10+ Books For Learning the Tagalog Language
Travelling all over the world is the dream of many people. If you are one of them and thinking of going to Filipino then you must be interested in learning their official language Tagalog. With online learning platforms, learning a new language has become easy. Presently there are many platforms like Duolingo, Lingo, etc where you can learn a new language. However, you must not forget that books are the primary source of knowledge and you must include them in your language learning journey. Thus, here we will help you to find out some amazing books for learning the Tagalog language.
Quick Takeaways
1. Tagalog For Beginners: An Introduction To Filipino, The National Language Of The Philippines
- Following are some of the books for learning the Tagalog language-
2. Lonely Planet Filipino (Tagalog) Phrasebook & Dictionary
3. Tagalog-English/English-Tagalog Standard Dictionary (Hippocrene Standard Dictionaries)
4. Pan De Sal Saves The Day
5. Intermediate Tagalog: Learn To Speak Fluent Tagalog (Filipino), The National Language Of The Philippines
6. Tagalog Picture Dictionary
7. Dingding, Ningning, Singsing And Other Fun Tagalog Words
8. Tagalog Short Stories for Beginners
9. Salamat Po!: Learning About Showing Respect In The Filipino Culture
10. Filipino Celebrations: A Treasury of Feasts and Festivals
11. Bahay Kubo And Other Filipino Folk Songs For Children
However, you must read the end so that you get a better understanding of the books that can help you in learning the language.
What are some books for learning the Tagalog language?
Following are the books that you can use to learn the Tagalog language-
1. Tagalog For Beginners: An Introduction To Filipino, The National Language Of The Philippines by Joi Barrios
The first book that comes on the list is Tagalog For Beginners: An Introduction To Filipino, The National Language Of The Philippines. It helps you to provide a quick review towards the language learning journey. The book will provide you with different sessions that you can use to develop your communication skills. You will also find online links to get some audio recordings that will help you to understand how native speakers.
It will also provide you will various exercises and activities that will help you understand the language more easily. The book is very easy to understand and a friendly guide for learning the basics of the language. You will also get a separate section that will help you learn about how to use the book in real life.
2. Lonely Planet Filipino (Tagalog) Phrasebook & Dictionary by Aurora Quinn
It is one of the oldest travel guide books published in 1973. This book has around 3500 Tagalog words which also have English translations. It is the best book for you if you are a travel lover. The reason behind this is that the book is too small and is pocket-sized size and you can carry it easily anywhere you want. Whenever you need to talk to native speakers of the Philippines, you can make use of this book. You will see a lot of common phrases that will help you in having a conversation with the native speaker. Furthermore, the book also has a user-friendly layout that will help you in finding up words easily.
3. Tagalog-English/English-Tagalog Standard Dictionary (Hippocrene Standard Dictionaries) by Carl Rubino and Maria Gracia Tan Llenado
From the name itself, you can understand that it is a multilingual dictionary and is the most effective way to expand your vocabulary. There are over 20,000 items in this dictionary including idiomatic expressions, slang, phrases, etc. Despite being published in 2002, this is still one of the greatest books for learning Tagalog because many of its components are still relevant today. You can get a lot of knowledge related to the language that is still used in the present day.
However, there are better guides for you if you are a beginner. This is best used as a supplement to other books or Tagalog courses that you take up to study the basics pf the language. This book also includes grammar reviews and pronunciation to help you in learning the language in addition to the basic vocabulary.
4. Pan De Sal Saves The Day by Norma Olizon-Chikiamco song and Mark Salvatus
This is a book that was originally written for children and has a story of a young Filipino girl who gets self-esteem after spending time with her classmates. This girl used to underestimate herself and was struck with an inferiority complex. She does not have a melodic voice to participate in the Glee Club. But suddenly a miracle happened and her life turned out. She gradually started getting up the courage to stand against all her issues.
She recognises her talent and fulfils her dreams. This book is not only for motivating you but also is a great way of learning the Tagalog language. It is because in real life everyone suffers from some issues and is dealing with different situations. The story is so relatable that you will be engaged with the content of the book. This book is also available in English language which makes it easy for you to understand the concepts.
