Numbers

Counting (Cardinal) Numbers

Tagalog counting numbers basically follow either the Malay or Spanish root words.  It is more common to hear Filipinos (even non-Tagalog speakers) use the Spanish-based counting numbers in telling time (e.g., ala una ng hapon) and ocassionally when counting money (e.g., dies mil pesos).  

However, Tagalog speakers often use the Malay-based counting numbers with reference to weight (e.g., isang kilo), objects, things, and people (e.g., sampung daliri, limang kotse, tatlong magkakapatid), as well as counting money (e.g., sampung piso, dalawang daang piso, isang libong piso).   

It is interesting to note that in telling time, Filipinos even mix the Malay and Spanish form very often. For example, it is common to hear Tagalog-speakers say "sampung minuto bago mag-alas diyes ng umaga" (it is now ten minutes before ten in the morning).  One could even hear radio announcers in Tagalog-speaking regions of the Philippines tell time in this manner, even radio stations in Metro Manila.

Roman Numeral	Tagalog (Malay root)	Tagalog (Spanish root)	English
1	isa (satu) (satu)	uno (uno)	one
2	dalawa (dua)(dua)	dos (dos)	two
3	tatlo (tiga)(tiga)	tres (tres)	three
4	apat (empat)(empat)	kwatro (cuatro)	four
5	lima (lima)(lima)	sinko (cinco)	five
6	anim (enam)(enam)	sais (seis)	six
7	pito	syete (siete)	seven
8	walo	otso (ocho)	eight
9	siyam	nuwebe (nueve)	nine
10	sampu	diyes (diez)	ten
11	labing-isa	onse	eleven
12	labindalawa	dose	twelve
13	labintatlo	trese	thirteen
20	dalawampu	beynte (veinte)	twenty
21	dalawampu't-isa	beynteuno (veinte-uno)	twenty-one
30	tatlumpu	trenta	thirty
40	apatnapu	kwarenta	forty
50	limampu	singkwenta	fifty
60	animnapu	seisenta	sixty
100	isang daan	siyento	hundred
200	dalawang daan	dos siyentos	two hundred
1,000	isang libo	mil	one thousand
2,000	dalawang libo	dos mil	two thousand
10,000	sampung libo	dies mil	ten thousand
100,000	isang daang libo	siyento mil	one hundred thousand
1,000,000	isang milyon	milyon	one million

Ordinal Numbers

Ordinal numbers in Tagalog are formed by using the prefixes IKA- or PANGA-  before the counting numbers. For example, IKATLO (from ika + tatlo) or PANGATLO (from panga + tatlo) means "third" order. IKA may also be used to convey the order of time in a day or day in a month.  For example, "IKATLO ng hapon" (third hour in the afternoon) or "IKA-DALAWAMPUT-ISA ng Enero" (the twenty-first of January).



Time

As in most Southeast Asian cultures, Filipinos tell time based on the sun's position in the sky.  The word araw refers to the sun, and gabi refers to night time.   Madaling araw literally means "the sun hurrying to show up" in the sky.   Hence, the time between 1:00  and 5:00 o' clock in the morning is madaling araw or dawn.  Umaga is the period between 6:00 in the morning and just before 12:00 noon  when the sun is already up in the sky.   Tanghali is 12:00 noon or midday.   Hapon is from 1:00 to 5:00 o' clock in the afternoon, and past 6:00 o' clock is gabi or evening.   It used to be that Filipinos observe the orasyon when church bells ring at exactly 6:00 in the evening to mark the end of the daytime with prayers and meditation.    In the rural areas, farmers end their day's work in the field as soon as the sun sets, and they return home for dinner.

It is interesting to note that Tagalog-speaking Filipinos are fond of using vague words and phrases with reference to time.   For example, mamaya na means "later" and bukas na means " tomorrow" (both of which connote procrastination).    It is quite common to hear responses from Tagalog-speakers in the Philippines such as mamayang hapon, mamayang gabi, bukas ng umaga, bukas ng hapon, bukas ng gabi, or simply mamaya  to time questions without really knowing the exact time.

Clock Time	Tagalog (Spanish root)	English
1:00-5:00 AM	ala 1:00-5:00 madaling araw	1:00-5:00 early morning
6:00-11:00 AM	ala 6:00-11:00 umaga	6:00-11:00 morning
12:00 Noon	alas 12:00 tanghali	12:00 noon
1:00-5:00 PM	ala 1:00-5:00 hapon	1:00-5:00 afternoon
6:00-11:00 PM	ala 6:00-11:00 gabi	6:00-11:00 evening
12:00 Midnight	alas 12:00 hating gabi	12:00 midnight

Days and Months

Days and months in Tagalog are essentially based on the Spanish language, except for LINGGO (Sunday), which is based on the Malay minggu.  The Tagalog term for "day" is ARAW (literal for "sun")  and for "month" it is BUWAN (literal for "moon")

There are a number of Tagalog words and phrases which are rather vague in terms of specific distance but signify "nearness" or "farness" of a particular object, thing, or place from the speaker.   These are:

Tagalog Question Word	English Equivalent	Example
Ano?	What?	Ano ang pangalan mo? (What is your name?) ang pangalan mo?
Alin?	Which?	Alin ang gusto mong kulay? ang gusto mong kulay? (Which color do you like?)
Sino?	Who?	Sino po kayo?/Sino ka? (Who are you?) po kayo?/ ka?
Saan?	Where?	Saan po kayo pupunta? (Where are you going?) po kayo pupunta?
Bakit?	Why?	Bakit mo kami iniwan?mo kami iniwan? (Why did you leave us?)
Kailan?	When?	Kailan po kayo darating? (When are you coming?) po kayo darating?
Paano?/Papaano?	How?	Paano ka nakarating dito?  (How did you get here?) ka nakarating dito?
Magkano?	How much? (money)	Magkano ang bili mo sa kotse?  (How much did you payfor the car?)
Nasaan?	Where? (to look for something/somebody)	Nasaan ang aking pitaka? (Where is my wallet?) ang aking pitaka?

Occasional Greetings

Maligayang bati sa iyong kaarawan.	Happy birthday to you.
Nawa'y pagpalain ka ng Diyos ng marami pang kaarawan.	May God bless you with many more birthdays to come.
Maligayang bati sa iyong kasal	Congratulations/Best wishes on your wedding.
Maligayang bati sa iyong pagtatapos.	Congratulations on your graduation.
Maligayang Pasko.	Merry Christmas.
Manigong bagong taon.	Happy New Year.
Kami po ay nakikiramay sa inyong pagdadalamhati.	We'd like to express our condolences in your hour of sorrow.
Tanggapin po ninyo ang aming taos- pusong pakikiramay.	Please accept our sincerest condolences.
Sumalangit nawa ang kanyang kaluluwa.	May his/her soul rest in peace.
Ipagpaumanhin po ninyo ang aking pagkakamali.	Please accept my sincerest apologies.
Patawarin po ninyo ang aming mga pagkakamali.	Please forgive us for our mistakes.
Ako po ay taos-pusong nagpapasalamat.	I am sincerely thankful/grateful.
Nagpapasalamat po ako sa inyong napakalaking tulong sa amin.	I would like to thank you for your great help to us.
Hindi ko alam kung papaano ko po kayo mapapasalamatan sa inyong kabutihan.	I really can't (or don't know how to) thank you enough for your kindness.