Ilocano to English Phrasebook
428 everyday phrases, grouped by the situation you need them in. Every entry was checked against published references rather than generated by a translation engine.
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 Ilocano through English internally. That makes Ilocano↔English the strongest direction available for this language, and it is why translating Ilocano into another Philippine language is measurably worse than translating it into English.
- Phrases
- 428
- Categories
- 25
- Cited sources
- 2
- Pending review
- 12
Showing all 428 phrases across 25 categories.
Greetings
Openers you will hear every day in Ilocos.
| Ilocano | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Naimbag a bigatnah-eem-BAHG ah bee-GAHT | Good morning | literally: Good the morningThe linker is 'a' after a consonant and 'nga' after a vowel — 'Naimbag a bigat' but 'Naimbag nga aldaw'. |
| Naimbag a malem | Good afternoon | |
| Naimbag a rabii | Good evening | Tagalog 'gabi' is a stress pair: gabí is evening, gábi is taro. Ilocano keeps them apart entirely — rabii versus aba. |
| Naimbag nga aldaw | Good day | 'nga' rather than 'a' here because aldaw begins with a vowel. |
| Kablaaw | Greeting / hello | Kablaaw is the noun 'a greeting' and appears on signs and cards more than in speech. Ilocano speakers usually open with 'Kumusta ka?' instead. |
| Kumusta ka?koo-MOOS-tah kah | How are you? | Identical in both languages — both borrowed it from Spanish '¿cómo está?'. One of the few sentences that needs no translation at all. |
| Mayat met | I'm fine | |
| Naragsak nga isasangbay | Welcome | |
| Agpakadaakonahg-pah-kah-dah-AH-kawn | Goodbye | |
| Kasta pay | See you / bye for now | |
| Agkita tan to | See you soon | |
| Agaluadka | Take care | 'Agannadka' is the commoner form in the Ilocos provinces; both are understood. |
Courtesy
Please, thank you, sorry, yes and no.
| Ilocano | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Agyamanakahg-YAH-mah-nahk | Thank you | literally: I am gratefulBuilt on the root 'yaman' with the ag- verb prefix and -ak 'I'. It is a full sentence, unlike Tagalog 'salamat'. |
| Agyamanak iti kasta unaypending review | Thank you very much | |
| Awan ti anyaman na | You're welcome | Ilocano 'awan' and Tagalog 'wala' are the matching negative-existential words — 'there is none'. The two phrases are structurally identical. |
| Pangngaasim | Please | Sources give both 'Pangngaasi' and 'Pangngaasim'; the -m is the second-person suffix, so 'pangngaasim' is 'your kindness'. |
| Pakawanennak | Forgive me / I'm sorry | |
| Dispensarennak | Excuse me / pardon me | Both languages took this from Spanish 'dispensar'. |
| Pakawanennak | Excuse me (getting someone's attention) | Ilocano uses the same word for apologising and for getting attention; Tagalog splits them — 'Patawarin mo ako' to apologise, 'Mawalang-galang po' to interrupt politely. In speech most Tagalog speakers just say 'Excuse me po'. |
| Wenwehn | Yes | |
| Haanhah-AHN | No | 'Saan' is the equally common Ilocano variant. Note the trap: Ilocano 'saan' also means 'where', and Tagalog 'saan' means only 'where'. |
Introductions
Names, origins and first meetings.
| Ilocano | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ania ti naganmo? | What is your name? | Ilocano 'ti' does the work Tagalog splits between 'ang' and 'ng'. |
| Siak ni ___ | I am ___ | Both use a personal-name marker before the name: Ilocano 'ni', Tagalog 'si'. |
| Naragsakak a maam-ammoka | Nice to meet you | |
| Taga ano ka? | Where are you from? | Both share the prefix 'taga-' meaning 'from'. Ilocano pairs it with 'ano', Tagalog with 'saan'. |
| Taga ___ ak | I'm from ___ |
Understanding
Getting by when you do not follow.
| Ilocano | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Diak maawatan | I don't understand | 'Haan ko nga maawatan' is the fuller form. 'Diak' contracts 'di' + '-ak'. |
| Diak ammo | I don't know | |
| Agsasao ka iti Inggles? | Do you speak English? | |
| Diak makapagsao iti Ilocano | I can't speak Ilocano | |
| Bassit lang | Just a little | Both languages use the same borrowed particle 'lang' for 'only'. |
| Adda kadi tao ditoy nga agsasao iti Inggles? | Is there someone here who speaks English? | Ilocano 'adda' and Tagalog 'may' are the matching positive-existential words. |
| Madik ammo | I don't know | Diak ammo is the commoner variant. |
| Ammom ag ___? | Do you speak ___? | |
| Haan ko ammo ag ___ | I don't speak ___ |
Numbers
Native Ilocano numerals and their Tagalog equivalents.
