When learning Tagalog, there is one thing that is as important as grammar—Tagalog pronunciation. Even if you know the syntax of a sentence, effective communication can be hindered if you don’t know how to say the words in the first place.
Despite the use of Latin alphabets, there are still major differences between English and Tagalog pronunciation. For that reason, navigating these can present unique challenges for learners accustomed to English phonetics.
While this may be true, the good news is that Tagalog sounds as it is spelled. So, knowing the pronunciation nuances of the modern Filipino alphabet can significantly smoothen your path toward mastering the language.
All things considered, this article will be your go-to guide to Tagalog sounds and pronunciation. At any rate, let’s start with the vowels.
Vowel Sounds (Patinig)
First thing to remember, there are five vowel sounds in Tagalog. All of these have “short” vowel sounds like “i” in “sip,” as opposed to “long” vowel sounds like “i” in “wild.”
However, despite having short vowel sounds, the pronunciation can change depending on the stress marker.
Given these points, here’s the list of the vowels, their sound variations, and their equivalent sounds in English words:
| Vowel | English Equivalent | Tagalog Example |
|---|---|---|
|
a |
apple |
antok |
|
e |
end |
ewan |
|
i |
it |
litaw |
|
o |
old |
lolo |
|
u |
uber |
putol [verb: cut] |
Consonant Sounds (Katining)
To begin with, the Tagalog alphabet used to have just 15 consonants. But then, more words were added and borrowed from other languages, and so, more consonants [C, F, J, Ñ, Q, V, X, and Z] were added.
Although officially added to the Filpino alphabet, these added consonants are mostly used for proper nouns or borrowed words. In addition, they can also be substituted by their pronunciation counterpart, as seen in the table below:
| Post Modern Letters | Substituted Letters/Pronunciation Counterparts | Examples |
|---|---|---|
|
c |
s k |
cebollas > sibuyas cómo > kamustá |
|
- |
ts |
cheque > tseke |
|
f |
p |
fundamental > pundamental |
|
j |
dy h |
jacket > dyaket June > Hunyo |
|
ñ |
ny |
baño > banyo |
|
q |
kw k |
quack > kwak queso > keso |
|
v |
b |
ventana > bintana |
|
x |
ks s |
exam > eksam xylophone > silopono |
|
z |
s |
zapatos > sapatos |
Meanwhile, here is how the rest of the consonants are pronounced:
| Consonant | English Equivalent | Tagalog Example |
|---|---|---|
|
b |
bag |
balita |
|
d |
daunting |
dahilan |
|
g |
guitar |
baguhan |
|
h |
hollow |
mahal |
|
k |
key |
bakal |
|
l |
alone |
malumanay |
|
m |
might |
mithi |
|
n |
again |
pantay |
|
ng |
wing |
nguya |
|
*ng |
- |
ng |
|
p |
paint |
gwapo |
|
**r |
maracas |
marahil |
|
s |
salt |
sinta |
|
|
washing |
bakasyon |
|
t |
told |
tinta |
|
w |
awake |
away |
|
y |
yolk |
yari |
*This is pronounced like “nang.”
**The “r” in Tagalog is always rolled. This sound is specifically achieved by flicking the tongue against the roof of the mouth.
Stress Markers in Tagalog Pronunciation (Mga Tuldík)
Now that you know how to pronounce the Tagalog alphabet, it’s time to move on to pronouncing the words themselves. Surely, in this part of your learning journey, you might consult a dictionary or a guide and encounter symbols such as: [´], [´], and [ˆ].
They are generally called accent marks or stress markers. Basically, these symbols are placed above the vowels only and indicate which part of the word is stressed and how it is pronounced.
Before diving into the different stress markers, let’s first discuss what a penultimate syllable is. A penultimate syllable is basically the second-to-last syllable of the word.
If a word does not have a stress marker, then it’s safe to assume that the penultimate syllable is stressed. For example:
| Tagalog | English |
|---|---|
|
kalaban |
enemy |
|
damdamin |
feelings |
|
patas |
equal |
|
patani |
lima bean |
NOTE: Stress markers are not used when writing colloquially. Evidently, the penultimate syllable is simply a rule you can default on if you don’t know what the stressed syllable is.
Now that we’ve established how to pronounce words without a stress marker, here are the three basic Tagalog stress markers:
1. Pahilís ( ˊ )
- For the most part, this is the most commonly used of the three. The Pahilis marker indicates which syllable will be stressed as opposed to the default penultimate syllable.
| Tagalog | English |
|---|---|
|
sampalín |
to slap |
|
kambál |
twins |
|
tákot |
fear |
|
upuán |
chair |
2. Paiwà ( ˋ )
- Instead of stressing the marked syllable, this marker indicates a glottal stop. In essence, a glottal stop is a slight choke or explosive sound produced when stopping the glottis or the space between the vocal cords. Simply put, the sound produced when cutting a word short.
- For that reason, it is only found at the end of a word. Additionally, the syllable before is usually the stressed syllable.
| Tagalog | English |
|---|---|
|
látà |
tin can |
|
lábì |
lips |
|
bábà |
chin |
|
bátà |
child |
3. Pakupyâ ( ˆ )
- Last, this marker indicates both a stressed syllable and a glottal stop. Thus, it is only used at the ending syllable of a word.
| Tagalog | English |
|---|---|
|
hindî |
no |
|
matandâ |
old (age) |
|
magsalitâ |
to speak |
|
pitô |
seven |
Say It With Confidence
To repeat, learning pronunciation is a crucial part of learning a language. It enables you to not just say words correctly but also to express your thoughts effectively to others. After all, you don’t want to create miscommunications by stressing on the wrong syllable, do you?
Moreover, learning pronunciation can also reflect cultural awareness and sensitivity. Basically, by mastering the sounds and speech patterns unique to a language, you demonstrate respect for its cultural heritage and traditions, fostering deeper connections with native speakers and communities.
So if you’re learning Tagalog, the best companion to have is Turong Wika.
Turong Wika is a Tagalog learning app that teaches you conversational Tagalog. It has an intuitive interface and user-friendly design that is especially helpful for beginners.
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