Dealing with idioms can be challenging because there’s more to them than just their literal meanings; however, that’s also what makes learning them more fun. 

Today, let’s learn about some basic Tagalog idioms, their literal English translations, their actual meanings, and the corresponding English idioms (if applicable).

Tagalog Idiom: Pagputi ng uwak / Pag-itim ng Tagak  

Literal Translation: When the crow has turned white / when the stork has become black

English Counterpart: When hell freezes over. / When pigs fly.

Meaning: Something that will never happen

Tagalog Idiom: Makati ang kamay 

Literal Translation: Hand is itchy

English Counterpart: Sticky fingers

Meaning: Someone who is always itching to steal something

Tagalog Idiom: Makati ang paa

Literal Translation: Foot is itchy

English Counterpart: Someone afflicted with wanderlust

Meaning: Someone who’s always itching to go somewhere else.

Meaning: Matamis ang dila 

Literal Translation: Tongue is sweet

English Counterpart: Sweet-talker

Meaning: Someone who’ll tell you compliments that they don’t mean just to get you to do what they want you to.

Tagalog Idiom: Matalas ang dila

Literal Translation: Sharp-tongued

English Counterpart: Sharp-tongued

Meaning: Someone whose words can seriously hurt.

Tagalog Idiom: Manigas ka! 

Literal Translation: Stiffen up

English Counterpart: Go die! / Drop dead! / Like hell, I will!

Meaning: There’s no way I’m going to do that!

Tagalog Idiom: Itaga mo sa bato 

Literal Translation: Hack it against a rock).

English Counterpart: Mark my word. / Carved in stone

Meaning: Remember my words because I will make sure that they will become a reality

Tagalog Idiom: Sipsip

Literal Translation: Suck

English Counterpart: Suck-up

Meaning: A person who tries to gain the favor of someone in authority by saying or doing everything that might please them

Tagalog Idiom: Parang naghahanap ng karayom sa gitna ng dayami 

Literal Translation: Like looking for a needle in the middle of a haystack

English Counterpart: Like looking for a needle in a haystack 

Meaning: Doing something that requires too much effort without any guarantee of success

Tagalog Idiom: Mahirap pa sa daga 

Literal Translation: Poorer than a mouse

English Counterpart: As poor as a church mouse

Extremely poor. Probably because mice only rely on scraps, so if you’re poorer than a mouse, you are very poor indeed.

Tagalog Idiom: Nagsusunog ng kilay 

Literal Translation: Burning eyebrows

English Counterpart: Burning the midnight oil

Meaning: Working very hard

Tagalog Idiom: Mani / Sisiw

Literal Translation: Peanut / Chick

English Counterpart: Piece of cake

Meaning: Something that can be easily accomplished (I’m not sure about the origin of this one, though)

Tagalog Idiom: Maghahalo ang balat sa tinalupan 

Literal Translation: The peel will get mixed with the thing that was already peeled

English Counterpart: All hell will break loose.

Meaning: Chaos will ensue if a particular thing was done.

Tagalog Idiom: Dadaan sa butas ng karayom 

Literal Translation: Will pass through the eye of the needle

English Counterpart: Go through fire and water

Meaning: You will face impossible odds before you accomplish something

Tagalog Idiom: Harangan man ng sibat 

Literal Translation: Even when blocked with a spear

English Counterpart: Come hell or high water

Meaning: You will do something no matter what it takes

Tagalog Idiom: Balat-sibuyas 

Literal Translation: Onion-skinned

English Counterpart: Thin-skinned

Meaning: Someone who’s easily offended

Tagalog Idiom: Namamangka sa dalawang ilog 

Literal Translation: Rowing down a stream while riding two boats simultaneously

English Counterpart: Not applicable

Meaning: Two-timing

Tagalog Idiom: Sumakay na lang 

Literal Translation: Just jump in for the ride

English Counterpart: Go with the flow

Meaning: Just let something pass (Don’t rebut it)

Tagalog Idiom: Ilista sa tubig 

Literal Translation: List it down on water

Not applicable

Meaning: Write something (i.e. a debt) off.

