English to Bikol Phrasebook

Greetings

The opener changes in every one of these languages — this is the fastest way to tell them apart.

Greetings: English phrases with Bikol translations
English	Bikol	Notes
Good morningpending review	Marhay na aga	Every one of these is literally 'good' + 'morning', and the word for 'good' is the giveaway: maayo in the Visayan languages, maupay in Waray, marhay in Bikol, mayap in Kapampangan, maabig in Pangasinan, naimbag in Ilocano.
Good afternoonpending review	Marhay na hapon
Good eveningpending review	Marhay na banggi
Good daypending review	Marhay na aldaw
How are you?pending review	Kumusta ka?	The one phrase that is effectively identical everywhere, because all eight borrowed it from Spanish '¿cómo está?'. Do not read that as evidence the languages are close.
I'm finepending review	Marhay man
Goodbyepending review	Paaram	Cebuano 'ayo-ayo' and Hiligaynon 'halong' both mean 'take care' rather than 'farewell'; a bare word for goodbye is uncommon in the Visayan languages, and 'bye' is what people actually say.
Good night (on parting)pending review	Marhay na banggi	The word for good behaves here as it does in every greeting on this site; it is the second half worth looking at. Rabii, gabii, gab-i, banggi, bengi and labi are six forms that rhyme more than they match.

Courtesy

Thank you, sorry, yes and no.

Courtesy: English phrases with Bikol translations
English	Bikol	Notes
Thank youpending review	Salamat	Ilocano is the odd one out. 'Salamat' is understood in Ilocos, but 'agyamanak' — literally 'I am grateful' — is the native form and the one a speaker will use back to you.
Thank you very muchpending review	Dakulang salamat	The intensifier is the tell: daghan (Cebuano), madamo (Hiligaynon), damo (Waray), dakula (Bikol), dakal (Kapampangan), dakel (Pangasinan) — all meaning 'many', none of them the Tagalog 'marami'.
You're welcomepending review	Daing ano man	Waray's own name comes from this construction — 'waray' is the word for 'none', and the language is named after how often outsiders heard it.
Yespending review	Iyo	Four different words for yes across eight languages. Kapampangan 'wa' and Pangasinan 'on' are unrecognisable to a Tagalog speaker, and machine translation frequently passes them through untouched.
Nopending review	Dai	Ilocano also uses 'saan' for no, which is a genuine trap: 'saan' is 'where' in Tagalog. Hiligaynon 'indi' and Waray 'diri' look alike but Waray 'diri' collides with Hiligaynon 'diri', meaning 'here'.
Sorrypending review	Patawada ako	In everyday speech 'sorry' and 'pasensya' are what most speakers actually say in all eight; the native forms above are what you will see written.
Pleasepending review	Tabi	None of these behave like English 'please'. They are requests in their own right — Cebuano 'palihug' is closer to 'do me the favour' — and are usually attached to the verb rather than added at the end.
Excuse mepending review	Tabi po	Tabi is the shared form: Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Waray and Bikol all build on it and differ only in what follows — lang, anay, po. Tagalog makikiraan and Ilocano umisu man share nothing with it, or with each other.
No problempending review	Mayong problema	The word for 'none' is the giveaway: wala, awan, walay, waray, mayo. Waray-speakers are named after theirs.
Take carepending review	Mag-ingat ka	Cebuano ayo-ayo and Hiligaynon halong appear again as those languages' entry for goodbye. A Visayan farewell is usually an instruction to look after yourself rather than a word for parting.

Introductions

Names and first meetings.

Introductions: English phrases with Bikol translations
English	Bikol	Notes
What is your name?pending review	Ano an pangaran mo?	Kapampangan shares no root here at all — 'nanu' for what, 'lagyu' for name — which is a fair summary of how far Central Luzon sits from everything else on this list.
My name is…pending review	An pangaran ko…
Nice to meet youpending review	Maugma ako na mamidbid ka
Where are you from?pending review	Taga-sain ka?	Same frame, eight different question words bolted onto it. This single row is the clearest illustration of why machine translation between these languages fails: the shared 'taga-' makes the sentence look translatable while the word that carries the meaning is unique to each.

Understanding

Getting by when you do not follow.

Understanding: English phrases with Bikol translations
English	Bikol	Notes
I don't understandpending review	Dai ko nasasabutan
Do you speak English?pending review	Tataong ka mag-English?	The verb for 'to know how' differs completely: kamao, kabalo, maaram, tataong. None of them is the Tagalog 'marunong'.
Please say it againpending review	Tabi otroha
Please speak slowlypending review	Tabi luway-luway
What is this?pending review	Ano ini?
I understandpending review	Nasasabutan ko
What is this called?pending review	Ano an apod kaini?

Numbers

Native numerals one to ten, which diverge sharply between the Luzon and Visayan languages.

