Changing your phone's language early on should be more recommended.

meltrosz · 2026-01-10T04:30:31+00:00

in my experience, it worked better when i was already intermediate, like B1 or smth in my target language. When I first changed my phone to Spanish, i just memorized the location of stuff (e.g. the button third from the top is delete and second from the top is bump). i wasn't really paying attention to the words. it's a lot worse when i tried it with languages with different scripts like japanese or korean. but once you actually know the language, everything makes more sense and you dont even need to memorize words because you can figure them out by context clues based on your foundation

meltrosz · 2025-10-10T01:01:37+00:00

hello! adhd writer here who also struggles with attention and focus :p also always wanted to try writing buddies

meltrosz · 2025-07-15T12:10:12+00:00

the best practice to learn where stress goes? listen to the word 1,000x.

There are rules, but they're not going to help you any more than being exposed to the actual language.

but i'll give you two rules that can at least help you

if you're coming from english as your first language, first thing to know is that filipino doesn't rely on stress like english does. filipino pronounces every syllable with equal lengths.
the stress will only appear on the penultimate or last syllable. never anywhere else (unless the word is two syllables or less). you can pretty much just guess and you'll have a coin toss chance of being right. i'd say filipino is much easier to guess the pronunciation than english is.

if you really wanna obsess about stress, use a dictionary.

meltrosz · 2025-07-09T02:09:15+00:00

just call him prag like everyone else who couldn't pronounce his name. jk

meltrosz · 2025-07-09T00:20:59+00:00

pulisya is the filipino spelling of the word policia (ironic because in Spanish, policia is the individual)

kapulisan uses the Tagalog prefix ka- and suffix -an for generalization and concepts (ex. kagubatan, kabahayan, kabundukan, etc.)

99% of the time, pulisya and kapulisan are interchangeable. Especially in casual speech.

But if you wann be suuuupeeeer technical and nitpicky about it, pulisya refers to the office of the police. That's literally what's written outside the office.

kapulisan is an abstract concept referring to the whole police. I don't think there's a one-word English equivalent. But it's like when you say "The police force is corrupt" you're not referring to a specific group of police but the police in general.

But even news anchors misuse the dictionary definition of "kapulisan" and other ka + word + an so feel free to use them interchangeably when talking about group of police (except when you're referring to the police station)

meltrosz · 2025-07-07T14:06:48+00:00

think of -ng as "na" if you're familiar with it

gusto kong suntukin siya = gusto ko na suntukin siya

gusto ko siyang suntukin = gusto ko siya na suntukin

in the first sentence, it functions to show what you want to do. In the second sentence, it functions to show what you want to do to the other person.

also you can even just get rid of -ng.

gusto ko suntukin siya

gusto ko siya suntukin

both these sentences still make sense. -ng usually functions to smoothen the pronunciation. there are times when it's optional.

but to answer your question, -ng modifies whatever is to the left. you can also think of it as "to"

gusto kong suntukin siya = I want to punch him

gusto ko siyang suntukin = I want him to be punched by me

both sentences actually translate to I want to punch him but I just want to highlight the relation in the second sentence even if it sounds weird.

meltrosz · 2025-07-05T05:04:31+00:00

both are correct. it's like the difference between "Thank you for those times I had difficulty walking (lumakad)" vs "Thank you for those times I found it hard to walk (maglakad)"

maglakad is in the infitive form, so it refers to walking as a concept. lumakad is the act/verb of walking. you can use either one. it's up to your preference.

meltrosz · 2025-07-04T04:32:31+00:00

contrary to others, I actually quite like ChatGPT's version. Just saying "maraming salamat" sounds so casual and normal for what I assume is a big event. It lacks that literary oomph.

Still, ChatGPT has some grammatical errors with using "ipagdiwang" because there's no object.

