English to Cebuano Phrasebook
287 everyday phrases, grouped by the situation you need them in. Compiled from published references rather than generated by a translation engine, and marked pending review until native speakers have confirmed it.
There is no question of mutual intelligibility here — the languages are unrelated. What matters instead is that English is the pivot: this translator, like most, routes Cebuano through English internally. That makes Cebuano↔English the strongest direction available for this language, and it is why translating Cebuano into another Philippine language is measurably worse than translating it into English.
- Phrases
- 287
- Categories
- 24
- Cited sources
- 2
- Pending review
- 287
Showing all 287 phrases across 24 categories.
Greetings
The opener changes in every one of these languages — this is the fastest way to tell them apart.
| 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 | |
| Long time no seepending review | Dugay na ta wala magkita |
Courtesy
Thank you, sorry, yes and no.
| 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 | |
| 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 |
Introductions
Names and first meetings.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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 | |
| Eightpending review | Walo | |
| Ninepending review | Siyam | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| Fiftypending review | Kalim-an | |
| 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 |
Question words
Who, what, where and when — the words that differ most and trip up readers most.
| English | Cebuano | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Whatpending review | Unsa | |
| 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 | |
| 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? | |
| 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. |
Time & days
Today, tomorrow, day and night.
| English | Cebuano | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Todaypending review | Karon | |
| Tomorrowpending review | Ugma | Ilocano builds tomorrow out of 'bigat', the word for morning — the same root as in 'Naimbag a bigat'. |
| Yesterdaypending review | Gahapon | |
| 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 | |
| Weekpending review | Semana | |
| Yearpending review | Tuig | |
| Mondaypending review | Lunes | All eight took the Spanish weekday names wholesale. Only Sunday diverges — see below. |
| Tuesdaypending review | Martes | |
| Wednesdaypending review | Miyerkules | |
| Thursdaypending review | Huwebes | |
| Fridaypending review | Biyernes | |
| Saturdaypending review | Sabado | |
| 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 | |
| Morningpending review | Buntag | |
| 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 | |
| Alwayspending review | Kanunay |
Family & people
Relationships and forms of address.
| 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 | |
| Mumpending review | Nanay | |
| Dadpending review | Tatay | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| Womanpending review | Babaye | |
| 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 | |
| Neighbourpending review | Silingan | |
| Babypending review | Masuso | |
| Unclepending review | Uyoan | |
| Auntpending review | Iyaan |
Food & eating
Meals, ingredients and asking for them.
| 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 | |
| Chickenpending review | Manok | |
| Pigpending review | Baboy | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| Breadpending review | Pan | |
| Sugarpending review | Asukal | |
| Bananapending review | Saging | |
| Coconutpending review | Lubi | |
| Mangopending review | Mangga | |
| Cornpending review | Mais | |
| Garlicpending review | Ahos | The Visayan languages took the Spanish 'ajos'; the Luzon languages kept the native 'bawang'. |
| Soup, brothpending review | Sabaw | |
| Sweetpending review | Tam-is | |
| Sourpending review | Aslom | |
| Spicypending review | Halang | |
| Saltypending review | Parat | |
| To cookpending review | Magluto | |
| Platepending review | Plato | |
| Spoonpending review | Kutsara |
Drinks
Water, coffee and what to order.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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 |
Nature & weather
Sun, rain, sea and mountain.
| 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 |
Describing things
Big, small, good, beautiful.
| 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 |
Feelings
Saying how you are, and how you feel about someone.
| 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.
| English | Cebuano | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Redpending review | Pula | |
| Whitepending review | Puti | |
| Blackpending review | Itom | Kapampangan 'matuling' is black. Tagalog 'matulin' — one letter apart — means fast. |
| Bluepending review | Asul | |
| Yellowpending review | Dalag | |
| Greenpending review | Berde | Only Kapampangan kept a native word. The other seven took the Spanish 'verde' and never replaced it. |
| Orangepending review | Kahel | |
| 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.
| 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 |
Months
The Spanish-derived month names, and where the spellings part company.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| Cowpending review | Baka | |
| Horsepending review | Kabayo | |
| 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 |
How often the machine gets these right
We ran 287 English entries from the phrasebook below through the same engine this site uses, and compared each result against the human-written Cebuano. Categories are our own; the comparison ignores punctuation and casing. English is the language the engine pivots through, so this is close to a best case for these languages.
Machine output matched or came close to the human Cebuano for 63.1% of 287 phrases. The rest were partly or entirely wrong.
Least reliable
- Everyday verbs0%
- Understanding38%
- Market & money44%
- Family & people47%
- Courtesy50%
Most reliable
- The body100%
- Time & days84%
- Months83%
Sources
- Ilocano phrasebook — Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-07-26.
- 52 Useful Ilocano Words & Phrases to Learn for Travelers — Chill and Travel. Accessed 2026-07-26.
Last updated 2026-08-06. 287 entries are marked “pending review” — carried on general reference and awaiting confirmation from a native speaker.