English to Cebuano Phrasebook

Greetings

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

Greetings: English phrases with Cebuano translations
English	Cebuano	Notes
Good morningpending review	Maayong buntag	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	Maayong hapon
Good eveningpending review	Maayong gabii
Good daypending review	Maayong adlaw
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	Maayo ra
Goodbyepending review	Ayo-ayo	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	Maayong gabii	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.
Long time no seepending review	Dugay na ta wala magkita	Cebuano and Hiligaynon both build this on dugay. Waray reaches for maiha instead — and its sentence carries waray itself, the negator the language is named after.

Courtesy

Thank you, sorry, yes and no.

Courtesy: English phrases with Cebuano translations
English	Cebuano	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	Daghang 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	Walay sapayan	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	Oo	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	Dili	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	Pasayloa ko	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	Palihug	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 lang	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	Walay problema	The word for 'none' is the giveaway: wala, awan, walay, waray, mayo. Waray-speakers are named after theirs.
Take carepending review	Ayo-ayo	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 Cebuano translations
English	Cebuano	Notes
What is your name?pending review	Unsa'y imong ngalan?	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	Ang akong ngalan kay…
Nice to meet youpending review	Nalipay ko nga nailhan tika
Where are you from?pending review	Taga-asa 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 Cebuano translations
English	Cebuano	Notes
I don't understandpending review	Wala ko kasabot
Do you speak English?pending review	Kamao ka mo-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	Palihug balika
Please speak slowlypending review	Palihug hinay-hinay
What is this?pending review	Unsa ni?
I understandpending review	Kasabot ko
What is this called?pending review	Unsa'y tawag ani?
How do you say this?pending review	Unsaon ni pagsulti?

Numbers

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

Numbers: English phrases with Cebuano translations
English	Cebuano	Notes
Onepending review	Usa	Cebuano and Waray 'usa' is a false friend of the highest order: in Tagalog 'usa' is a deer.
Twopending review	Duha
Threepending review	Tulo
Fourpending review	Upat
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	Unom
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	Napulo	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	Napulog usa	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	Napulog duha	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	Kaluhaan	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	Katloan	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	Kalim-an	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	Usa ka gatos	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	Usa ka libo	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 Cebuano translations
English	Cebuano	Notes
Whatpending review	Unsa	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	Kinsa	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	Asa	Seven distinct words. Cebuano 'asa' is a false friend in Tagalog, where it means to hope or depend on someone.
Whenpending review	Kanus-a	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.
Whypending review	Ngano	Kapampangan 'baket' looks like Tagalog 'bakit' and means the same thing — but it is also the Ilocano word for an old woman or a wife, so the same string means two unrelated things depending on which language you are reading.
How much?pending review	Tagpila?	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	Pila?	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	unsaon

Time & days

Today, tomorrow, day and night.

Time & days: English phrases with Cebuano translations
English	Cebuano	Notes
Todaypending review	Karon	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	Ugma	Ilocano builds tomorrow out of 'bigat', the word for morning — the same root as in 'Naimbag a bigat'.
Yesterdaypending review	Gahapon	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	Adlaw	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	Gabii	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	Tuig	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	Dominggo	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	Buntag	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	Unya	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	Kanunay	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 Cebuano translations
English	Cebuano	Notes
Motherpending review	Inahan	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	Amahan	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	Anak	'Anak' is the offspring relationship in all eight; Bikol 'aki' is the exception and is a child in general.
Siblingpending review	Igsoon	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	Higala	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	Babaye	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	Asawa	'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	Ngalan	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	Silingan	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	Masuso
Unclepending review	Uyoan	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	Iyaan	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	bata	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	asawa	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	bana	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 Cebuano translations
English	Cebuano	Notes
Rice (uncooked)pending review	Bugas	All eight distinguish uncooked grain from cooked rice with separate words — a distinction English has to spell out.
Rice (cooked)pending review	Kan-on	Kapampangan 'nasi' is a Malay-shaped word that none of its neighbours share.
Fishpending review	Isda	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	Baboy	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	Itlog	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	Utan	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	Mokaon	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	Gigutom ko	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	Lami	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	Busog na ko	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	Pan	Tinapay in seven languages. Cebuano alone says pan — Spanish, and shorter.
Sugarpending review	Asukal	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	Saging	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	Lubi	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	Ahos	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	Tam-is	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	Aslom	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	Halang
Saltypending review	Parat	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	Plato	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 Cebuano translations
English	Cebuano	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	Moinom
Water, pleasepending review	Palihug ug tubig
Teapending review	Tsa
Beerpending review	Beer
Hot waterpending review	Init nga tubig
Cold waterpending review	Bugnaw nga tubig

Market & money

Prices, haggling, paying.