Numbers: English phrases with Bikol translations
English	Bikol	Notes
Onepending review	Saro	Cebuano and Waray 'usa' is a false friend of the highest order: in Tagalog 'usa' is a deer.
Twopending review	Duwa
Threepending review	Tulo
Fourpending review	Apat
Fivepending review	Lima	The one numeral that survives intact across all eight — and in Pangasinan 'lima' is also the word for 'hand', which is where the numeral came from in the first place.
Sixpending review	Anom
Sevenpending review	Pito	Pito is unchanged in six of the eight. The two that look different are not: Kapampangan pitu is the u-for-o that runs through its whole numeral set, and Pangasinan pitora is pito carrying the -ra counting suffix that makes its numerals longer than everyone else's.
Eightpending review	Walo	Walo survives untouched in six languages. Kapampangan walu and Pangasinan walora are the same word wearing each language's habits — the u for o, and the -ra that Pangasinan attaches to every numeral.
Ninepending review	Siyam	Siyam everywhere, and the differences are spelling rather than vocabulary: Ilocano writes siam without the y, Pangasinan siamira adds its counting suffix to the same root. Nine is one of the numerals no language here replaced.
Tenpending review	Sampulo	Pangasinan numerals carry a counting suffix -ra that none of the others use, so 'limara' and 'samplora' look longer than their neighbours for a structural reason rather than a phonetic one.
Elevenpending review	Kagsaro	Three different strategies for building teens: Tagalog and Kapampangan prefix labing-, the Visayan languages say 'ten and one', and Bikol has a dedicated form (kagsaro).
Twelvepending review	Kagduwa	Two ways of building it. Tagalog labindalawa, Kapampangan labingadwa and Pangasinan labinduara use a labi- prefix; the Visayan languages and Ilocano spell it out as ten and two — napulog duha, sangapulo ket dua. Bikol kagduwa contracts the same idea.
Twentypending review	Duwang pulo	Cebuano and Hiligaynon 'kaluhaan' bears no visible relation to their own word for two, duha. Waray's 'karuhaan' shows the same form after its regular l→r shift.
Thirtypending review	Tulong pulo	The Visayan languages wrap the root for three in ka- and -an and get katloan. Everyone else counts it out as three tens: tatlumpu, tallopulo, tulong pulo, atlungpulu, talomplo.
Fiftypending review	Limang pulo	Kalim-an is the same Visayan ka- -an circumfix seen on thirty, this time around lima. The others say five tens, and Ilocano limapulo shows that construction at its plainest.
One hundredpending review	Sanggatos	Kapampangan 'dinalan' and Pangasinan 'sanlasus' share nothing with the gatos/daan the rest use — another reminder that the Luzon languages are not a group.
One thousandpending review	Sangribo	Seven of the eight share libo and differ only in the counter in front of it — isang, usa ka, isa ka, sang-, san-. Ilocano sangaribu swaps the l for an r; Kapampangan drops the counter and says libu on its own.

Question words

Who, what, where and when — the words that differ most and trip up readers most.

Question words: English phrases with Bikol translations
English	Bikol	Notes
Whatpending review	Ano	Ano covers Tagalog, Hiligaynon, Waray and Bikol, and Pangasinan anto is close enough to guess. Cebuano unsa, Kapampangan nanu and Ilocano ania are separate words entirely. Question words open most sentences, which is why this is where comprehension between these languages tends to fail first.
Whopending review	Siisay	Hiligaynon 'sin-o' and Waray 'hin-o' differ by a single consonant, and that s→h shift runs through the whole of Waray. It is the single most reliable way to tell the two apart.
Wherepending review	Sain	Seven distinct words. Cebuano 'asa' is a false friend in Tagalog, where it means to hope or depend on someone.
Whenpending review	Nuarin	Six of the eight begin with ka-, and three of those carry a glottal stop written as a hyphen — kanus-a, san-o, kakan-o. Bikol nuarin is the outlier, sharing its shape with none of them.
How much?pending review	Pira?	Two different questions. Tagalog magkano and Kapampangan magkanu ask about price directly. Cebuano and Hiligaynon tagpila, Waray tagpira, Bikol pira, Pangasinan pigara and Ilocano mano are all built on that language's word for 'how many' instead.
How many?pending review	Pira?	Cebuano and Hiligaynon 'pila' means 'how many'. In Tagalog 'pila' is a queue — which makes 'Pila?' one of the most commonly misread words between Manila and Cebu.
Howpending review	pano

Time & days

Today, tomorrow, day and night.

