Page 16 - Tagalog for Beginners: An Introduction to Filipino, the National Language of the Philippines

longer texts if you can.
If you are a heritage learner, practice with your family. Don’t be bothered if
they laugh at your pronunciation.

If you are an independent learner, take the time to write out dialogues and then
say them aloud. All learners need to hear themselves. Use the audio disc to help you
practice.
If you are a teacher, you know your students better than I do. Use this book as a
guide and then design your lessons according to the needs of your students. Your
heritage language students might already know many words, so it might be useful to

ask them first if they know the meaning of the words in the vocabulary list (ask them
to cover the English translations). You might also find that you need to change some
exercises, or add more materials. You may even have suggestions for a revised
edition of this textbook in the future.
Finally, make the language your own. When practicing what you have learned,
do not be afraid. So what if you forget some of the words and you end up saying
something like “When po kayo pupunta to Manila?” (When are you going to
Manila?) Yes, you may have forgotten the word kailan (when), and you actually did
a lot of code-switching (mixing Filipino with English). However, chances are, the
person you were talking to actually understood you. And you tried hard to be polite.

Recently, I asked a student, Laurie, what she was doing. She replied by saying:
“Nagfefacebook po ako.” (I am “doing Facebook.”) This learner has made the
language her own.

Learning a language can be challenging, but if you stop thinking of the language
police (people who stop you midway through a sentence to correct your grammar), it
can be fun!