Market & money: English phrases with Cebuano translations
English	Cebuano	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	Mopalit	Cebuano 'palit' is to buy; in Tagalog 'palit' is to exchange or swap. Same root, opposite ends of a transaction.
Marketpending review	Merkado
How much is this?pending review	Tagpila ni?
That's too expensivepending review	Mahal kaayo
Can you lower the price?pending review	Pwede hangyo?
To sellpending review	Mobaligya

Directions

Left, right, here, there and how far.

Directions: English phrases with Cebuano translations
English	Cebuano	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	Dinhi	Hiligaynon 'diri' is 'here'. Waray 'diri' is 'not'. The two languages are neighbours and this pair catches people constantly.
Therepending review	Didto
Farpending review	Layo
Nearpending review	Duol
Where is the toilet?pending review	Asa ang banyo?
To gopending review	Moadto
Straight aheadpending review	Diretso
Uppending review	Taas
Downpending review	Ubos
Insidepending review	Sulod
Outsidepending review	Gawas

Health & emergency

The phrases worth knowing before you need them.

Health & emergency: English phrases with Cebuano translations
English	Cebuano	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	Masakiton ko
It hurtspending review	Sakit	Waray 'maul-ul' and Bikol 'makulog' share nothing with the 'sakit' the other six use.
Policepending review	Pulis
Fire!pending review	Sunog!	Bikol shouts 'Kalayo!', which in Tagalog would be parsed as 'distance'. In an emergency that is the worst possible ambiguity.
Thief!pending review	Kawatan!
Be carefulpending review	Pag-amping
I am lostpending review	Nawala ko
Feverpending review	Hilanat
Headachepending review	Labad sa ulo

The body

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

The body: English phrases with Cebuano translations
English	Cebuano	Notes
Headpending review	Ulo	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	Tiil
Mouthpending review	Baba	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	Tiyan
Hairpending review	Buhok
Earpending review	Dalunggan
Nosepending review	Ilong
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	Kasingkasing
Skin (of a person)pending review	panit
Meat (as in flesh)pending review	unod
Bonepending review	bukog
Fat (noun)pending review	tambok
Tonguepending review	dila
Fingernailpending review	kuko
Legpending review	paa
Kneepending review	tuhod
Bellypending review	tiyan
Gutspending review	tinae
Neckpending review	liog
Backpending review	likod
Breastpending review	tutoy
Liverpending review	atay

Nature & weather

Sun, rain, sea and mountain.

Nature & weather: English phrases with Cebuano translations
English	Cebuano	Notes
Sunpending review	Adlaw	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	Bituon
Rainpending review	Ulan	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	Balay
Firepending review	Kalayo	Visayan 'kalayo' is fire; Tagalog 'kalayo' would be parsed as 'distance'. The Luzon languages all keep apoy/apuy.
Riverpending review	Suba	Waray and Bikol 'salog' looks close to Tagalog 'ilog' but is a separate root — and in Cebuano 'salog' is a floor.
Land, soilpending review	Yuta	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	Bulak	Ilocano 'sabong' is a flower. In Tagalog 'sabong' is cockfighting — an unusually large gap for two languages spoken on the same island.
Stonepending review	Bato
Windpending review	Hangin
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	lasang
Stick (of wood)pending review	pupot
Fruitpending review	bunga
Seedpending review	binhi
Leafpending review	dahon
Rootpending review	gamot
Bark (of tree)pending review	upak
Grasspending review	balili
Lakepending review	lanaw
Sea (as in ocean)pending review	dagat
Sandpending review	balas
Dustpending review	abog
Earth (as in soil)pending review	yuta
Cloudpending review	panganod
Fogpending review	gabon
Wind (as in breeze)pending review	hangin
Snowpending review	niyebe
Icepending review	yelo
Smokepending review	aso
Ashpending review	abo
Day (daytime)pending review	adlaw

Describing things

Big, small, good, beautiful.

Describing things: English phrases with Cebuano translations
English	Cebuano	Notes
Bigpending review	Dako
Smallpending review	Gamay
Goodpending review	Maayo
Badpending review	Dautan
Beautifulpending review	Gwapa	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	Init
Coldpending review	Bugnaw
Fastpending review	Paspas
Newpending review	Bag-o
Old (of a thing)pending review	Daan	Ilocano and the Visayan languages use 'daan' for old — the same string Tagalog uses for a road.
Old (of a person)pending review	Tigulang	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	Daghan
Fewpending review	Gamay
Longpending review	Taas
Shortpending review	Mubo
Heavypending review	Bug-at
Cleanpending review	Limpyo
Dirtypending review	Hugaw
Allpending review	tanan
Somepending review	ubay-ubay
Otherpending review	lain
Widepending review	lapad
Thickpending review	baga
Narrowpending review	gip-ot
Thinpending review	nipis
Warm (as in weather)pending review	init
Cold (as in weather)pending review	tugnaw
Fullpending review	puno
Oldpending review	daan
Rotten (as a log)pending review	lata
Straightpending review	tarong
Roundpending review	lingin
Sharp (as a knife)pending review	hait
Dull (as a knife)pending review	habul
Smoothpending review	hamis
Wetpending review	basa
Dry (adjective)pending review	uga
Right (correct)pending review	tinuod
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 Cebuano translations
English	Cebuano	Notes
I love youpending review	Gihigugma tika	Eight languages and eight completely different verbs. This row alone answers the question of whether Philippine languages are 'dialects of each other'.
Happypending review	Malipayon
Sadpending review	Guol
Tiredpending review	Gikapoy
Angrypending review	Nasuko
I miss youpending review	Gimingaw ko nimo
Afraidpending review	Nahadlok
Surprisedpending review	Nakuratan
Boredpending review	Gilaayan