Time & days: English phrases with Bikol translations
English	Bikol	Notes
Todaypending review	Ngonyan	Eight words and no agreement, and two of them are the trap on this site's Cebuano-Hiligaynon page: Cebuano karon means today, while Hiligaynon reaches for subong instead — because karon in Hiligaynon means later.
Tomorrowpending review	Sa aga	Ilocano builds tomorrow out of 'bigat', the word for morning — the same root as in 'Naimbag a bigat'.
Yesterdaypending review	Kasuhapon	Kahapon, gahapon and kasuhapon are one word with the prefix shifting. Waray kakulop, Ilocano idi kalman and Kapampangan napun stand outside it entirely.
Daypending review	Aldaw	In the Visayan languages 'adlaw' is both the day and the sun. Tagalog keeps the same double meaning in 'araw'; Ilocano does not — 'aldaw' is the day and 'init' is the sun.
Nightpending review	Banggi	Gabi is also the Tagalog for taro, separated only by stress — one of the few places where a core time word collides with a vegetable. Ilocano rabii, Bikol banggi, Kapampangan bengi and Pangasinan labi are the same word pulled through each language's consonants.
Weekpending review	Semana	Three Spanish routes to one word. The Visayan languages and Bikol took semana; Tagalog linggo and Kapampangan dominggo both come from domingo, the Sunday that bounds the week. Pangasinan simba arrived the same way — and it is why simba means a week there and 'to attend mass' in Tagalog.
Yearpending review	Taon	Tuig across all three Visayan languages, taon in Tagalog, Bikol and Pangasinan, with Ilocano tawen the same word carrying its w. Kapampangan banwa belongs to neither group.
Mondaypending review	Lunes	All eight took the Spanish weekday names wholesale. Only Sunday diverges — see below.
Tuesdaypending review	Martes	Identical in all eight. The Spanish weekday names arrived as a set, and none of these languages had a competing seven-day cycle to defend.
Wednesdaypending review	Miyerkules	The only variation is spelling. Ilocano, Hiligaynon and Pangasinan write -koles; the other five write -kules.
Thursdaypending review	Huwebes	Huebes in Ilocano and Pangasinan, huwebes in the rest — the same choice between u and w those two make on Wednesday and again on Friday.
Fridaypending review	Biyernes	Biernes in Ilocano and Pangasinan, biyernes elsewhere. Three weekdays running where those two languages spell the Spanish the same way against the other six.
Saturdaypending review	Sabado	Sabado in all eight with no variation whatsoever — the one weekday where even Ilocano and Pangasinan write it exactly as everyone else does.
Sundaypending review	Domingo	Tagalog is the outlier: 'Linggo' where the rest kept 'Domingo'. Pangasinan went further and uses 'Simba', from the word for churchgoing — the same root Tagalog uses for the verb 'to attend mass'.
Noonpending review	Udto	Udto across the Visayan languages and Bikol, with Kapampangan ugtu the same word. Tagalog tanghali stands alone, and Ilocano does not use a single word at all: tengnga ti aldaw is 'the middle of the day'.
Morningpending review	Aga	Aga in Hiligaynon, Waray and Bikol, and Tagalog umaga is that root under a prefix. Cebuano buntag, Ilocano bigat, Kapampangan abak and Pangasinan kabuasan are four separate answers — which is why the greetings built on them share so little.
Laterpending review	Mayamaya	The sharpest time-word trap in the Visayas. Hiligaynon 'karon' means later; Cebuano 'karon' means now. The same word moves an appointment in opposite directions.
Hourpending review	Oras	Oras in all eight, from Spanish horas, with no language keeping an alternative alongside it.
Alwayspending review	Pirmi	Pirme and pirmi in Hiligaynon, Waray and Bikol are Spanish firme. Cebuano kanunay and Ilocano kanayon are one word between them; Tagalog lagi, Kapampangan pane and Pangasinan naynay are each on their own.

Family & people

Relationships and forms of address.

Family & people: English phrases with Bikol translations
English	Bikol	Notes
Motherpending review	Ina	Kapampangan 'ima' is a mother; Ilocano 'ima' is a hand. Two Luzon languages a hundred kilometres apart, same three letters, nothing in common.
Fatherpending review	Ama	Ama holds in Tagalog, Ilocano, Bikol and Pangasinan. Cebuano amahan and the Hiligaynon and Waray amay are the same root extended; Kapampangan ibpa is the only one that shares nothing, which is the pattern Kapampangan sets across this whole list.
Mumpending review	Nanay	Nanay is the near-universal informal form. Ilocano nanang keeps the same shape with its own ending, and Kapampangan ima stands apart — the formal ina sits behind most of these, but nanay is what people actually say.
Dadpending review	Tatay	Tatay runs through six of the eight, with Ilocano and Kapampangan both saying tatang. That pairing is worth noticing: the two languages agree here while disagreeing on almost every other kinship term on this page.
Childpending review	Aki	'Anak' is the offspring relationship in all eight; Bikol 'aki' is the exception and is a child in general.
Siblingpending review	Tugang	Six unrelated roots. Only Tagalog 'kapatid' and Kapampangan 'kapatad' match, and that is a loan rather than shared inheritance.
Grandmotherpending review	Lola	Lola is Spanish, and it has taken over Tagalog and all three Visayan languages plus Bikol. What it has not displaced is instructive — Ilocano apong baket, Kapampangan apu and Pangasinan bai all survive in the Luzon languages outside Tagalog.
Grandfatherpending review	Lolo	Pangasinan 'laki' is a grandfather. In Tagalog, Cebuano and most of the rest, 'lalaki' is simply a man — close enough to mislead.
Friendpending review	Katood	Eight languages, eight unrelated words. Kapampangan 'kaluguran' doubles as a term of affection, which is why 'Kaluguran daka' means 'I love you'.
Manpending review	Lalaki	Lalaki, unchanged in seven of the eight. Pangasinan laki is the same word with the first syllable worn away, which it also does to babae — bii.
Womanpending review	Babayi	Babae with local spellings — babai, babaye, babayi — in seven languages. Pangasinan bii is the outlier, and it is the same clipping that turns lalaki into laki.
Spousepending review	Agom	'Asawa' covers husband and wife alike in seven of the eight — the sex of the spouse is not marked. Bikol 'agom' is the odd one out.
Namepending review	Pangaran	No single word here, which matters because 'what is your name' is the first sentence anyone learns. Ngalan and ngaran run through the Visayan languages and Bikol, Ilocano nagan is close, and Kapampangan lagyu shares nothing with any of them.
Neighbourpending review	Kataning	Eight languages, eight words, no two alike. Everyday social vocabulary diverges far more than the numbers or the animals do, and this row is the clearest example of it on the site.
Babypending review	Umboy
Unclepending review	Tiyo	Tiyo is Spanish and has taken Tagalog, Hiligaynon, Waray and Bikol. The native terms survive where Spanish reached less deeply: Ilocano and Pangasinan both keep uliteg, Cebuano uyoan, Kapampangan bapa.
Auntpending review	Tiya	The same split as uncle, and the same languages resist. Tiya covers Tagalog, Hiligaynon, Waray and Bikol; Ilocano and Pangasinan both keep ikit, exactly as they both keep uliteg.
Man (adult male)pending review	lalaki	Lalaki with no variation at all until Pangasinan, which clips it to laki — the same thing it does to the word for woman.
Man (human being)pending review	tawo	Tao and tawo are one word: the Visayan languages and Bikol keep the w, Tagalog and Ilocano drop it. Pangasinan too and Kapampangan tau are the same again with their own vowels.
Child (a youth)pending review	aki	Two different words competing. Anak means offspring and covers most of the list; Tagalog and Cebuano bata means a young person regardless of whose child they are. Bikol aki is a third. Which one a language chose is a choice about what 'child' means.
Wifepending review	agom	Asawa in seven of the eight, and it is gender-neutral in all of them — the same word appears as the entry for husband. Bikol agom is the only language here using a separate term.
Husbandpending review	agom	The interesting row is this one against wife. Tagalog, Ilocano, Kapampangan and Pangasinan use asawa for both; Cebuano, Hiligaynon and Waray keep a distinct bana for a husband. Bikol agom covers both, like asawa does.

