Page 170 - Tagalog for Beginners: An Introduction to Filipino, the National Language of the Philippines

TANONG : Anong oras mo gustong dumating sa airport?
What time do you want to arrive at the airport?

SAGOT : Gusto kong dumating sa airport nang alas-siyete.
I want to arrive at the airport at seven o’clock.

Mga Tala Sa Kultura

The ambiguity that we find in the letters of the baybayin alphabet is also present
when talking about time in the Philippines. Thus, we have the concept of “Filipino
time,” which refers to the Filipino stereotype of a person who is always late.
However, it is not a matter of being precise or prompt. We find that “exactness”
is not important in Filipino culture. In telling time, we find that the words we use
are influenced by indigenous ways of telling time. Look at the following examples
of common speech and idiomatic expressions:

1. Gumising ka na. Mataas Wake up. The sun is high in the sky.
na ang araw.
2. Umuwi ka bago dumilim. Go home before it goes dark.
3. Pupunta ako sa party I will go to the party at around eight o’clock. (Go

nang bandang alas-otso. I party at around eight o’clock.)
4. Pupunta ako sa party I will go to the party at around eight o’clock. (Go
nang mga alas-otso. I party at around eight o’clock.)

5. Pagputi ng uwak, pag- When the crow turns white (and) the seagull turns
itim ng tagak. black. (“eternity”)

In the first two sentences, time is told through signs of nature (the sun; the sky
turning dark). In the third and fourth sentences, the words bandang and mga
(meaning “around”) are used to show indeterminate time. When one says bandang
alas-otso or mga alas-otso, it can mean anywhere from quarter to eight to around
eight fifteen.
The fifth sentence is an idiomatic expression, meaning “never” or “forever”
depending on the context. When is this used? Let us take a situation where a woman
is asked when she plans to give her love to the man courting her. Instead of saying
“never” she can say “Pagputi ng uwak.” Since the crow will never turn white, she

is actually saying “never.”
Similarly, in many areas in the country, buses and jeepneys do not leave at exact
times. In areas where there are jeepney or bus stops (paradahan), where the
vehicles wait for passengers, the vehicles usually leave when they become full.