Tagalog Idiom: Nagdidilim ang paningin 

Literal Translation: Eyesight is getting dark

English Counterpart: Seeing red

Meaning: Getting very angry

Tagalog Idiom: Isaksak mo sa baga mo 

Literal Translation: Shove it up your lungs

English Counterpart: Shove it up yours.

Meaning: Keep it. I don’t want it.

If you’re trying to learn Tagalog, you probably already know “Kumusta” which is the rough counterpart of the English greeting “Hi” or “Hello,” but do you know what goes after that?  Learn some basic Tagalog pleasantries to keep a short conversation going the next time you wanted to chat with your Filipino friends, relatives, neighbors, or co-workers.

Kumusta ka? = How are you? (As discussed in the previous lesson, aside from asking the state of someone’s well-being, it can also be used to say “Hi” or “Hello.”)

Polite Form: Kumusta po kayo?

Mabuti naman ako. = “I am fine” / “I’m doing good.” (“Mabuti naman” can also mean “That’s good to hear”)

Polite Form: Mabuti naman po ako.

Ikaw? = How about you? (Usually said right after “Mabuti naman ako”)

Polite Form: Kayo po?

Ang tagal nating hindi nagkita. = We haven’t seen each other for so long. / It’s been a while.

Polite Form: Ang tagal po nating hindi nagkita.

Natutuwa akong makita ka ulit. = I’m glad to see you again / It’s nice to see you again.

Polite Form: Natutuwa po akong makita kayo ulit

Ako din! = Me too! / Same here!

Polite Form: Ako din po.

Gumaganda/Gumaguwapo ka yata. = You seem to be getting lovelier/more handsome. (You can also add an extra “ngayon” right after “yata” to say “You seem to be getting lovelier/more handsome now/lately).

Polite Form: Gumaganda/gumaguwapo po yata kayo.

Na-miss kita. = I missed you. (There is no exact Tagalog counterpart for this English sentence, so we use Taglish (a combination of Tagalog and English words) instead. Variants of this include: Miss na kita which means “I already miss you,” Nami-miss kita which means “I am missing you” or “I have been missing you” and Mami-miss kita which means “I will miss you.”

Polite Forms: Na-miss ko po kayo / Miss ko na po kayo / Nami-miss ko po kayo / Mami-miss ko po kayo

Mag-ingat ka! / Ingat ka! = Take care!

Polite Form: Mag-ingat po kayo or Ingat po kayo.

Paalam! = Goodbye! People rarely use this, though — usually opting for a simple “bye” or “babay” (bye-bye) instead.

Polite Form: Paalam po.

Ikumusta mo na lang ako sa kanila. = Just give my regards to them.

Polite Form: Ikumusta ninyo na lang po ako sa kanila.

Paki-kumusta mo na lang ako sa kanila/Paki-kumusta mo na lang sila para sa akin. = Please say hi to them for me.

Polite Form: Paki-kumusta ninyo na lang po ako sa kanila/ Paki-kumusta ninyo na lang po sila para sa akin.

Hanggang sa muli! = Until next time! (Usually used to imply that you will meet again in the future.)

Nasaan ka kagabi? Where were you last night?

Nasa tapat kami ng isang munisipyo. We were in front of a municipal hall.

Maraming Christmas lights doon. There were lots of Christmas lights over there.

Do you need cost-worthy Tagalog lessons or a Tagalog tutor or a Tagalog trainer in Alabang? Then contact us!

Our email address: [email protected] Our cellphone number: +63-927-8300973 Our telephone number: +63-2-404-3532 Our Skype ID: tagalugin Our Website: http://www.TaGaLuGin.com

P800 / hour = Lessons in Person. Transportation, Materials, Value-Added Tax (VAT) included

Do you need cost-worthy Tagalog lessons or a Tagalog tutor or a Tagalog trainer in Makati? Then contact us!

Our email address: [email protected] Our cellphone number: +63-927-8300973 Our telephone number: +63-2-404-3532 Our Skype ID: tagalugin Our Website: http://www.TaGaLuGin.com

P800 / hour = Lessons in Person. Transportation, Materials, Value-Added Tax (VAT) included