| Ilocano | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Maysa | One | |
| Dua | Two | |
| Tallo | Three | Cognates — Ilocano doubles the l where Tagalog has tl. |
| Uppat | Four | |
| Lima | Five | Identical. 'Lima' for five goes back to Proto-Austronesian and survives unchanged in both. |
| Innem | Six | |
| Pito | Seven | Identical in both. |
| Walo | Eight | Identical in both. |
| Siam | Nine | |
| Sangapulo | Ten | Ilocano builds tens transparently: sanga- 'one' + pulo 'ten'. |
| Sangapulo ket maysa | Eleven | The systems diverge here: Ilocano says 'ten and one', Tagalog uses the labing- prefix. |
| Duapulo | Twenty | |
| Sangagasut | One hundred | |
| Sangaribu | One thousand | |
| Gudua | Half | |
| Ad-adu | More | |
| Bassit | Less / a little | |
| Sangapulo ket dua | Twelve | |
| Sangapulo ket tallo | Thirteen | |
| Sangapulo ket uppat | Fourteen | |
| Sangapulo ket lima | Fifteen | |
| Sangapulo ket innem | Sixteen | |
| Sangapulo ket pito | Seventeen | |
| Sangapulo ket walo | Eighteen | |
| Sangapulo ket siam | Nineteen | |
| Duapulo ket maysa | Twenty-one | The pattern is fully regular: tens, then ket, then the unit. |
| Tallopulo | Thirty | |
| Uppat a pulo | Forty | Forty, sixty, eighty and ninety take the linker a rather than fusing — uppat a pulo, not uppatpulo. |
| Limapulo | Fifty | |
| Innem a pulo | Sixty | |
| Pitopulo | Seventy | |
| Walo a pulo | Eighty | |
| Siam a pulo | Ninety | |
| Duagasut | Two hundred | |
| Tallogasut | Three hundred | |
| Duaribu | Two thousand | |
| Sangariwriw | One million | Ilocano has a native word here where Tagalog borrows Spanish millón. |
Time & days
Telling the time, naming the day.
| Ilocano | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tatta | Now | |
| Madamdama | Later | |
| Sakbay | Before | |
| Bigat | Morning | |
| Malem | Afternoon | |
| Rabii | Evening / night | |
| Tengnga ti aldaw | Noon | literally: Middle of the day |
| Ita nga aldaw | Today | |
| Idi kalman | Yesterday | |
| Inton bigat | Tomorrow | literally: In the morningIlocano builds 'tomorrow' from the word for morning. Tagalog 'bukas' is unrelated — and is itself a stress pair, since bukás also means 'open'. |
| Aldaw | Day | Cognates. Ilocano keeps the d where Tagalog has r between vowels — the same correspondence shows up across the two languages. |
| Lawas | Week | Tagalog uses 'Linggo' for both Sunday and week; Ilocano keeps them separate (Domingo / lawas). |
| Bulan | Month | Both words mean moon and month, as in most Philippine languages. |
| Tawen | Year | |
| Oras | Hour | Identical — Spanish 'hora' in both. |
| Domingo | Sunday | The clearest day-name split: Ilocano keeps Spanish Domingo, Tagalog nativised it to Linggo. |
| Lunes | Monday | |
| Martes | Tuesday | |
| Mierkoles | Wednesday | |
| Huebes | Thursday | Spelling varies in Ilocano sources between Huebes and Juebes. |
| Biernes | Friday | |
| Sabado | Saturday | |
| A la una iti bigat | One o'clock in the morning | Clock time runs on Spanish numerals in both languages. |
| A las dos iti malem | Two o'clock in the afternoon | |
| Kaltaang rabii | Midnight | |
| Segundo | Second | |
| Minuto | Minute | |
| Ita a lawas | This week | |
| Intono umay a lawas | Next week |
Food & eating
The largest category, because meals are where the language lives.