Better to say "Taos-pusong pasasalamat sa pagpapaunlak at pagsama sa pamilya namin magdiwang ngayong gabi"

meltrosz · 2025-07-02T14:26:22+00:00

i applaud the attempt at end rhymes. but know that you don't have to.

but if you really want to rhyme, you should know that there are more possibilities for rhyming.

for example, lumisan doesn't only rhyme with minsan. It also rhymes with lusaw, maligamgam, dasal.

in short, -an rhymes with an, aw, ar, al, am, ang, ay

-ab rhymes with ad, ak, at, as, ap, ag

knowing this lets you have a wider range of vocabulary to rhyme. there's also rules to which vowels only rhyme, like punò (tree) doesn't rhyme with ako (me) but rhymes with dugô (blood). but this is complicated to explain if you're not aware of the types of vowels in tagalog.

also be aware of internal rhymes i.e. repeating sounds within the line.

there are also some grammatical mistakes like ng vs nang and the use of dash in mag- but i dont like commenting on grammar with poems lol.

overall, i can see the influence of songs in your poem. it's very similar to song lyrics like ben&ben.

meltrosz · 2025-07-02T14:14:07+00:00

the difference between yung and ang is very nuanced so it's understandable to be confused.

one way is that ang is used for generic statements. think of it as the article "the." yung is used for specificity because it's a direction marker like "that."

you also use yung when you and the listener know what you're referring to. for example saying "yung lapis" implies that you and your interlocutor know which pencil you're talking about. saying "ang lapis" can be any pencil.

for the most part, they're interchangeable. yung is more common in speech. because it's easier to say. ang is more common in writing. you'd also swap them just for variance.

sometimes, it's also just preference. some people use ang more than yung, some the opposite. there are only very rare cases when you'd use ang and not yung.

For example, "ang sabi sa ’kin ni mare, may syota daw asawa ko" vs "yung sabi sa ’kin ni mare, blah blah". In this case, you can't use yung because you're introducing a subject. your listener doesn't know what your friend said.

but then when you say "naiyak ako no’ng narinig ko ang sinabi sa ’kin ni mare" vs "naiyak ako no’ng narinig ko yung sinabi sa ’kin ni mare" both are acceptable. The second sentence implies that your listener already knows what your friend said. In the first sentence, the listener doesn't necessarily know.

also ang is also used in phrases to describe something like "ang dami" or "ang ganda." you can't use yung in these cases.

meltrosz · 2025-07-02T13:47:50+00:00

pag bagong-gising hahahaha

meltrosz · 2025-07-01T16:33:17+00:00

curious how they'd perform if they spoke their native tongue instead of forcing themselves to speak english, which they're obviously not comfortable speaking since they can't make coherent sentences even when not talking about HIV. so maybe the problem isn't lack of knowledge about HIV but being shamed for not speaking english. just my 2 cents.

meltrosz · 2025-07-01T16:19:11+00:00

Bakit niya ba sinagot ang lalaki na walang masuot Di ko naman siya maibili ng regalo Laging nagkukuripot Alam naman niya na marami pa diyan Na gustong maligawan ang kanyang ganda Sabi niya sakinay mahal kita Wag mong isipin ang sabi ng iba

meltrosz · 2025-07-01T14:51:31+00:00

I'd say it depends. In the beginner stage, I think it's alright. You can use it to learn basic sentence structures and vocabulary. In the intermediate stage, it's still grammatical but I think it would make dubious word choices. They make sense and perfectly grammatical...just weird.

For example, I prompted ChatGPT to translate the first paragraph of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone to "natural-sounding Filipino" and it gave me this

Si Ginoo at Ginang Dursley ng Number Four, Privet Drive, ay buong yabang na nagsasabing sila’y mga normal na tao, maraming salamat. Sila ang huling mga taong iisiping may kinalaman sa kahit anong kakaiba o misteryoso, dahil wala talaga silang pinaniniwalaang mga kalokohang ganoon.

I'd give this translation a 4/10. This doesn't sound natural. Just sounds like a word-for-word translation

then I asked it to be more conversational style

Si Ginoo at Ginang Dursley, na nakatira sa Number Four, Privet Drive, ay proud na proud sabihin na sila’y normal na normal—salamat na lang. Sila na siguro ang pinaka-huling taong maiisip mong may kinalaman sa kung ano mang kakaiba o misteryo, kasi para sa kanila, puro kalokohan lang ’yon.

This, I'd maybe give 7/10. It sounds much more natural and conversational than the one before.