Food & eating

Meals, ingredients and asking for them.

Food & eating: English phrases with Bikol translations
English	Bikol	Notes
Rice (uncooked)pending review	Bagas	All eight distinguish uncooked grain from cooked rice with separate words — a distinction English has to spell out.
Fishpending review	Sira	Bikol and Pangasinan 'sira' is a fish. In Tagalog and Cebuano 'sira' means broken or spoiled — so a Bikolano menu can read alarmingly to a Manila reader.
Meatpending review	Karne	Karne in all eight without a single spelling change. That is unusual for a loan on this list — most leave at least one language holding its own word, and meat left none.
Chickenpending review	Manok	Manok in all eight, with only Kapampangan manuk differing and only in the vowel it always changes. Unlike karne directly above it, nothing displaced this one.
Pigpending review	Urig	Baboy in seven. Bikol urig is the only language here that kept something else, and Kapampangan babi is baboy with its usual syllable lost.
Eggpending review	Sugok	One of the sharpest splits in this file. 'Itlog' covers Tagalog through Hiligaynon, then Waray, Bikol, Kapampangan and Pangasinan each go their own way entirely.
Saltpending review	Asin	The province of Pangasinan is named for this word — 'pang-asin-an', the place where salt is made.
Vegetablepending review	Gulay	Utan across the three Visayan languages, gulay in Tagalog and Bikol with Kapampangan gule beside them. Ilocano nateng and Pangasinan pising are each alone.
To eatpending review	Magkakan	Ilocano, Kapampangan and Pangasinan all use 'mangan' — a genuine Luzon isogloss, and one of the very few things the three share against the Visayan 'kaon'.
I'm hungrypending review	Gutom na ako	Gutom is the shared root through Tagalog, the Visayan languages and Bikol. The three Luzon languages outside Tagalog each have their own — and each folds the 'I' into the verb rather than saying it separately: mabisinak, danupan ku na, naerasan ak.
Deliciouspending review	Masiram	Eight languages, eight unrelated words for the same compliment. If you learn one word from this list, learn the local one for this.
I'm fullpending review	Basog na ako	Busog runs through Tagalog, the Visayan languages and Bikol. Ilocano nabsogakon is the same root with the person attached to it — the construction the pronouns guide sets out, where a whole sentence fits inside one word.
Breadpending review	Tinapay	Tinapay in seven languages. Cebuano alone says pan — Spanish, and shorter.
Sugarpending review	Asukar	Asukal or asukar, and the split is one consonant: Tagalog, Cebuano, Kapampangan and Pangasinan take the l; Ilocano, Hiligaynon, Waray and Bikol take the r. Four against four.
Bananapending review	Batag	Saging in five. Ilocano and Pangasinan both say saba, which in Tagalog names one particular cooking variety rather than the fruit in general. Bikol batag is its own word.
Coconutpending review	Niyog	Lubi across all three Visayan languages; niyog in Tagalog, Bikol and Pangasinan with Ilocano niog alongside. Kapampangan ungut belongs to neither group.
Mangopending review	Mangga	Mangga in all eight with no variation, which on a page where sweet, sour and salty all splinter is worth noticing.
Cornpending review	Mais	Mais in all eight, from Spanish maíz. Maize is a New World crop that reached these islands through Spain, and the word came with the plant.
Garlicpending review	Bawang	The Visayan languages took the Spanish 'ajos'; the Luzon languages kept the native 'bawang'.
Soup, brothpending review	Sabaw	Sabaw in six, with Kapampangan sabo the same word shortened. Ilocano digo is the only real outlier.
Sweetpending review	Mahamis	Tam-is is the root, and almost every language wraps it in its own adjective prefix — ma-, na-. Bikol mahamis differs by a single consonant; Kapampangan mayumu is the one form here unrelated to the rest.
Sourpending review	Maalsom	One root under everyone's adjective prefix, and the vowels do the moving: aslom, aslam, alsem, alsom. The consonants hold. Tagalog maasim is the same word with the l dropped.
Spicypending review	Maharang
Saltypending review	Maalat	Maalat in Tagalog, Waray, Bikol and Kapampangan. Hiligaynon maasin builds it on asin — salt itself — while Cebuano parat and Ilocano naapgad are separate words again.
To cookpending review	Magluto	Luto is the root in every one; only the prefix changes — mag-, ag-, man-. Ilocano agluto takes the ag- that marks actor focus, the same prefix the verb table sets out.
Platepending review	Platito	A clean split between the Spanish word and the native one. Tagalog, Cebuano and Bikol took plato; Ilocano, Hiligaynon, Waray, Kapampangan and Pangasinan all kept pinggan. Five to three, and geography does not predict which.
Spoonpending review	Kutsara	Kutsara in all eight, from Spanish cuchara — and it sits beside plate, where five languages kept pinggan rather than take plato. The spoon was borrowed everywhere; the plate was not.

