teacher for Bisaya was difficult as was finding good resources, most of the books I came across seemed to be mainly phrase books with some discussion of grammar later. However I bought a few of those. I also subscribe to a couple of Facebook groups. Once I am there I will try to enrol at a language school. I have only found one on Google, NALA I believe it is called. I am awaiting the publication of the Glossika Cebuano course, but that may not be for another year down the line. That works by a process of multiple (talking hundred or thousands of repetitions) of phrases makng them become automatic. It is great for learning pronunciation and the prosodic features of a language (flow and rhythm in a sentence)
I find the dearth of resources a great hindrance. It is the total opposite to when I learnt Thai for which there are countless teachers and resources available.
Is it necessary? I am in no position to judge, I have spent a number of months there on holidays and "fact-finding" trips and was mostly able to get by with English. But having friends in rural areas and in rural parts of Mindanao my lack of Bisayan was enormously limiting. But apart from those reasons, I have 3 extra reasons for wanting to learn the language. 1. I hate going to a country and missing so much of what is going on around me because I don't have the language. 2. In a strange way I feel that being a guest in a country and making an effort to learn shows respect for the country/people. 3. I am getting on in age and see the language learning as workouts for the brain. I no longer work and I used to be in a mentally stimulating and challenging job. I need to give my brain exercise and challenges to keep it fit.
After I have been there a while and am more confident in my use of Cebuano then I will of course need to tackle Tagalog

From personal experience, the best integration I got was after being able to communicate with Pinoy in Filipino. Before that I was just as a stranger in foreign country. It has been so in the Philippines for me and I think it is somehow equal to many in many other countries. Le language first...

yes i speak Filipino
Im ranklin i live in cebu city phils., 38 years old (ex- overseas worker)

my no. ***

I have been to countless nations in the world and I have been living in the Philippines for 13-yrs+. I have found that it is much easier to integrate in to the society and the culture of the nation, when one can speak the language a little or at the very least understand it. I am not fluent in Tagalog, but I can understand when being an attentive listener. If one desires to live here and mingle with the natives, I would advise learning the language. However, if you just hang out with the expats, then you could possibly make good. I know many expats that have lived in this country for over 20 years and they know and speak very little Tagalog.

My friend decided to learn the Philippines language so as he
could listen into the conversations, but now he is sorry that he did
because he hasn`t heard anything of interest...... always the same
conversation.  Cellphone, Load, Singing shows, Food, Foreigners and
their money, Babies, Jealousy talk, etc, etc, etc.
Dont you just love it?  haha.

I speak Tagalog and Bisaya (Cebuano).  It certainly enriches the experience.  So much to learn still....

good morning { magandang umaga} all !! i totally agree with " buzzardman "personally i feel, with respect to you  "davidWF " your comments are somewhat narrow minded ! im very sure that if " foreigners " are in your home country " you would "expect " respect for its peoples , culture and "expect " assimilation in all facets ??? cheers

I can speak Tagalog and Hiligaynon. I am still learning. The neighbors and relatives of my wife teaches me their language. I learn the language almost everywhere I go. They are really amazed to see black man. Some politely ask in Hiligaynon to take pictures with me. I take that opportunities to learn little from them. My church mates also teaches me how to speak. My wife doesn't speak English with me at home but she uses Hiligaynon or Tagalog. They are really helping to learn the language faster. The city Mayor was glad to know I could speak their language. I can also sing in their language.
To be successful in learning, you should be observant and constant practicing.

This will annoy some folk but the reason I don't make the effort to speak Tagalog is that I could not have a meaningful conversation with a local who hasn't had a good education and able to speak English. The locals who do talk well are pleasant to chat with and encourage me to be in conversation whilst the "flip flop" brigade are purely survivors and have nothing to talk about apart from the price of meat and fish in the market.

Well Detgator you did not let me down.   In actual fact it was my wife (Filipino)  who suggested that I put that message on as a practical joke, to see how many remarks I would get, but so far you are the only one.    But in actual fact I agree with her, as a Filipino conversation is like the TV show Seinfeld....... a conversation ( show ) about nothing.   I mean no malice just speaking the truth.  Back to my book.

haaaaa cheers david wf !!! i  appreciate your humour mate !

Thanks detgator I did not mean any offense it is just that my wife has turned into a practical joker now, ( I have taught her too well lol )
and she does it better than me...... and she loves it when she talks slang to her friends and they dont know what she is talking about.  She reckons that Aussie slang is the best language (if you can class it as a language ) that she has ever learnt.  Hooroo.

haaaaaaaaaaa i trust the haaaa slang doesnt incl  " expletives " ??? i have to laugh when i hear a phill use them !! if i may ask , where in phill do you reside ? cheers

Hello! Yes I speak Cebuano and Tagalog. I was born and raised in Camotes island Cebu,so I speak Cebuano. And I learned Tagalog and English in the school.
And yes it's very easy to communicate Filipinos, because almost everybody can speak English even a little child in my country.. thanks and more power!

