Filipino Body Language and the Importance of Non-verbal Communication with your Filipina

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 As you may have gathered, if you have been following my blog for a while, I can speak Tagalog, and I have even created a series of blog posts that touch on the subject of Tagalog grammar. Because I am interested in making my marriage with my Filipina not only work but actually thrive, I have been taking the study of the Filipino language and culture very seriously since I entered this relationship back in 2000. Now I am at a point where my wife and I can quickly and easily switch from Italian and English to Tagalog. Yet, being able to communicate verbally is just a tiny part of the equation of effective communication. Many experts talk about the idea that around 93% of human communication occurs through non-verbal cues and only the remaining 7% is accomplished through words. When I look at this issue through this lens I realize that my efforts to master the Filipino culture and language count for very little if I don't work on improving my non-verbal communication. So in this post
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Markers in Tagalog

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 Markers in Tagalog play a role similar to that of articles and prepositions in English.


A marker is, in fact, a word that comes before a noun.


Depending on the focus of the verb a marker indicates the role that the noun plays in the sentence: a marker may mark a noun as actor, object, location, direction etc.


ANG and SI/SINA


These markers are used to point out the focus of the sentence.


1. ANG (or ANG MGA if the focus of the sentence is a plural) marks a word as the focus of the sentence except for nouns that are the names of people that are marked by SI (singular) or SINA (plural)


Examples:


Pumunta ang empleyado sa opisina (singular)=the office worker went to his office


Pumunta ang mga empleyado sa opisina


Pumunta si Mario sa opisina


Pumunta sina Mario at Grace sa opisina


NG and NI/NINA


These markers are used when the noun is not the focus of the sentence


Example:


Binasa ng estudiante ang libro=the book is what the student read (the student is not the focus of the sentence, rather it is the book)


Binasa ng mga estudiante ang libro


Binasa ni Mario ang libro


Binasa nina Mario at Grace ang libro


NG also indicates possession


Example:


Ang libro ng estudiante (the book that belongs to the student)


Ang libro ni Mario


SA and KAY/KINA


These markers have to do with direction, location and beneficiary and correspond to prepositions in English


Examples:


BENEFICIARY


Ibinigay ng titser ang isang libro sa estudiante (or sa mga estudiante=plural)=the teacher gave a book to the student


Ibinigay ng titser ang isang libro kay Mario (or kina Mario at Grace)


DIRECTION


Pumupunta ako sa bahay=I am going (sa=to in this context) home


Pumupunta ako kay Mario=I am going to Mario


LOCATION


Example:


Mayroon ang isang Jollibee restaurant sa Milan, Italy=there is a Jollibee restaurant in Milan


SA also marks a future time


Example:


Magbabakasyon ako sa Agosto=I'll go on vacation in August

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