Learn about Filipino honorifics
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Intro |
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| Alisha: Does Filipino have honorifics? |
| Danilo: And how do you speak politely in Filipino? |
| Alisha: At FilipinoPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine this situation: Karen Lee goes to get a quick snack from a nearby food stand. She is greeted by the foodstand clerk, Rico Rivera. Karen says, "Good morning. How are you?" |
| Karen Lee: Magandang umaga. Kumusta po kayo? |
| Dialogue |
| Karen Lee: Magandang umaga. Kumusta po kayo? |
| Rico Rivera: Okay naman ako. Ikaw, kumusta? |
| Alisha: Once more with the English translation. |
| Karen Lee: Magandang umaga. Kumusta po kayo? |
| Alisha: "Good morning. How are you?" |
| Rico Rivera: Okay naman ako. Ikaw, kumusta? |
| Alisha: "I'm fine, thank you. How about you?" |
Lesson focus |
| Alisha: In this lesson, we will be looking at honorifics in the Filipino language and how to speak politely. The use of honorifics in the Philippine languages has a long history and can be traced all the way back to Indianized Sanskritized honorifics. This system of honorifics found its way to the Tagalog and Visayan peoples and from there into Philippine culture. These days, many of the titles and styles have fallen away and are no longer in use, but some honorifics remain. Some are relatively widespread in terms of usage and application while others are limited to family and occupation. Let's start by looking at some of the more general ones. The most commonly used honorific is: |
| Danilo: po |
| Alisha: It is derived from the words: |
| Danilo: poon |
| Alisha: and |
| Danilo: panginoon |
| Alisha: which mean "lord" or "master'' and were once used to refer to people but are now only used to refer to the divine. An example of this usage would be: |
| Danilo: Panginoong Diyos |
| Alisha: which means "Lord God." These days, using |
| Danilo: po |
| Alisha: is so common that, if you don't use it, people will think you are rude. If you are a foreigner, they will probably understand, but if you learn only one Filipino honorific, then it should be this one. It's not easy for many non-native speakers to understand how to use this word because there is no direct translation of it in English. It is, to put it simply, a sign of respect. Use it when you are addressing people who are older than you or in a position of authority. For instance, it is used by children when talking to their parents and other elders. It is also used when talking to a boss, a manager, a high-ranking government official, and so on. People even use it when praying. Let's look at an example. In Filipino, if you want to say "How are you?," you can say: |
| Danilo: Kamusta ka na? |
| Alisha: This is fine, but it would not be very polite if you were speaking to a person in a position of seniority. If you wanted to be polite you would say: |
| Danilo: Kamusta ka na po? |
| Alisha: A child responding to a parent calling them would answer: |
| Danilo: Po? |
| Alisha: Or they might answer: |
| Danilo: Bakit po? |
| Alisha: which is a polite way of saying "Why? ." In English, the equivalent would be, "What is it?" but said in a very polite way, of course! |
| In the Filipino language, "no" is: |
| Danilo: Hindi. |
| Alisha: If asked a question by someone in a senior position, it would not be polite to answer: |
| Danilo: Hindi. |
| Alisha: Instead, it is polite to say: |
| Danilo: Hindi po. |
| Alisha: This very versatile honorific can be used in a variety of ways. Let's now move on to the next honorific. This one is related to the word: |
| Danilo: Oo. |
| Alisha: which means "yes." When answering questions that are related to actions, such as "Have you eaten breakfast?": |
| Danilo: Kumain ka na ba ng agahan? |
| Alisha: it is polite to answer: |
| Danilo: Opo. |
| Alisha: This is also a very commonly used honorific. It is a combination of the word: |
| Danilo: oo |
| Alisha: And the word: |
| Danilo: po |
| Alisha: Another word that means the same as |
| Danilo: po |
| Alisha: and is used in the same way, is: |
| Danilo: ho |
| Alisha: This word is the more appropriate choice when talking to someone you don't know. For instance, if you are asking for directions to Caloocan, you could ask: |
| Danilo: Anong daan ho ang magdadala sa amin sa Caloocan? |
| Alisha: And that would be polite. You could ask: |
| Danilo: Anong daan ang magdadala sa amin sa Caloocan? |
| Alisha: but that wouldn't be very polite. Another way to show respect to people who are in a position of seniority or authority is to use the plural "you" when talking to them. It sounds like this: |
| Danilo: kayo |
| Alisha: The singular "you" is pronounced: |
| Danilo: ikaw |
| Alisha: It is used to talk to people of equal standing and age as you, or people who are younger or lower in standing. Let's compare...: |
| Danilo: Ikaw ay mabait. |
| Alisha: means "you are kind." One would talk like this to a peer, for instance. However, the polite way to say the same thing to someone of higher standing or age would be: |
| Danilo: Kayo ay mabait. |
| Alisha: It is important to point out that age takes precedence over status when it comes to the use of honorifics. A young boss would not use the singular: |
| Danilo: ikaw |
