Looking for an easy language to learn?
If you are a citizen of the Philippines, then Spanish is a good choice.
Find out in this post if it´s easy to learn Spanish as a Filipino!
What language do Filipinos speak?
Filipinos have two official languages, which are English and Filipino. The Filipino language came into existence in 1937 when the National Language Institute was created. This entity designated Tagalog as the foundation for this new national language.
At first, it was called Pilipino and then it became Filipino. A language full of controversy because of its origins and the languages that influenced it.
But what were the controversies and what caused them? Simply that Filipino has always been confused with Tagalog.
Indeed, we find questions from one Filipino to another like “Do you speak Tagalog?” instead of “Do you speak Filipino?” In terms of vocabulary, we also find differences such as the non-existence of terms like “hermosa” in Tagalog-speaking areas.
On the other hand, there are places where they speak a mixture of English and Tagalog, known as Taglish. In addition, the opinions against and in favor are not long in coming.
Hispanic influence in Tagalog
It´s impressive how many languages have nurtured Tagalog. Many know Bahasa Indonesia, Chinese, Sanskrit, English, and Japanese. However, few remember the Hispanic influence on Tagalog.
The truth is that the same thing happened to the Philippines as to Latin American countries. Spaniards came, conquered, and well, changed their culture for over 300 years. Of course, it’s not bad as long as the cultural integration is enriching.
Tagalog vs Spanish
Being aware of the strong influence of Spanish on Tagalog is the first step in understanding that it is indeed easy for Filipinos to learn Spanish. The second thing is that for English speakers, Spanish is one of the easiest languages to learn. This brings us to an inevitable comparison between Tagalog vs Spanish.
Tagalog
- Austronesian language.
- 33% of the words in Tagalog are of Spanish origin.
- Tagalog comes from the term “Taga-Ilog”, which means inhabitants of the river.
- Ethnic language.
- The alphabet has 27 letters.
- It uses repeated syllables.
- Transforming words into verbs is easier than in other languages.
- Phonetic language; pronounced as it is written.
Spanish
- Romance language.
- Significant Arabic influence.
- More than 500 million people speak Spanish around the world.
- The official language in 21 countries.
- Uses inverted marks for questions and exclamations.
- Phonetic language, pronounced as it is written.
- Longer sentence structure than English.
- Alphabet has 27 letters.
Main differences between Spanish and Tagalog
Spanish
- Grammatical structure Subject + Verb + Object.
- Conjugation is used for each tense and pronoun.
- Masculine and feminine gender forms.
Tagalog
- Grammatical structure Verb + Subject + Object. In some cases, it uses Subject + Verb + Object.
- A single conjugation is used for different tenses.
- Gender-neutral form.
- It changes the meaning of some Spanish words. For example, “siempre” becomes “por supuesto“; “seguro” becomes “tal vez“.
- Modification of Spanish words to give them the appearance of being a Tagalog word. For example, “silla” / “silya”, “verde” / “berde”.
Why should a Filipino learn Spanish?
After looking at the similarities and differences between Spanish vs. Tagalog, we realize that there are not that many. And seeing the influence of so many languages in Tagalog or Filipino, Spanish will surely be easy for you to learn.
After living under Spanish influence for over 300 years, why should a Filipino learn Spanish? Isn’t it enough to be a country influenced by so many others?
It´s true, being under influence of other countries, cultures, and languages is not pleasant. There must be a dark underlying history that no one wants to remember.
Life is here and now, it´s no use living in the past. The now demands greater capabilities, open-mindedness, agility, and efficiency. Learning Spanish, which is one of the most spoken languages in the world, would only be reviving a historical memory that sleeps in the Filipino’s genes.
We want you to discover your motivation to learn Spanish. If you’ve come this far, it’s because you have Hispanic blood. So let’s take a look at these other reasons why a Filipino should learn Spanish and decide if you identify with them.
Other Reasons to Learn Spanish
We want you to discover your motivation to learn Spanish. If you’ve come this far, it’s because you have Hispanic blood. So let’s take a look at these other reasons to learn Spanish and decide if you identify with them.
- Filipino has more than 4,000 words of Spanish origin.
- Words with similar sounds, although slightly different spelling.
- Hispanic culture is relevant in the Filipino’s everyday life, from surnames to place names.
- The name of the Philippines comes from King Felipe of Spain.
- Much of Filipino cuisine originates from Spain.
- You can travel visa-free to Spanish-speaking countries such as Ecuador, Nicaragua, Peru, Bolivia, Costa Rica, and Colombia.
- Spanish is one of the most important languages in Europe. A solid base to learn Romance languages such as Italian, French, and Portuguese.
- Spanish speakers are a growing population. More companies are oriented to satisfy their services and hire bilingual personnel for many areas with very good incomes.
- You will learn a language full of passion. Spanish music, movies, and literature convey that passion that is only understandable in Spanish.
Spanish is easy to learn
Spanish is no longer a complex language that few could speak. Today Spanish is easy to learn.
Many resources and learning tools allow you to achieve fluency in a short time. You may not achieve 85% fluency in the first year, but you will achieve a significant 50% fluency.
Forgetting the negative issues of conquest, you can’t deny that Spanish also runs through your veins. Just let it flow and feel the passion of this beautiful language!