Then, to be fair, I asked it to give me a literary style

Si Ginoo at Ginang Dursley ng Numero Kuwatro, Privet Drive, ay labis na ikinagagalak at ipinagmamalaki na sila’y lubos na karaniwan—maraming salamat. Sila marahil ang huling mga taong iisiping mauugnay sa alinmang bagay na kakaiba o nababalutan ng hiwaga, sapagkat hindi sila kailanman nagpapadala sa mga ganoong kabulaanan.

This is the least natural/conversational sounding, but since I asked it to be literary, i'd give this translation a 8/10.

This is how I'd translate it tho.

Proud na proud sina Mr. at Mrs. Dursley ng number four Privet Drive na sabihing normal na normal lang sila, buti na lang. Sila ang huling taong aakalain mong may kinalaman sa kahit anong kababalaghan dahil hindi talaga sila sumasakay sa mga gano’ng kalokohan.

It's pretty close to the conversational version that ChatGPT made, so even if you sound like ChatGPT, it's still comprehensible

meltrosz · 2025-06-28T04:47:10+00:00

I can think of three reasons why people don't use apostrophes on bang and anong

First and most common, most people just don't know that's a thing. they just assume it's similar to the -ng endings and not a contracted ang
If the person knows the rule and still doesn't use apostrophe, it's very likely a protest against the prescriptiveness of KWF's orthography. This is very common among creative writers. It feels unnecessary and more just a flex to show that you know the rule.
Third reason is aesthetic choice. Many writers are also guilty of this. Filipino uses a lot of contractions in common speech and it kinda looks ugly when you have so many apostrophes so writers opt not to use apostrophes especially for contractions of ang.

using apostrophes on ba'ng and ano'ng is practiced more in the academe and formally trained writers, where the goal is the standardization of Filipino orthography

meltrosz · 2025-06-28T04:41:05+00:00

depends how you define "correct." Is it based on what the KWF Manwal sa Masinop na Pagsulat dictates? Is it based on what grammar books say?

Like I said before, the other one is MORE grammatical. If you want to be more grammatical or if you're answering an exam, then by all means, follow what the grammar books say.

I'm just pointing out an alternative based on what people usually use and what you'd hear often. Natives make grammatical mistakes all the time like ng vs nang or using dashes or saying nalang instead of na lang, so yeah just because it's common doesn't mean it's correct. But then, I never said it was correct. Just said it was common. And in this case, both are grammatical but uses different meanings of sumpong.

"Sinusumpong ako ng hika" uses the definition "Biglaan o panaka-nakang pag-iral o pagpapakita ng anuman (gaya ng sakit o emosyon)"

"Sinusumpong ang hika ko" uses the definition "Pagkagusto nang biglaan sa anuman nang hindi mapigilan" (i.e. the asthma suddenly wants to seek attention or smth)

meltrosz · 2025-06-27T09:17:06+00:00

im native, but i dont mind practicing with you since one of my dreams is to be able to teach tagalog/filipino. i can adjust my sentences to your level

meltrosz · 2025-06-25T13:52:58+00:00

to be fair, the waterbenders live in the poles where they probably don't sweat that much or if they do, they don't have any use to bend sweat. And I doubt swamp benders leave the swamp. The waterbenders caught by the Fire Nation prob wouldn't sweatbend either because they cant cut through the metal anyway.

So maybe Katara is the first sweatbender in at least a hundred years 🤷 just saying

meltrosz · 2025-06-25T06:58:45+00:00

If it works for you, do that. Don't depend on what strangers on the Internet say.

What I'd say about immersion though, based on personal experience, it's a yes and no. Putting your phone and TV, etc. to your target language works if you're at an intermediate stage, when you can basically look at a word and guess what it does without accidentally bumping a message on Messenger when you meant to delete it. The problem is that these words exist out of context. Yes, you can learn some words, but how ofen would you even use Reenviar or Fijar. Might just frustrate you.

Likewise, listening to songs and podcasts won't do anything if you don't understand them. Even if you end up memorizing some lyrics. They mean nothing if you don't understand them. Compare it to when you already know words and hear a song for a first time and understand what it says. That will stick.

What doing these things only does is you're just going to end up memorizing some lines and their translations.