5. Intermediate Tagalog: Learn To Speak Fluent Tagalog (Filipino), The National Language Of The Philippines by Maria Josephine Barrios
If you also want to advance your language skills then this book is for you. It means start is not for beginners or if you do not even understand the basics. There are 20 well-structured sections that include everything related to the Tagalog language skill. It also provides you with a small guide for introduction to learning the Filipino language. You will find interesting stories and real-life conversations of people living in the Philippines. This book also has specific fiction that will help you to know the cultural information about the national language of the area. The platform also provides you with practice exercises that will help to enhance the learning process.
6. Tagalog Picture Dictionary by Jan Tristan Gaspi and Sining Maria Rosa Marfori
Remember the books that have different pictures along with their names on them? Those books were used when you were a kid. Similarly, this book is a book that believes in visual learning. Every person is different and there are many learners who believe in visual learning. In such a guess this book is a great help for them. Here you will get over 1500 most common and useful taglog words and phrases that will help you in daily conversation.
The book also contains 40 different sections like transportation, food, health, etc. The book also provides you with online audio that is recorded by native Tagalog speakers. Along with that, you will also get a proper transcript that will help you understand the basics of the language.
7. Dingding, Ningning, Singsing And Other Fun Tagalog Words by Tricia J. Capistrano
The book is very engaging and helps you to learn Tagalog words with colourful designs. There are different kinds of words that you will go through in daily life. Some of the words may have difficult pronunciation and may be hard to read. The best part of this book is that it will make it easy for you to read the words in the book. This book is for kids and beginners. It is best suited for you if you want to learn a new language with the help of fun and colourful words.
8. Tagalog Short Stories for Beginners by Lingo Mastery
The book contains various short stories which will help you to develop your language skills if you are already at an intermediate level. It is because all the short stories in this book are written in Tagalog language and there is no English translation provided. Each of the stories in the book has a summary in both Tagalog and English language. Further, you must also remember that you will be getting many vocabulary lists after you have completed the summary.
To test how much you have learnt from stories there are also some tricky questions that too in Tagalog language. All the stories in this book are based on real-life situations and therefore are more engaging and interesting. In total, you will get 20 short stories that will help you develop your language skills.
9. Salamat Po!: Learning About Showing Respect In The Filipino Culture by Join Chloe
If you are looking for a book that is too easy that a kid can go through it then this book is for you. In this book, you will get various Tagalog phrases that will help you understand the culture and values of the Philippines. In short, this book has more cultural knowledge with common phrases and words used in daily life. All the information and the content of the book are available in different colourful themes. This book is perfect for you if you want something which is entertaining and useful are the same time. It includes easy-to-understand vocabulary which attracts more readers.
10. Filipino Celebrations: A Treasury of Feasts and Festivals by Liana Romulo and Corazon Dandan-Albano
An exciting part of Filipino culture is the essential celebrations of different festivals. The most important celebration or holiday is typically done in honour of a patron saint or for a specific season usually the harvest season. The Filipinos love to celebrate which is shown in many of their celebrations. In this book you will get to know about different festivals celebrated in Filipino along with its history and cultural influences. There is a huge set of Tagalog words related to holidays, food, birthdays, etc.
11. Bahay Kubo And Other Filipino Folk Songs For Children by Christopher Gannon
If you are a person who loves to sing or listen to songs then this book is for you. This book has 22 different folk songs essentially for the kids along with the English translation. Just because it is for kids it does not mean that an adult cannot take advantage of the book. If you are a total beginner in this language then you can use this book to develop your basic taglog words knowledge. The folk songs will not only help you to learn the words but will also help you to know about the beliefs of Filipino people.
Conclusion
Tagalog is the official language of people living in Filipino. If you also want to travel to Filipino then you might want to learn the official language of the country that is Tagalog. Although with the online learning platforms demand for books has been decreasing you must remember that books are the primary source of information. Therefore you must use the books for Tagalog in your language-learning journey. Some of the popular books that you can use are Tagalog Picture Dictionary, Lonely Planet Filipino (Tagalog) Phrasebook & Dictionary, Tagalog Short Stories for Beginners, etc.