Drinks

Water, coffee and what to order.

Drinks: English phrases with Bikol translations
English	Bikol	Notes
Waterpending review	Tubig	The Luzon/Visayan split in one word: danum in the north, tubig everywhere else. Tagalog sides with the Visayan languages here despite sitting on Luzon.
Coffeepending review	Kape
Milkpending review	Gatas
To drinkpending review	Mag-inom
Water, pleasepending review	Tubig tabi
Teapending review	Tsaa
Beerpending review	Serbesa
Hot waterpending review	Mainit na tubig
Cold waterpending review	Malipot na tubig

Market & money

Prices, haggling, paying.

Market & money: English phrases with Bikol translations
English	Bikol	Notes
Moneypending review	Kwarta	Tagalog took 'pera' from Spanish 'perra'; everything north and south of it took 'cuarta' instead. The two are not interchangeable outside Manila.
Expensivepending review	Mahal	In Tagalog 'mahal' means both expensive and beloved. Ilocano keeps them apart — 'nangina' for costly, 'ay-ayat' for love — so the pun does not survive translation.
Cheappending review	Barato	Four of the eight reach for the Spanish 'barato' rather than a native word, while Tagalog and Ilocano kept their own.
To buypending review	Magbakal	Cebuano 'palit' is to buy; in Tagalog 'palit' is to exchange or swap. Same root, opposite ends of a transaction.
Marketpending review	Saudan
How much is this?pending review	Pira ini?
That's too expensivepending review	Mahal na marhay
Can you lower the price?pending review	Pwede tawad?
To sellpending review	Magtinda

Directions

Left, right, here, there and how far.

Directions: English phrases with Bikol translations
English	Bikol	Notes
Leftpending review	Wala	The most dangerous word on this page. 'Wala' means left in four of these languages and 'none' in Tagalog — so a Tagalog speaker hearing directions in Cebu can understand the sentence and take the wrong turn.
Rightpending review	Tuo
Herepending review	Digdi	Hiligaynon 'diri' is 'here'. Waray 'diri' is 'not'. The two languages are neighbours and this pair catches people constantly.
Therepending review	Duman
Farpending review	Harayo
Nearpending review	Harani
Where is the toilet?pending review	Sain an banyo?
To gopending review	Magduman
Straight aheadpending review	Diretso
Uppending review	Itaas
Downpending review	Ibaba
Insidepending review	Laog
Outsidepending review	Luwas

Health & emergency

The phrases worth knowing before you need them.

Health & emergency: English phrases with Bikol translations
English	Bikol	Notes
Help!pending review	Tabang!	Worth memorising the local form before you need it. Cebuano 'tabang' is help; Hiligaynon 'tab-ang' is bland or tasteless, which is a poor thing to shout.
Doctorpending review	Doktor
Hospitalpending review	Ospital
I am sickpending review	May hilang ako
It hurtspending review	Makulog	Waray 'maul-ul' and Bikol 'makulog' share nothing with the 'sakit' the other six use.
Policepending review	Pulis
Fire!pending review	Kalayo!	Bikol shouts 'Kalayo!', which in Tagalog would be parsed as 'distance'. In an emergency that is the worst possible ambiguity.
Thief!pending review	Parahabon!
Be carefulpending review	Mag-ingat ka
I am lostpending review	Nawara ako
Feverpending review	Kalintura
Headachepending review	Kulog kan payo

The body

Head to foot, where several of these languages share nothing at all.