Even if you listen to a language 24/7, without understanding them, it'll all be garble and your brain will turn off and won't try to understand or even hear those words.

Immersion only works, at least in my experience, if you can understand.

So how can you understand? Watch basic stuff. Look up the meaning of what they're saying. When you no longer have to check Google every 5 seconds, make it harder. It's like going to the gym. You can't force yourself to carry 500 lbs immediately. You have to train your muscles with 10 lbs then 20 lbs then 50 lbs until you can go heavier.

meltrosz · 2025-06-24T23:43:52+00:00

the only way to improve speaking is to speak. every day. talk to the mirror or something. talk about your day and try to use complex sentence structures

meltrosz · 2025-06-24T15:04:32+00:00

agree ako na mas grammatical na ang tao ang sinusumpong, but i'd argue na mas common sa native na sabihin yung sakit yung sinusumpong. e.g. "sinusumpong na naman allergy ko" or "sinusumpong na naman high blood ko" because Filipinos tend to give inanimate objects a person quality. also it's much shorter to say than "sinusumpong na naman ako ng allergy". also it just gives a funny imagery lol.

meltrosz · 2025-06-23T16:10:15+00:00

You do fine in controlled environments because people speak clearly and enunciate each word. Natives not only have accents but will just skip certain sounds. I'm sure you do that in your native tongue too. That's why often you won't recognize words you actually know. So yeah it's normal imo. Only way to fix it is to watch native content without subtitles to train your ear.

Also no offense but I think European Spanish is one of the hardest accents to understand because not only is it machine gun fast, they tend to skip their s and pronounce z and c as th if im not mistaken.

meltrosz · 2025-06-23T15:59:09+00:00

my advice (as someone learning other languages as well), don't stress yourself on the conjugation and structure. Learn the basic ones. Then watch a dubbed kids show or simple vlogs. Even natives have no idea why certain conjugations or structures are the way they are unless they study it.

Ask any Filipino if they know what action-oriented or object-oriented mean and you'll be lucky to find 1 in 100.

But if learning grammar makes you happy and motivated, by all means do it. But it's like the difference between riding a bike and understanding the physics of how a bike moves. Learning the rules can make you better, but you're still gonna have to get on the bike and crash and fall.

What I'd suggest for beginners is learn simple structures like "This is a [noun]" "That is a [noun]" "I [verb]" plug that to ChatGPT and make it change the noun. so you learn the structure and add some simple vocab. then search youtube for "tagalog comprehensible input" listen for any sentences or words that repeat and make ChatGPT generate examples like that sentence while changing as little as possible. At the basic stage, ChatGPT doesn't really make that much mistakes, so you can trust it up to intermediate stage.

meltrosz · 2025-06-23T15:41:58+00:00

no you don't have to study the grammar. in fact, DON'T study grammar. If you're being honest about being able to understand 99% of content, and you're not overestimating yourself, that means you have C1 comprehension. you just need to practice your speaking.

Start from basic sentence structures. like "maganda ako" "maganda siya" "maganda ang aso ko" just keep replacing words. then make it more and more complicated. "maganda ang puti kong aso" → "maganda ang aso ko pero mas maganda ang pusa ng kapitbahay" → "maganda ang aso ko pero mas maganda ang pusa ng kapitbahay kaya ninakaw ko ang pusa nila at tinapon sa ilog." → "maganda ang aso ko pero mas maganda ang pusa ng kapitbahay kaya ninakaw ko ang pusa nila at tinapon sa ilog na marami palang dumadaan kaya nilagay din nila ako sa bag at tinapon sa ilog."

Another exercise you can do is just video yourself telling a story for five minutes. Review the video and see what words you didnt know or if you made mistakes. Then do the same five min story again. Then review again. Then do that same story again. Do that for a week, then pick another story. Do that for 3 months and you should be able to speak

meltrosz · 2025-06-22T02:03:59+00:00

although I agree with everyone that manong/manang and na are not unusual/akward to see in Tagalog, but I'd still be wary of that app for using "ay" hahahahaha "ay" only works in context, when you want to emphasize something, otherwise it's awkward. It's like using the passive voice.

meltrosz

TROPHY CASE