Colours

Basic colour terms.

Colours: English phrases with Cebuano translations
English	Cebuano	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.
Yellowpending review	Dalag	Three groups, and they follow geography rather than Tagalog. The Visayan languages all say dalag. Ilocano and Pangasinan, both Northern Luzon, both say duyaw. Tagalog dilaw and Kapampangan dilo are what is left over.
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 Cebuano translations
English	Cebuano	Notes
To sleeppending review	Matulog
To seepending review	Makita
To saypending review	Isulti	Ilocano and Pangasinan share 'ibaga' — but in Tagalog 'baga' is an ember, and in Ilocano it is the colour red.
To knowpending review	Kabalo
To wantpending review	Gusto	Kapampangan 'buri' is to want or like. In Tagalog 'buri' is a species of palm.
To givepending review	Mohatag
To workpending review	Motrabaho
To walkpending review	Molakaw
To speakpending review	Mosulti	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	Maminaw
To writepending review	Mosulat
To readpending review	Mobasa
To sitpending review	Molingkod
To standpending review	Motindog
To runpending review	Modagan
To waitpending review	Maghulat
To openpending review	Ablihan
To closepending review	Sirad-an
To washpending review	Manghugas
To come herepending review	Moanhi
To bitepending review	paak
To suckpending review	supsop
To spitpending review	luwa
To vomitpending review	suka
To blow (as wind)pending review	huyop
To breathepending review	ginhawa
To laughpending review	katawa
To hearpending review	dungog
To know (a fact)pending review	kahibalo
To thinkpending review	hunahuna
To smell (sense odour)pending review	simhot
To fearpending review	hadlok
To livepending review	buhi
To diepending review	matay
To killpending review	buno
To fightpending review	away
To hunt (transitive)pending review	mangayam
To hitpending review	igo
To cutpending review	putol
To splitpending review	pikas
To stab (or stick)pending review	dunggab
To scratch (an itch)pending review	katol
To digpending review	kalot
To swimpending review	langoy
To flypending review	lupad
To comepending review	ari
To lie (as on one's side)pending review	higda
To turn (change direction)pending review	liko
To fall (as in drop)pending review	hulog
To hold (in one's hand)pending review	hawid
To squeezepending review	pisa
To rubpending review	banyos
To wipepending review	pahid
To pullpending review	bitad
To pushpending review	tuklod
To throwpending review	labay
To tiepending review	hikot
To sewpending review	tahi
To countpending review	ihap
To singpending review	awit
To playpending review	dula
To floatpending review	lutaw
To flowpending review	agas
To freezepending review	bagtok
To swellpending review	burot
To burn (intransitive)pending review	sunog

Months

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

Months: English phrases with Cebuano translations
English	Cebuano	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	Septiyembre
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 Cebuano translations
English	Cebuano	Notes
Roadpending review	Dalan	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	Bangka
Carpending review	Sakyanan
To ridepending review	Mosakay
Stop here, pleasepending review	Para lang	'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	Asa ka paingon?
Ticketpending review	Tiket

Somewhere to stay

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

Somewhere to stay: English phrases with Cebuano translations
English	Cebuano	Notes
Keypending review	Yawi	Another row where nothing carries over. Ilocano 'tulbek' and Tagalog 'susi' share no history at all.
Doorpending review	Pultahan
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 Cebuano translations
English	Cebuano	Notes
Clothespending review	Sinina
Shoespending review	Sapatos
Medicinepending review	Tambal	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 Cebuano translations
English	Cebuano	Notes
Dogpending review	Iro	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	Iring	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	Kabaw	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	Bitin	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	Langgam	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.
Ratpending review	Ilaga	Two traps in one row. Ilocano 'utot' is a rat and Tagalog 'utot' is a fart; Tagalog 'daga' is a rat and Ilocano 'daga' is land or soil.
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	mananap	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	balhibo	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	pako	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.