The body: English phrases with Bikol translations
English	Bikol	Notes
Headpending review	Payo	Bikol 'payo' is a head. In Tagalog 'payo' is advice — which makes it one of the neatest false friends in the country.
Eyepending review	Mata
Handpending review	Kamot	Three separate traps in one row: Ilocano 'ima' is Kapampangan for mother, Visayan 'kamot' is Tagalog for scratching, and Pangasinan 'lima' is the numeral five in every other language here.
Footpending review	Bitis
Mouthpending review	Nguso	Visayan 'baba' is a mouth; Tagalog 'baba' is a chin, and with different stress it is also 'down'. Neighbouring body parts, different words.
Stomachpending review	Tulak
Hairpending review	Buhok
Earpending review	Talinga
Nosepending review	Dungo
Toothpending review	Ngipon
Bloodpending review	Dugo	Ilocano and Kapampangan both say 'daya' for blood — and in Tagalog and Cebuano the same word means cheating. Worth care in any medical setting.
Heartpending review	Puso
Skin (of a person)pending review	kublit
Meat (as in flesh)pending review	laman
Bonepending review	tulang
Fat (noun)pending review	taba
Tonguepending review	dila
Fingernailpending review	kuko
Legpending review	tabay
Kneepending review	tuhod
Bellypending review	tulak
Gutspending review	bituka
Neckpending review	liog
Backpending review	likod
Breastpending review	suso
Liverpending review	katoy

Nature & weather

Sun, rain, sea and mountain.

Nature & weather: English phrases with Bikol translations
English	Bikol	Notes
Sunpending review	Saldang	Ilocano 'init' is the sun; Tagalog 'init' is heat. Related idea, different part of speech, and machine translation routinely mixes the two.
Moonpending review	Bulan	Seven of the eight kept 'bulan'; Tagalog alone shifted the l to w. The same word means 'month' in all of them.
Starpending review	Bitoon
Rainpending review	Uran	Ilocano is alone here. 'Tudo' shares nothing with the ulan/uran the other seven use.
Seapending review	Dagat
Mountainpending review	Bukid	Two traps at once. Ilocano 'bantay' is a mountain; in Tagalog it is a guard. Visayan 'bukid' is a mountain; in Tagalog 'bukid' is a field or farm.
Housepending review	Harong
Firepending review	Kalayo	Visayan 'kalayo' is fire; Tagalog 'kalayo' would be parsed as 'distance'. The Luzon languages all keep apoy/apuy.
Riverpending review	Salog	Waray and Bikol 'salog' looks close to Tagalog 'ilog' but is a separate root — and in Cebuano 'salog' is a floor.
Land, soilpending review	Daga	Six unrelated roots for the ground under your feet, and Ilocano 'daga' collides head-on with Tagalog, where it means a rat.
Treepending review	Kahoy
Flowerpending review	Burak	Ilocano 'sabong' is a flower. In Tagalog 'sabong' is cockfighting — an unusually large gap for two languages spoken on the same island.
Stonepending review	Gapo
Windpending review	Duros
Skypending review	Langit	Pangasinan 'tawen' is the sky; Ilocano 'tawen' is a year. Two Northern Luzon languages, one word, no shared meaning.
Earthquakepending review	Linog
Typhoonpending review	Bagyo
Forestpending review	kadlagan
Stick (of wood)pending review	sarasa
Fruitpending review	bunga
Seedpending review	pisog
Leafpending review	dahon
Rootpending review	gamot
Bark (of tree)pending review	ubak
Grasspending review	duot
Lakepending review	danaw
Sea (as in ocean)pending review	dagat
Sandpending review	baybay
Dustpending review	alpog
Earth (as in soil)pending review	daga
Cloudpending review	dampog
Fogpending review	ambon
Wind (as in breeze)pending review	duros
Snowpending review	nyebe
Icepending review	yelo
Smokepending review	aso
Ashpending review	abo
Day (daytime)pending review	aldaw

Describing things

Big, small, good, beautiful.

Describing things: English phrases with Bikol translations
English	Bikol	Notes
Bigpending review	Dakula
Smallpending review	Sadit
Goodpending review	Marhay
Badpending review	Maraot
Beautifulpending review	Magayon	Bikol 'magayon' is the root behind Mayon, the volcano. Waray 'mahusay' means beautiful; in Tagalog the same word means skilled or well-arranged.
Hotpending review	Mainit
Coldpending review	Malipot
Fastpending review	Marikas
Newpending review	Bago
Old (of a thing)pending review	Luma	Ilocano and the Visayan languages use 'daan' for old — the same string Tagalog uses for a road.
Old (of a person)pending review	Gurang	Ilocano 'lakay' is an old man specifically; 'baket' is the word for an old woman, and that one collides with Kapampangan 'baket', meaning why.
Manypending review	Dakol
Fewpending review	Kadikit
Longpending review	Halaba
Shortpending review	Halipot
Heavypending review	Magabat
Cleanpending review	Malinig
Dirtypending review	Maati
Allpending review	gabos
Somepending review	nagkapira
Otherpending review	iba
Widepending review	halakbang
Thickpending review	mahibog
Narrowpending review	hayapit
Thinpending review	mahimpis
Warm (as in weather)pending review	maimbong
Cold (as in weather)pending review	malipot
Fullpending review	pano
Oldpending review	daan
Rotten (as a log)pending review	lapa
Straightpending review	tanos
Roundpending review	bilog
Sharp (as a knife)pending review	matarom
Dull (as a knife)pending review	mangurol
Smoothpending review	mahalnas
Wetpending review	dumog
Dry (adjective)pending review	alang
Right (correct)pending review	tama
Right (side)pending review	tuo
Left (side)pending review	wala

Feelings

Saying how you are, and how you feel about someone.

