Filipino Lesson 3 (Plural and Languages)
Duration: 30 mins
The 3rd lesson is about the plural in Filipino and how to create it from the singular form. In addition, I will include a list of vocabulary about languages, nationalities, and countries. Finally, you will find some common everyday sentences. I will try to give examples using both vocabulary and grammar. That way it will be easy for you to see the words when they are separate and when they are in a sentence. Going through the whole page should take about 30 min. Make sure to read the pronunciation and hear the audio as well. If you have any question about this course, please email me directly at Filipino Classes.
Plural
Knowing how to create the plural from the singular word can double the vocabulary you already know. It can make it easy to have a conversation about different topics by simply knowing some grammatical rules. For example how to change the word "book" to "books" or "woman" to "women".
Below is a list of singular words and their plural equivalent. I included examples about nature as well as about humans. The table contains 3 columns (English, Filipino, and Audio). Make sure you repeat each word after hearing it by either clicking on the audio button or by reading the pronunciation. That should help with memorization as well as improving your pronunciation.
Singular vs. Plural in Filipino
| English | Filipino |
|---|---|
| Country | bansa |
| Countries | |
| Lake | dagat-dagatan/lawa |
| Lakes | mga lawa; mga dagat-dagatan |
| Language | lenguwahe; wika |
| Languages | mga wika |
| Woman | babae |
| Women | mga babae |
| Man | lalaki |
| Men | mga lalaki |
| Boy | batang lalaki |
| Boys | mga batang lalaki |
| Girl | batang babae |
| Girls | mga batang babae |
Now we will try to implement some of the words above into full Filipino sentences. That way you will be able to see how both forms are used when embedded in a structure.
Singular vs. Plural in a Sentence
| English | Filipino |
|---|---|
| We speak two languages | nakakapagsalita kami ng dalawang lenguwahe/wika |
| They speak four languages | nakakapagsalita sila ng apat na lenguwahe/wika |
| I visited one country | binisita ko ang isang bansa |
| She visited three countries | binisita niya ang tatlong bansa |
| She has one sister | may ate siya |
| He has two sisters | may dalawang kapatid na babae siya |
Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact me using the Filipino contact form on the header above.
Vocabulary List about Languages, Nationalities, and Countries
Below is a list of 50 words related to languages, nationalities, and countries. If you can memorize them by heart, you will be able to have a good conversation about how many languages you speak or where you came from.
Languages Nationalities and Countries List in Filipino
| English | Filipino |
|---|---|
| Arabic (language) | arabik |
| Moroccan (nationality) | Moroccan |
| Morocco (country) | moroko |
| Brazilian (language) | portuges (sa Brazil) |
| Brazilian (nationality) | Brazilian |
| Brazil (country) | brasil |
| Chinese (language) | intsik |
| Chinese (nationality) | Intsik |
| China (country) | tsina |
| English (language) | Filipino |
| British (nationality) | Ingles |
| Britain (country) | britanya; Inglatera |
| American (nationality) | Amerikano |
| America (country) | estados unidos; amerika |
| French (language) | pranses |
| French (nationality) | Pranses |
| France (country) | pransiya |
| German (language) | aleman |
| German (nationality) | Aleman |
| Germany (country) | alemanya |
| Greek (language) | griyego |
| Greek (nationality) | Griyego |
| Greece (country) | gresya |
| Hindi (language) | hindi |
| Indian (nationality) | Indian |
| India (country) | india |
| Irish (language) | Irish; Irlandes=Spanish cognate=formal |
| Irish (nationality) | Irlandes |
| Ireland (country) | Irlandiya=Spanish cognate |
| Italian (language) | italyano |
| Italian (nationality) | Italyano |
| Italy (country) | italya |
| Japanese (language) | hapones |
| Japanese (nationality) | Hapon |
| Japan (country) | hapon |
| Korean (language) | Koreano |
| Korean (nationality) | Koreyano |
| Korea (country) | koreya |
| Persian (language) | farsi |
| Iranian (nationality) | Iranian |
| Iran (country) | iran |
| Portuguese (language) | portuges |
| Portuguese (nationality) | Portuges |
| Portugal (country) | portugal |
| Russian (language) | ruso |
| Russian (nationality) | Ruso |
| Russia (country) | rusiya |
| Spanish (language) | espanyol;kastila |
| Spanish (nationality) | Kastila; Espanyol |
| Spain (country) | espanya |
Daily Conversation in Filipino
Finally, a list of sentences about languages, nationalities, and countries plus some bonus phrases. For a complete list of commonly used sentences, please visit our Filipino Phrases page. Enjoy!
Common Expressions in Filipino
| English | Filipino | |
|---|---|---|
| Languages | ||
| I don't speak Korean | hindi ako marunong mag-koreyano; hindi ako marunong magsalita ng Koreyano | |
| I love the Japanese language | gustong-gusto ko ang salitang Hapones | |
| I speak Italian | marunong akong mag-Italyano | |
| I want to learn Spanish | gusto kong matutong magsalita ng Kastila/espanyol | |
| My mother tongue is German | Aleman ang wika ko | |
| Spanish is easy to learn | madaling matutuhan ang Kastila/Espanyol | |
| Origins | ||
| He has a Moroccan rug | may rug siyang galing sa Morocco | |
| I have an American car | Mayroon akong kotseng gawa sa Amerika | |
| I love French cheese | gustong-gusto ko ang kesong galing sa Pransiya | |
| I'm Italian | Italyano ako | |
| My father is Greek | Griyego ang tatay ko | |
| My wife is Korean | Koreyana ang asawa ko | |
| Countries | ||
| Have you ever been to India? | nakapunta ka na ba sa India | |
| I came from Spain | taga-Espanya ako; galing ako sa espanya | |
| I live in America | Nakatira ako sa amerika/estados unidos | |
| I want to go to Germany | gusto kong pumunta sa Alemanya | |
| I was born in Italy | ipinanganak ako sa Italya | |
| Japan is a beautiful country | magandang bansa ang Hapon | |
| Phrases | ||
| Long time no see | ang tagal nating di nagkita | |
| I missed you | namis kita | |
| What's new? | ano bang atin? | |
| Nothing new | walang pagbabago | |
| Make yourself at home! | ||
| Have a good trip | maligayang paglalakbay=formal |
Fun Facts
Language Quote that by simply knowing how to form the plural, you can double the number of nouns in your vocabulary, without having to memorize all the plural form.
Congratulations! You finished your third lesson in Filipino about singular, plural, languages, nationalities, and countries. Are you ready for the next lesson? We recommend Filipino Lesson 4. You can also simply click on one of the links below or go back to our Learn Filipino homepage.