Bisaya Tutorials

By Miko Gentiles

Filipino/Tagalog is known to be the most commonly used dialect in the Philippines. However, the Philippines being an archipelago is also home to several dialects which differ in each geographical region. Amongst these dialects, Bisaya is considered to be one of the most widely used as it is used in several parts of the Visayas and the Majority of Mindanao. Bohol, being located in the heart of the Visayas is one of the provinces that speak Bisaya.

For the typical tourist (local or international), part of the experienc of visiting a foreign place is to immerse oneself in its local culture. And, what better to experience the culture of Bohol than to learn the local dialect? In fact, knowing a few phrases in Bisaya personally proved to be very fun and useful in our trip to Bohol. Showing that you know how to speak the local dialect helps in creating a more comfortable atmosphere with the locals which may prove beneficial in your stay. So with this in mind, here are some commonly used Bisaya phrases and words that may be useful!

1 Greetings/ Thanks

Bisaya	English	Tagalog
Maayong Buntag	Good Morning	Magandang umaga
Maayong Hapon	Good Afternoon	Magandang hapon
Maayong Gabii	Good Evening	Magandang gabi
Daghang Salamat	Thank you very much	Maraming Salamat

2 Asking Questions

Bisaya	English	Tagalog
Unsa	What	Ano
Asa	Where	Saan
Unsa-on	How	Paano
Kanus-a	When	Kailan
Nganu/ Nganu man	Why	Bakit/Bakit naman

3 Buying Items/ Pasalubong

Bisaya	English	Tagalog
Tagpila ni/na? - Locals usually give prices in Spanish( ie. Dos mil, siete pesos, etc )	How much is this/that	Magkano ito/iyan
Barato	Cheap	Mura
Mahal	Expensive	Mahal
Mahala ana uy! Pwede mub-an?	Thats so expensive! Can i have a discount.	Ang mahal naman! Pwede patawad

4 Asking for Directions

Bisaya	English	Tagalog
Asa ang (insert place)?	Where is the (insert place)?	Saan ang (insert place)?
Unsaon pagadto sa (insert place)?	How do I go to (insert place)?	Paano pumunta sa(insert place)?
Adto ta sa (insert place)	Lets go to (insert place)	Punta tayo sa (insert place)
Dinhi	Here	Dito
Dadto/Didto	There	Doon
Duol	Near	Malapit
Layo	Far	Malayo

5 Miscellaneous

Bisaya	English	Tagalog
Kaon na ta!/ Kaon na ta ug(pamahaw/pani-udto/pani-hapon)	Lets eat!/ Lets eat(breakfast/Lunch/Dinner)	Kain na tayo!/ Kain na tayo ng (almusal/tanghalian/hapunan)
Agpas na!	Faster	Bilisan mo!
Mata na!	Wake up	Gising
Lami/Lami-ah!	Delicious/ thats so delicious	Sarap!/Ang sarap

Special use:

KWAN/KU-AN

- It is a commonly used expression in Bisaya when one is not sure about the name of something/someone. Can refer to just about anything.