Feelings: English phrases with Bikol translations
English	Bikol	Notes
I love youpending review	Namumutan ta ka	Eight languages and eight completely different verbs. This row alone answers the question of whether Philippine languages are 'dialects of each other'.
Happypending review	Maugma
Sadpending review	Mamundo
Tiredpending review	Pagal
Angrypending review	Anggot
I miss youpending review	Namimibian taka
Afraidpending review	Takot
Surprisedpending review	Nagkukurahaw

Colours

Basic colour terms.

Colours: English phrases with Bikol translations
English	Bikol	Notes
Redpending review	Pula	Pula covers Tagalog, all three Visayan languages and Bikol. The three that break from it — Ilocano nalabaga, Kapampangan malutu, Pangasinan ambalanga — are exactly the three Luzon languages that sit outside the Central Philippine branch. The family tree showing through a colour word.
Whitepending review	Puti	Puti is the base, and two languages keep it under a prefix: Kapampangan maputi, Pangasinan amputi. The two that abandon it are Ilocano puraw and Waray busag — and busag is one of the words that marks Waray off from its Bisayan neighbours, which both say puti.
Blackpending review	Itom	Kapampangan 'matuling' is black. Tagalog 'matulin' — one letter apart — means fast.
Bluepending review	Asul	Identical in all eight. That is what a loanword looks like: nothing native survives here, so there is nothing for the languages to disagree about. Compare red, where the native words hold and almost nothing matches.
Greenpending review	Berde	Only Kapampangan kept a native word. The other seven took the Spanish 'verde' and never replaced it.
Orangepending review	Kahel	The same word in all eight, which on this list is true only of orange and blue. Borrowed colour terms travel intact; the native ones — red, white, yellow — are where these languages part company.
Greypending review	Abuhon	Every one of these is built on the word for ash — abo, dapo — rather than being a colour term of its own.

Everyday verbs

The actions that carry most sentences.

Everyday verbs: English phrases with Bikol translations
English	Bikol	Notes
To sleeppending review	Magturog
To seepending review	Mahiling
To saypending review	Sabihon	Ilocano and Pangasinan share 'ibaga' — but in Tagalog 'baga' is an ember, and in Ilocano it is the colour red.
To knowpending review	Aram
To wantpending review	Gusto	Kapampangan 'buri' is to want or like. In Tagalog 'buri' is a species of palm.
To givepending review	Magtao
To workpending review	Magtrabaho
To walkpending review	Maglakaw
To speakpending review	Magtaram	The Visayan languages disagree with each other completely here — sulti, hambal, yakan — which is a useful corrective to the idea that they are one language.
To listenpending review	Maghinanyog
To writepending review	Magsurat
To readpending review	Magbasa
To sitpending review	Magtukaw
To standpending review	Magtindog
To runpending review	Magdalagan
To waitpending review	Maghalat
To openpending review	Buksan
To closepending review	Isara
To washpending review	Maghugas
To come herepending review	Magdigdi
To bitepending review	kagat
To suckpending review	supsop
To spitpending review	lutab
To vomitpending review	suka
To blow (as wind)pending review	hayop
To breathepending review	hangos
To laughpending review	ngisi
To hearpending review	dangog
To know (a fact)pending review	aram
To thinkpending review	isip
To smell (sense odour)pending review	parong
To fearpending review	takot
To livepending review	buhay
To diepending review	gadan
To killpending review	gadan
To fightpending review	laban
To hunt (transitive)pending review	mangayam
To hitpending review	tama
To cutpending review	putol
To splitpending review	silak
To stab (or stick)pending review	saksak
To scratch (an itch)pending review	kagaw
To digpending review	kalot
To swimpending review	langoy
To flypending review	layog
To comepending review	abot
To lie (as on one's side)pending review	higda
To turn (change direction)pending review	siko
To fall (as in drop)pending review	hulog
To hold (in one's hand)pending review	kapot
To squeezepending review	gumok
To rubpending review	gusgos
To wipepending review	pahid
To pullpending review	guyod
To pushpending review	tulod
To throwpending review	apon
To tiepending review	igakod
To sewpending review	tahi
To countpending review	bilang
To singpending review	kanta
To playpending review	kawat
To floatpending review	lataw
To flowpending review	bulos
To freezepending review	lipot
To swellpending review	gatok
To burn (intransitive)pending review	sulo

Months

The Spanish-derived month names, and where the spellings part company.

Months: English phrases with Bikol translations
English	Bikol	Notes
Januarypending review	Enero	The month names are Spanish in all eight languages. What varies is spelling: Tagalog respells the Spanish f as p (Pebrero), while several of the others keep Febrero.
Februarypending review	Pebrero
Marchpending review	Marso
Aprilpending review	Abril
Maypending review	Mayo
Junepending review	Hunyo
Julypending review	Hulyo
Augustpending review	Agosto
Septemberpending review	Setyembre
Octoberpending review	Oktubre
Novemberpending review	Nobyembre
Decemberpending review	Disyembre

Getting around

Roads, boats, jeepneys and how to get off one.