| Alisha: when talking to an older employee, for instance. He would use the polite: |
| Danilo: kayo |
| Alisha: And, in addition to using: |
| Danilo: po, |
| Alisha: would probably also use a title like: |
| Danilo: manong |
| Alisha: For example, if he asks his older employee to "please do the work," he would say: |
| Danilo: Magtrabaho po tayo, manong. |
| Alisha: This word has a similar meaning to the word, "mister" or "sir," in English. Another word that means the same thing is: |
| Danilo: ginoo |
| Alisha: Listen to the same sentence but with this word instead: |
| Danilo: Magtrabaho po tayo, ginoo. |
| Alisha: Moving on, the equivalent of "missus" in English is: |
| Danilo: ginang |
| Alisha: For instance, if one were talking to "Mrs Lavides," one would address her as: |
| Danilo: Ginang Lavides |
| Alisha: When addressing an unmarried woman, one uses the term: |
| Danilo: binibini |
| Alisha: One would address "Miss Lavides" as: |
| Danilo: Binibining Lavides |
| Alisha: There are also many honorifics used within the context of the family unit. When children talk to their father, there is a choice of three honorifics they can use: |
| Danilo: Itay, (pause) Tatay, (pause) Papa |
| Alisha: When addressing their mother, they can use one of these three honorifics: |
| Danilo: Inay, (pause) Nanay, (pause) Mama |
| Alisha: An aunt can be addressed as: |
| Danilo: Auntie |
| Alisha: or |
| Danilo: Tita |
| Alisha: and an uncle can be addressed as: |
| Danilo: Uncle |
| Alisha: or |
| Danilo: Tito |
| Alisha: When speaking to their grandmothers, children will use the honorific: |
| Danilo: Lola |
| Alisha: and, when speaking to their grandfathers, they will say: |
| Danilo: Lolo |
| Alisha: It is also polite for children and young adults to refer to older males in their neighborhood or town as: |
| Danilo: mang |
| Alisha: and to older females as: |
| Danilo: aleng |
| Alisha: If the child or young adult knows the name of the person, these honorifics can be used before that person's name to denote respect. For example, they might say, "I saw: |
| Danilo: Aleng Jenny |
| Alisha: "...and…" |
| Danilo: Mang John |
| Alisha: "...in the store yesterday." The full sentence would be: |
| Danilo: Nakita ko si Aleng Jenny at Mang John sa tindahan kahapon. |
| Alisha: Among siblings, children will refer to an older sister as: |
| Danilo: ate |
| Alisha: and an older brother as: |
| Danilo: kuya |
| Alisha: They can either use the honorific alone or attach it to the sibling's name. This is often done if they have more than one older sister or brother. Consider this sentence, which means, "I went to town with older sister Jenny and older brother John: |
| Danilo: Pumunta ako sa bayan kasama sina ate Jenny at kuya John. |
| Alisha: And this is where we will stop for now. There are many different kinds of honorifics in the Filipino language, but now you know some of the most common. These will help you sound a lot more natural in your use of the language. |
| Recall 1 |
| Alisha: Let's now take a closer look at the dialogue. Do you remember how to say, "Good morning. How are you?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Karen Lee: Magandang umaga. Kumusta po kayo? |
| Recall 2 |
| Alisha: Now, let's take a look at our second sentence. Do you remember how to answer, "I'm fine, thank you. How about you?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Rico Rivera: Okay naman ako. Ikaw, kumusta? |
| Summary |
| Alisha: In this lesson, we discussed the use of honorifics in the Filipino language. The most common and widely used honorific is: |
| Danilo: po |
| Alisha: for which there is no direct English translation. Almost as common is the use of: |
| Danilo: opo |
| Alisha: which means yes, but in a more polite way than simply using the word: |
| Danilo: oo |
| Alisha: Filipino speakers use: |
| Danilo: ho |
| Alisha: when talking to someone they don't really know, and they use the plural "you": |
| Danilo: kayo |
| Alisha: instead of: |
| Danilo: ikaw |
| Alisha: when talking respectfully to someone in a position of authority or seniority. A respectful way to address a man is by using the words: |
| Danilo: ginoo, (pause) manong |
| Alisha: which means "sir" or "mister." When addressing a married woman, the word: |
| Danilo: ginang |
| Alisha: is used, and, when speaking to a woman who is not married, this is the word that is used: |
| Danilo: binibini |
| Alisha; There are also honorifics that children use when talking to adults, such as: |
| Danilo: Itay, (pause) Tatay, (pause), Papa |
| Alisha: when they are talking to their father, and: |
| Danilo: Inay, (pause) Nanay, (pause), Mama |
| Alisha: when they are talking to their mother. Each family member has an honorific title. |
| Cultural Insight |
| Alisha: An interesting and unique honorific usage in the Filipino language is the practice of referring to people by their occupation. In English, one would use the titles, "professor" or "doctor" when referring to people with those qualifications, but, in the Filipino language, this practice extends to other professions as well, including those of architect, engineer, and lawyer. |
Outro |
| Alisha: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Danilo: Paalam. |
| Alisha: See you soon! |
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