| Ilocano | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mangan tayon! | Let's eat! | Both use the inclusive 'we' — Ilocano 'tayo', Tagalog 'tayo' — meaning the listener is included in the invitation. Using the exclusive form would mean 'we're eating, you're not'. |
| Mabisinakon | I'm hungry | |
| Nabusugakon | I'm full | Ilocano 'nabsog' and Tagalog 'busog' are cognates. |
| Naimas!nah-EE-mahs | Delicious! | No shared root at all — one of the highest-frequency words where the two languages have nothing in common. |
| Nangan kan? | Have you eaten? | In both cultures this functions as a greeting as much as a question. |
| Haan pay | Not yet | |
| Mangan ka pay! | Eat more! | Both use 'pa/pay' as the 'still, more' particle. |
| Innapoy | Cooked rice | Completely different roots, and both distinguish cooked rice from the uncooked grain. |
| Ikan | Fish | Ilocano 'ikan' matches Malay and Indonesian 'ikan'. Tagalog 'isda' does not. |
| Karne ti manok | Chicken | literally: Meat of chicken |
| Karne ti baboy | Pork | |
| Karne ti baka | Beef | Watch the Tagalog: 'baka' is beef, but 'baka' with different stress also means 'maybe'. |
| Nateng | Vegetables | |
| Prutas | Fruit | Spanish 'frutas' in both. |
| Tinapay | Bread | Identical. |
| Itlog | Egg | Identical. |
| Keso | Cheese | |
| Pancit | Noodles | |
| Nagapgad | It's salty | |
| Nagsam-it | It's sweet | |
| Naggasang | It's spicy | |
| Nagalsem | It's sour | Ilocano marks these with nag-, Tagalog with ma-. The pattern holds across the whole set. |
| Pamigat | Breakfast | Ilocano builds it from 'bigat' (morning); Tagalog borrowed Spanish 'almuerzo'. |
| Pangaldaw | Lunch | |
| Pangrabii | Dinner | |
| Mirienda | Snack | |
| Maysa man a baso ti danom | A glass of water, please | |
| Mabalin a makitak ti menu? | Can I see the menu? | |
| Vegetarianak | I'm vegetarian | |
| Nalpasakon | I'm finished | |
| Makan | Food | |
| Longganisa | Sausage | |
| Maysa man a mesa para dua a tao | A table for two, please | |
| Ania ti specialty yo? | What is your speciality? | |
| Diak mangan ti karne ti baboy | I don't eat pork | |
| Ayana kayat mo panganan? | Where do you want to eat? | |
| Nanganakon | I've already eaten |
Market & money
Prices, haggling, paying.
| Ilocano | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Manu? | How much? | 'Sagmamano?' is the fuller Ilocano form. |
| Nanginanah-NGEE-nah | Expensive | Tagalog 'mahal' means both expensive and beloved. Ilocano keeps them apart — 'nangina' for price, 'ay-ayaten' for love. |
| Nalaka | Cheap | |
| Awan tawar na? | Any discount? | Ilocano 'tawar' and Tagalog 'tawad' are the same word — the d/r correspondence again. |
| Alaekon | I'll take it | |
| Diak kayat | I don't want it | |
| Agbayad ak | I'll pay | 'Bayad' is shared by both languages. |
| Masapulko ti ___ | I need ___ | |
| Dakdakkel | Bigger | Ilocano compares by reduplicating the root; Tagalog uses the separate word 'mas'. |
| Basbassit | Smaller | |
| Ag-alakayo ti dolar nga Amerikano? | Do you accept American dollars? | |
| Ag-alakayo ti credit card? | Do you accept credit cards? | |
| Adda ti ATM idtoy? | Is there an ATM here? |
Directions
Getting where you are going.
| Ilocano | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kannigidkahn-nee-GEED | Left | |
| Kannawankahn-nah-WAHN | Right | Close enough to be confusing: Ilocano 'kannawan' and Tagalog 'kanan' are cognates, but 'kannigid' and 'kaliwa' are not. |
| Dumiretso | Straight ahead | |
| Ayan ti banio? | Where is the toilet? | |
| Kasano ti mapan idiay ___? | How do I get to ___? | |
| Papanam? | Where are you going? | |
| Agawid akon | I'm going home | |
| Para! | Stop! (to a driver) | Identical, and used the same way — shouted to get off a jeepney or tricycle. |
| Manu ti plete inggana idiay ___? | How much is the fare to ___? | |
| Amianan | North | |
| Abagatan | South | |
| Daya | East | Careful — Tagalog 'daya' means cheating or deceit. Nothing to do with direction. |
| Laud | West | |
| Dalan | Street / road | Cognates — the l drops out in Tagalog. |
| Kumannigidka | Turn left | |
| Kumannawanka | Turn right | |
| Mapan iti ___ | Towards the ___ | |
| Kalpasan iti ___ | Past the ___ | |
| Sakbay iti ___ | Before the ___ | |
| Pasang-at | Uphill | |
| Pasalog | Downhill | |
| Ili | Town centre | |
| Mabalin nga pakitam kaniak idiay mapa? | Can you show me on the map? | |
| Ayanna? | Where? | Use ayan for location. Ilocano saan negates rather than asking where — the reverse of Tagalog. |
Health & emergency
The phrases worth memorising before you need them.