Getting around: English phrases with Bikol translations
English	Bikol	Notes
Roadpending review	Tinampo	Seven of the eight use 'dalan'. Tagalog's 'daan' is the same root worn down, and Bikol went its own way with 'tinampo'.
Boatpending review	Baroto
Carpending review	Awto
To ridepending review	Magsakay
Stop here, pleasepending review	Para tabi	'Para' comes from Spanish 'parar', to stop, and is the universal way to get off a jeepney anywhere in the country.
Where are you going?pending review	Sain ka maduman?
Ticketpending review	Tiket

Somewhere to stay

Rooms, doors, keys — a category where almost nothing carries between languages.

Somewhere to stay: English phrases with Bikol translations
English	Bikol	Notes
Keypending review	Yaba	Another row where nothing carries over. Ilocano 'tulbek' and Tagalog 'susi' share no history at all.
Doorpending review	Pinto
Windowpending review	Bintana	Ilocano 'tawa' is a window. In Tagalog it is laughter.
Roompending review	Kuwarto
Bedpending review	Katre
Toiletpending review	Kasilyas

Things to buy

Everyday items you might need to ask for.

Things to buy: English phrases with Bikol translations
English	Bikol	Notes
Clothespending review	Bado
Shoespending review	Sapatos
Medicinepending review	Bulong	Worth knowing before a pharmacy visit, and the source of a nasty trap: Tagalog 'gamot' is medicine, but in the Visayan languages the same word means a root.
Soappending review	Sabon
Bookpending review	Libro
Paperpending review	Papel

Animals

Everyday creatures, and several of the sharpest false friends on the site.

Animals: English phrases with Bikol translations
English	Bikol	Notes
Dogpending review	Ayam	Four unrelated words for the commonest domestic animal. Worth pairing with the Cebuano trap: 'aso' means smoke there, so the Tagalog word for dog is a real Cebuano word meaning something else entirely.
Catpending review	Ikos	The one domestic animal with no agreement at all. Pusa covers Tagalog, Ilocano, Kapampangan and Pangasinan; the Visayan languages each have their own word — iring, kuring, uding — and Bikol ikos shares with none of them.
Carabaopending review	Karabaw	The national animal, and three of the eight have their own word for it — Ilocano nuang, Kapampangan damulag, Pangasinan dueg.
Goatpending review	Kanding	Kanding across the Visayan languages, Bikol and Pangasinan; kambing in Tagalog and Kapampangan; Ilocano kalding sits between the two with its own consonant. Three shapes of what looks like one word.
Cowpending review	Baka	Baka in all eight without variation. Spanish vaca arrived with the animal itself, so there was no native word for it to displace — which is why this row is flat while cat is not.
Horsepending review	Kabayo	Kabayo everywhere, from Spanish caballo, with only spelling separating them: Ilocano kabalyo keeps the Spanish ll, Kapampangan kabayu takes its usual u. Another animal that arrived with its name.
Snakepending review	Halas	Five unrelated words, and the one worth memorising before you need it. Ilocano and Pangasinan share 'uleg', which is unusual — the two rarely agree.
Birdpending review	Gamgam	Cebuano 'langgam' is a bird; Tagalog 'langgam' is an ant. One of the most-cited false friends between the two largest languages in the country.
Mosquitopending review	Lamok	Lamok in most, but Hiligaynon and Waray both say namok. The l-to-n shift between those two and their neighbours turns up elsewhere in Bisayan and is regular enough to guess at.
Animalpending review	hayop	Hayop covers Tagalog, Hiligaynon, Waray and Bikol, with Ilocano ayup and Pangasinan ayep as the same word reduced. Cebuano mananap is its own; the Kapampangan cell reads animal, which is worth a speaker's eye before it is trusted.
Lousepending review	kuto	Kuto in all eight, with only Kapampangan kutu differing and only in its usual vowel. Head lice are old and universal, and the word for them has not moved.
Wormpending review	ulod	Ulod across the Visayan languages and Bikol, uod in Tagalog. Ilocano igges and Pangasinan biges share nothing with them or, on the face of it, with each other. Kapampangan bulati is a fourth answer.
Hornpending review	sungay	Sungay holds in Tagalog and most of the Visayas, then falls apart: Ilocano sara, Waray budyong, Kapampangan sagu, Pangasinan saklor. Waray breaking from Cebuano and Hiligaynon here is its habit rather than an exception.
Tailpending review	ikog	Ikog runs through the Visayan languages and Bikol, and Pangasinan ikol and Kapampangan iki are recognisably the same. Tagalog buntot and Ilocano ipus are the two that stand outside it.
Featherpending review	balukag	Balahibo, balhibo and barahibo are one word — the Waray r for l is the shift that language applies regularly. Ilocano dutdut, Kapampangan bulbul and Pangasinan bago are separate answers, and Bikol balukag is a fourth.
Wingpending review	pakpak	Pakpak in five languages, and Cebuano and Waray pako is the same root without the doubling. Ilocano payak is the only form that has moved far from it.