Learn some common Filipino slang
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Intro |
|---|
| Alisha: What is Filipino slang like? |
| Danilo: And is it commonly used? |
| Alisha: At FilipinoPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine this situation: Victoria Villanueva uses a slang expression Ben Lee has never heard before. Victoria says, |
| "Charot!" |
| Victoria Villanueva: Charot! |
| Dialogue |
| Victoria Villanueva: Charot! |
| Ben Lee: Ano ibig sabihin non? |
| Victoria Villanueva: Ibig sabihin non, "biro lang." |
| Alisha: Once more with the English translation. |
| Victoria Villanueva: Charot! |
| Alisha: "Charot!" |
| Ben Lee: Ano ibig sabihin non? |
| Alisha: "What does that mean?" |
| Victoria Villanueva: Ibig sabihin non, "biro lang." |
| Alisha: "It means, ‘Just kidding.'" |
Lesson focus |
| Alisha: Filipinos are fond of inventing new words, so don't be surprised if you hear a Filipino friend saying something you have never read in a Tagalog dictionary. In English, these words are referred to as ‘slang', or in Tagalog, |
| Danilo: salitang pabalbal or pabalbal na salita |
| Alisha: Filipino slang words are often heard spoken in the streets, which is why they are also referred to as |
| Danilo: salitang kanto |
| Alisha: or "street language." Many of the Filipino slang words you will hear these days were first used on social media, but even before the advent of the Internet, a lot of Filipino slang words already existed. These words, in particular, are what we are going to discuss in this lesson. But why is it important to learn Filipino slang? They may seem of no value to some since they can't be used in formal dialogues, but that's exactly the point. When you're in the Philippines, you will be spending much of your time in informal conversations with the locals, and knowing a Filipino slang word or two will keep you from being clueless when someone says something like, |
| Danilo: chika |
| Alisha: which is slang for "chat" or "conversation." Why don't we get familiar with other Filipino slang words? |
| [Recall 1] |
| Alisha: Let's start with the slang word in the conversation. |
| Do you remember how Victoria says, "Just kidding?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Danilo: Charot! |
| Alisha: This word is a variant of the word, |
| Danilo: charing |
| Alisha: which is a lingo used when someone's trying to say a joke that's half meant. If English speakers would say ‘jk' or ‘Just kidding' at the end of a sentence to let others know they're just kidding, Filipino speakers would instead use |
| Danilo: charot |
| Alisha: For instance, a guy who has a crush on one of his close friends might say, |
| Danilo: Tara, date tayo. Charot! |
| Alisha: "Let's go out on a date! Just kidding!" |
| [Summary] |
| Alisha: So far, you've learned that slang is an important aspect of colloquial language. Knowing a couple of Filipino slang words will keep you from being clueless and confused when you hear someone utter them. This time, let's take a look at some more examples of Filipino slang words that are popular nowadays. Let's start with a very popular one. |
| Danilo: chibog [SLOW] chibog |
| Alisha: This slang word has been around for a very long time now. It's a very popular one until now because it refers to food or the act of eating. And you know how Filipinos love to eat! You will also hear it said in reverse most of the time. When someone says, |
| Danilo: Tara, bogchi tayo |
| Alisha: What they mean to say is, "C'mon, let's eat." When someone says |
| Danilo: Chibugan na! |
| Alisha: it means, "It's time to eat!" The next slang word is |
| Danilo: lodi [SLOW] lodi |
| Alisha: This is a new one, which burst onto the scene less than three years ago. It's the word "idol" in reverse and is used for when you want to appreciate someone you idolize. It's often used in conjunction with another slang word that also became popular around the same time. That word is |
| Danilo: petmalu [SLOW] petmalu |
| Alisha: which came from the word |
| Danilo: malupet |
| Alisha: This word literally means "cruel," but in this case, it's used in a positive way. It's similar to the English slang "wicked," which means cool or awesome. And, finally, there's the slang word |
| Danilo: kitakits [SLOW] kitakits |
| Alisha: which is slang for |
| Danilo: kita tayo |
| Alisha: meaning, "Until we meet again," or "See you around." |
| Expansion |
| Alisha: You've probably heard of multi-layered puns, but have you heard of multi-layered slang words? Filipino millennials invented such words to keep their conversations with their friends secret and harder for their parents to decrypt. But, don't worry, because these multi-layered slang words are not those types that will get you into trouble. One such word is |
| Danilo: sharks |
| Alisha: I know this is an English word that refers to sea creatures that often star in thriller films like Jaws, but this one has a deeper meaning, trust me. What it means is "Let me see" or "Can I see?" The connection may not be clear at first, but the Tagalog equivalent of this word is |
| Danilo: pating |
| Alisha: which is a short form of another Tagalog word, |
| Danilo: patingin |
| Alisha: which means, "Let me see." Remove the last two letters, and you get |
| Danilo: pating |
| Alisha: "Let me see it" Here's a more clever one. The word is |
| Danilo: gumps |
| Alisha: It may sound like a word for some kind of disease, but it actually means "Thanks!" If you're wondering how that happened, the word came from "Gump," as in the movie "Forrest Gump." Yes, the one that starred Tom Hanks, or T. Hanks. Get it? T. Hanks? Thanks? |
| Cultural Insight/Expansion (Optional) |
| Alisha: The practice of spelling words backwards is not a new one. Filipino linguists refer to this as |
| Danilo: tadbalik |
| Alisha: which, interestingly, is the word |
| Danilo: baliktad |
| Alisha: or "reverse" with its two syllables reversed. Nineteenth century Filipino writers, such as Marcelo H. Del Pilar, would use this technique to hide their true identity when writing. For instance, Del Pilar used the pseudonym |
| Danilo: plaridel |
| Alisha: which was a jumbled-up version of his family name. Similar words, such as |
| Danilo: erpat |
| Alisha: or "father," and |
| Danilo: ermat |
| Alisha: or "mother," were very popular back in the 1970s and are still used today. |
Outro |
| Alisha: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Danilo: Paalam. |
| Alisha: See you soon! |
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