# Hirit



## rockjon

Hi, 

I'm having some problems finding out all the uses for the Tagalog word hirit. The only meaning I'm sure of is that it means reply or retort. What are the other uses for hirit?  Maraming salamat po.


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## niernier

Hello,

The word originally means 'answer back/retort/response' but when translating to English the word is put another way. It could be interpreted as 'to request/to call for'. Here are samples of its uses.


Ang mga jeepney drivers ay _humihirit _ng dagdag pasahe. 
(The jeepney drivers are *calling for* a fare increase.)


Moratorium sa taxi receipt, _hirit _ng taxi operators.("Moratorium on taxi receipt *requested*/*pushed *by the taxi operators")


The following is yet another use of the word.
Unang hirit ("First *strike*")
This is a morning show in the Philippines. As the name suggests, 'first strike' in the morning)


These are how I interpreted the word as I hear it. 


I know another one, yung "sirit na o hirit pa?" which is asked when answering riddles. 'Di ko ma-English eh.


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## Wacky...

In other contexts, the meaning is similar. For instance, you went to a party where they are serving a lot of delicious food. You can't get enough of the dishes so you did "hirit" or asked for seconds.

"Hirit" implies that the doer is not contented about something.
-Mga jeepney drivers _humihirit_ ng dagdag pasahe.
(Jeepney drivers *calling for* a fare increase.)
These drivers are clearly not contented about the money they earn so they are trying to appeal to the government.

Here's another example: Suppose I went to a nice place in the Philippines for vacation and I planned to stay there for only two days. I found the place really beautiful so that on second day, I decided to extend my vacation for one more day. That's another type of "hirit."


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## niernier

Wacky... said:


> In other contexts, the meaning is similar. For instance, you went to a party where they are serving a lot of delicious food. You can't get enough of the dishes so you did "hirit" or asked for seconds.
> 
> "Hirit" implies that the doer is not contented about something.
> -Mga jeepney drivers _humihirit_ ng dagdag pasahe.
> (Jeepney drivers *calling for* a fare increase.)
> These drivers are clearly not contented about the money they earn so they are trying to appeal to the government.
> 
> Here's another example: Suppose I went to a nice place in the Philippines for vacation and I planned to stay there for only two days. I found the place really beautiful so that on second day, I decided to extend my vacation for one more day. That's another type of "hirit."




That's a nice observaton you have. Sometimes 'hirit' plainly means a request but on other context, it implies the doer is not satisfied with what he have had. Not being satisfied with something makes you ask for more. You do a "hirit", put simply,you do a 'request' to get more of something.


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## DotterKat

I agree with both responses above, with the only caveat that you probably should limit the use of "*hirit*" to familiar conversation. It is not an impolite word, but it is not entirely appropriate for all situations. For instance, it is unlikely that you would encounter it in business communications or in formal conversation between strangers. You could consider it almost a slang word for "wanting or asking for something more," or "saying something more."
Though it is commonly used, if you have any doubt about the appropriateness of "hirit" for a particular setting, simply revert to more conventional grammar.
Think of it this way: you are at a dinner party and you want seconds. Would you say "Isang hirit pa sa manok." (Gimme some more chicken.) or "Pwedeng pahingi pa ng konting manok?" (May I please have some more chicken?). As you can see, one form of speaking is appropriate for your friends and family and the other, for more "polite company."

Finally, I would translate ""*sirit na o hirit pa*?" as "Do you give up or do you want to guess some more?" or more briefly said, "Give up or try again?"


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## niernier

On televisions especially the evening news, I usually hear the news headlines making use of this word 'hirit' such as the examples I have given on my previous post. But for politeness sake, if you mean to request something, it is more appropriate to use the conventional grammar unless you get the gist of how to use the word properly.


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## rockjon

Maraming salamat po sa pagtulong sa akin.  Alam ko na kung paano ko gagamitin yung hirit.


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## Cracker Jack

Here are some contexts:

Ano, hihirit ka pa?
What, are you going to insist?

Napagalitan ang bata dahil hirit sya nang hirit sa magulang.
The kid got a telling-off because they kept on reasoning out.


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