DavidWF wrote:

he hasn`t heard anything of interest...... always the same
conversation

since that was the case then i suggest he needs to mingle with more interesting people at least those who shares same interest as his.

Dont spit the dummy drizarra because I agree with you.  But him being a retired Oncologist finds it hard to make conversation, and he is not into facebook, or texting so that limits his range of topics.  Anyway he is only here for two weeks, but I am sure that he will have lots to talk about when he goes back to the Land of Milk, and Honey.
By the way if you dont know what a Oncologist does I suggest that you Google it. lol.

I live in Dumaguete Detgator  having lots of conversations with the locals, and my wife has to translate the slang that I am unaware of using, but it gives everybody a good laugh at my expense. lol.

Lucky that I am not thin skinned and can take a ribbing, unlike some.  What a great world it would be if everybody went with the flow, instead of nitpicking, and saw the funny side of things.

DavidWF wrote:

By the way if you dont know what a Oncologist does I suggest that you Google it. lol.

what an offensive comment

ohhhhhh mr drizzara or dreary { opps spell check ? } lighten up mate ! haaaaaaaaa !!!!

I don't speak native language Cebuano in Davao but had only little issue and that with taxi drivers
Most everyone I have encountered speaks English

Filipino speaks English as well and to be honest it become more impressive compared before because even some high school graduate could speak well with western accent. 

But if you guys wants to learn Filipino, I could be a good teacher for Tagalog (Filipino) and Binisaya (Cebuano)

I noticed that most of the expats in the Philippines who studied Tagalog or Filipino language could not say the correct pronunciation even the word "Mahal kita" .. they are still following the standard pronunciation of English alphabet instead of the Philippine alphabet that pretty sounds different.

Take note:

In Luzon they have 5 vowels (A, E, I, O, U) of different pronunciation

But for Visayas and Mindanao they only have 3 Vowels ( A I U) in which there are words with vowel "i", or "e" that sounds the same as "i" and words with "o" and "u" and sound the same as "u"

Compare to Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao have different language and sometimes could be considered as having different alphabet because some people in the south does not have consonant "w" instead they use "io"

Take note:

1.) Letter "a" in English pronunciation is /ə/ - but in Filipino/ tagalog/ Cebuano it sounds / ʌ / as sun, run

so the correct pronunciation of word "mahal" should be "m ʌ h ʌ l"

2.) Letter "u" in English pronunciation is /ju/ or you - but in Filipino/ tagalog/ Cebuano it  sounds  "oo" as book, look

3.) letter "i" in English pronunciation is /ɑɪ/ - but for Filipino/ tagalog/ Cebuano it sounds /i/ as e-mail, e-commerce

so the correct pronunciation of the word "kita" is K i t ʌ

"mahal kita" - should be pronounce as "m ʌ h ʌ l"    K i t ʌ 

This is really interesting to be honest... and so far no one I noticed correcting the Expats how to pronounce the Filipino words correctly.. not tolerating it but making fun of it silently and talking about it how their expats friends pronounce the words for their expression "pampa good vibes" because it is funny and really sounds funny.

Priscilla:

           I have been in Phil. for 5 years.

           I think I speak more Tagalog than 90 percent of expats.

          No, I do not think it is essential to "fully integrate."

Ninety-nine percent of those who learn a foreign language speak that foreign language with an accent.  Many find an accent to be charming.  Many foreign language teachers say"do not lose your accent as it is part of who you are."
       I think Filipinos who laugh at the accents of Expats who try to speak Tagalog are very rude and show a lack of sophistication.  In other words they act like hayseeds or people from mga bundok.
        But that is okay because I do not care what many Filipinos think (especially about my accent).
         Anyway, if Filipinos could hear how they speak (or attempt) to speak) English through the ears of a native speaker, they would know I am stifling my laughter also and thinking how poor their English instruction has been.
        Only thing is I am smart enough and old enough to never let a Filipino know what I am thinking by giggling or laughing up my sleeve (which I see naive Filipinos do lahat ang oras and this betrays their uber-ignorance).

We had some friends who lived in Birmingham UK and the Filipino wife spoke English with the local accent and it sounded hilarious.

me too I am speaking Filipino but for our own country we are still required to speak English.

