# phone talk and pronunciation in tagalog



## montysupreme

hi i want to ring someone up who's around my age (21) who lives in the philippines and try and carry on the initial 30 seconds only in tagalog 

so i was wondering if someone could please help me with the translations for a few sentences, including which syllable you are meant to emphasise?

- for example, i have been practicing saying "magandang gabi" (good evening)

however i was saying 

ma-*GUN*-*DANG* *GA*-bi

but then i was told it was more like "*MA*-gun-dang ga-*BI*. spoken really quickly... Ma-gundang Ga-beee, like that kinda. i hope this sounds right and im not talking rubbish here . is that correct?

- how do you pronounce "Kamusta Kana?"

- in english often you can say "what's happening" or "what's going on" . what's the best way to say this type of sentiment in a phone conversation in tagalog?

- how do you say "how's work been treating you" or something to that effect (im sure literal translations would be a disaster here)

- how do you say "do you plan on travelling to Dubai any time soon?" 

Thanks!!!


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## DotterKat

This will sound counterintuitive but if you want to sound "native", then  don't shy away from using Taglish. Most people will simply say _*hello* _and _*goodbye* _just as we do in English when conversing  on the phone. I have yet to here anyone say _paalam _in place of _goodbye_  or even _bye _at the end of a phone conversation.

As for _magandang gabi, _you have to say it fairly rapidly, with  almost no intonation except for the final "i". Better yet, if you have  access to any Filipino TV channel tune in to any news cast and the  newscasters will almost always begin the program with "magandang gabi  (Pilipinas / bayan).  Again, unless your point is to show off your  proficiency in Tagalog, that phrase will sound a bit formal in a phone  conversation, especially with a friend.

Do a search on sites like "Tagalog Lang" for audible samples of _magandang  gab_i and _kamusta_.  There is no substitute for actually  hearing the words.

"What's going on / What's new?" would be the same as "Kamusta ka na?" or  something like "_*Ano na ang balita*_?"

"How's life been treating you?" would also be covered by "Kamusta ka  na?" but you could also say something like "_*Kamusta na ang  buhay-buhay*_?"


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## niernier

montysupreme said:


> but then i was told it was more like "*MA*-gun-dang ga-*BI*. spoken really quickly... Ma-gundang Ga-beee, like that kinda. i hope this sounds right and im not talking rubbish here . is that correct?
> 
> - how do you pronounce "Kamusta Kana?"
> 
> - in english often you can say "what's happening" or "what's going on" . what's the best way to say this type of sentiment in a phone conversation in tagalog?
> 
> - how do you say "how's work been treating you" or something to that effect (im sure literal translations would be a disaster here)
> 
> - how do you say "do you plan on travelling to Dubai any time soon?"
> 
> Thanks!!!



You have to say magandang gabi fairly rapidly, like what DotterKat said.

How's life been treating you? -> Kumusta ang buhay-buhay?
How's work been treating you? -> Kumusta naman ang trabaho mo?
Do you plan on travelling to Dubai any time soon? -> May plano ka na bang pumunta sa Dubai?


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## montysupreme

thanks dotter and niernier!!


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