MichaelUSA you should define what is a native speaker :-) British are laughing at Americans for their accents vocabulary etc. Huge difference in accent between native for Texas and native from New York.  And if you take Australian and New Zealand accents it is even more complicated. So yes Filipinos have also an accent!  Don't forget that English is a colonial language not a native language in the Philippines. But they speak well enough to be recruited in call centers :-)

Some years ago. I read in an In-flight Magazine (I think it was Lufthsansa) on the way here. That the Philippines is the second largest English Speaking Country in the  World (Population wise).
So theoretically, a knowledge of English should be enough to get by here. Of course. Outside the Cities. Many People, especially older ones do not speak English very well.
So we should all learn Tagalog?
My Wife is a filipino. Born in Manila almost 70 Years ago. She has spoken Tagalog all her life.
Now we live in Bohol, and when anyone speaks Visayan to her. she doesn't understand them.

Any one heard of Esperanto?

Apparently the Filipinos can understand you but are shy to talk. I'm many times asked to slow down my speech and its a hard thing to do with effort almost like slow motion but brings results. "How now brown cow" slowly and clearly . A trip to Louisiana and difficulty understanding a black lady in a  fried chicken shop who was talking about free grits to which I had no idea. After a few attempts she said in a loud voice she said "Can't you understand English?" To which I replied "I am English!"

Well speaking a national language in the country foreigners are staying is surely a way to be more integrated. But it's strange that even Phillipinos, especially Rich and more educated people are likely to speak English more instead of Tagalog. Maybe they want to show off their status? Don't they have pride on their mother tounge langue? or Tagalog is not rich and sophisticated enough to have various expressions like English? Why? Can anyone here know?

If you have the ability to learn the local language then its much better than just the English, but with English all over he country in newspapers also, then it remains the easier country to retire in. We tried southern Spain but it was the language barrier that made us return to the UK and come here. Something to consider when deciding to here is that all round you is Filipino, no corner shop or bar to rub shoulders with for a short chat, even "Good Morning" . There is of course a reply but timid and shy away. I suspect its why some guys start on the booze. Still we can't have everything can we but it should be borne in mind.

His comments are not narrow minded. He merely passed on the information that a friend of his observed. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.  Your comment is judgmental.

A typical reply from a uneducated person.......... surely you can do better than that drizarra

'Look up ONCOLOGIST and when you understand what it means get back to me, otherwise
dont waste my time trying to sound intelligent.

Cheers

Hahaha,,, I will put my education up against yours any day. I don't care if you have 5 Doctoral degrees. You are still arrogant.People like you tend to think they are better than others and  love to judge people. His comments were fine. Deal with it. If you don't like it, then keep up your childish whining. Bye bye....

Hi? Everyone. Yes, I speak Hiligaynon and Tagalog. It's a local dialect to local Ilonggos and it's nearby provinces. I have blog you may want to follow. I basically have different topics there from pinoy healthy cooking to job hiring and iloilos best. Here is the link. https://tinandjerry.wordpress.com/about/

Hope you'll drop by there. See you.

Sorry, i'm with David WF's comments......
Most of what i am told of the talk by relatives and others in our barangay, in relation to myself as a foreigner, and my wife  is jealousy.......   i dont need to hear it 1st hand.....as it comes to me 2nd hand over and over.

We have a Canadian friend in Lobo on a huge plot and with beach and we stayed there for a couple of days.  I asked him if he has friends to speak with and he does have a few expats but not always around. i asked him if he had some Filipinos to chat with and his reply was "they are too busy working for the family to chat with". I find that true and can understand the situation. We had a neighbor in San Luis Batangas who spoke good English and we'd spend time together in conversation. He was a supplier of local medicines and worked from home so was always available.
An English friend in Tagaytay with girlfriend came to have a "meaningful conversation" with me at times through the year and we enjoyed the meetup. 
In our local bars in the UK I'd "rub shoulders" with the locals and make conversation but that's not possible in the barangy.  Something to consider when choosing a retirement place.

The best Filipino conversationalist in English for me was a "Chat Girl" (really more of a woman) from Bacolod, who I used to hold extensive Skype conversations with for hours, from the states.  Of course, she was externally motivated by her desire to milk me for as many USDs as possible.
    And milk me she did.  And I, willingly paid, because I was lonely and I figured if I would take a woman out for a date in the US I would spend uh...maybe $50 or more.  So I sent her $50 or so on more than one occasion.  IF I would not have sent her any money, she probably would not engage me in the hours' long talks and occasional sexy peep shows like she did.
      Point is, after years living here, I surmise many Filipinos just do not see a profitable percentage in talking with a slightly disgusting foreigner.  First of all, if they do, then their family and friends and acquaintances, start to rib them and tease them about having "Foreign" friends--sort of like they are betraying the "struggle" like a wanna-be White person.  They are embarrassed to be seen with you..  So  unless there is a darn good reason (like money),  many Filipinos (not all), would rather not chew the fat with their former colonizers.