| Ilocano | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tulong!TOO-lawng | Help! | Identical. Worth knowing that this one word works across most of the Philippines. |
| Agannadka! | Look out! | |
| Agsakitak | I am sick | 'Sakit' is shared by both languages. |
| Masapulko ti doktor | I need a doctor | |
| Naiyaw-awanak!nahy-YAHW-ah-wah-nahk | I am lost | 'Napukawak' also occurs, though that leans toward 'I went missing'. |
| Agsardengka! Agtatakaw! | Stop! Thief! | Ilocano 'takaw' and Tagalog 'nakaw' are cognates for stealing. |
| Agayabak iti pulis! | I'll call the police! | |
| Panawandak man! | Leave me alone! | |
| Kasapulak ti tulongmo | I need your help | |
| Napukaw diay pitakak | My wallet is missing | 'Pitaka' is the same word in both. |
| Dinak ig-igaman | Don't touch me | |
| Naaksidente ak | I had an accident | |
| Napukaw diay bag-ko | My bag is missing | |
| Masapulko ti agas | I need medicine | |
| Agsubli ak | I'll be back |
Family & people
Relationships and forms of address.
| Ilocano | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nanangpending review | Mother | |
| Tatangpending review | Father | Near-identical, differing only in the final consonant. |
| Kabsatpending review | Sibling | |
| Anakpending review | Child | Identical across nearly every Philippine language. |
| Asawapending review | Spouse | Identical, and gender-neutral in both. |
| Gayyempending review | Friend | |
| Apopending review | Ilocano: sir/madam (respectful address) · Tagalog: grandchild | The most consequential false friend between the two languages. In Ilocano 'Apo' is a respectful title for an elder or authority; in Tagalog 'apo' means grandchild. Machine translation gets this wrong routinely. |
| Lallaki | Men / male | |
| Babbai | Women / female | Ilocano marks the plural by doubling the consonant: babai → babbai. |
| Ina | Mother (formal) | Nanang is the everyday, affectionate form. |
| Ama | Father (formal) | Tatang is the everyday form. Identical in both languages. |
| Baket | Wife | Baket also means 'old woman', so it carries an affectionate, familiar tone. |
| Lakay | Husband | Like baket, lakay doubles as 'old man'. |
| Tao | Person | Identical. |
| Ubing | Child (young person) | Anak means one's own child; ubing is a child by age. |
Feelings
Saying how you are, and how you feel about someone.
| Ilocano | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Naragsakakpending review | I'm happy | |
| Nabannogakpending review | I'm tired | |
| Ay-ayatenkapending review | I love you | Ilocano builds it on the root 'ayat' (love) with the -ka 'you' suffix. Tagalog 'mahal' doubles as 'expensive', so the Ilocano is less ambiguous. |
| Mailiwak kenka | I miss you | Tagalog has no native verb here and borrows English 'miss'. Ilocano 'iliw' is a native root — one of the few places Ilocano is the less borrowed of the two. |
Colours
Basic colour terms in both languages.
| Ilocano | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nangisit | Black | |
| Puraw | White | |
| Baga | Red | A false friend: Tagalog 'baga' is an ember or a lung, never the colour red. |
| Asul | Blue | Spanish 'azul' in both. |
| Duyaw | Yellow | Cognates, with the same d-word diverging in the middle. |
| Berde | Green | |
| Kayumanggi | Brown | |
| Kahel | Orange | |
| Dapo | Grey | literally: AshBoth languages name the colour after ash — Ilocano dapo, Tagalog abo. |
Months
The Spanish-derived month names, and where the two spellings part company.
| Ilocano | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Enero | January | |
| Febrero | February | One of the clearest spelling splits: Ilocano keeps the Spanish F, Tagalog nativised it to P. |
| Marso | March | |
| Abril | April | |
| Mayo | May | |
| Hunio | June | |
| Hulio | July | |
| Agosto | August | |
| Setiembre | September | Ilocano writes -ie-, Tagalog -ye-. The same pattern runs through November and December. |
| Oktubre | October | |
| Nobiembre | November | |
| Disiembre | December |
Getting around
Buses, jeepneys, tickets and driving.
| Ilocano | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sagmamano ti tiket a mapan ___? | How much is a ticket to ___? | |
| Maysa man a tiket a mapan ___ | One ticket to ___, please | |
| Sadino ti papanan daytoy a bus? | Where does this bus go? | |
| Sadino ti bus a mapan ___? | Where is the bus to ___? | |
| Agsardeng aya daytoy a bus idiay ___? | Does this bus stop in ___? | |
| Kaano nga agrubuat ti bus a mapan ___? | When does the bus for ___ leave? | |
| Kaano a sumangpet daytoy a bus idiay ___? | When will this bus arrive in ___? | |
| Manu nga tao ti mabalin nga sumakay? | How many people can ride? | |
| Estasion ti tren | Train station | |
| Estasion ti bus | Bus station | |
| Pagpatayaban | Airport | Both are native formations rather than borrowings — Ilocano from tayab (to fly), Tagalog from lipad. |
| Kotse | Car | |
| Kayatko nga agrenta ti kotse | I want to rent a car | |
| Gasolina | Petrol / gasoline | |
| Krudo | Diesel | |
| Paggasolinaan | Petrol station | |
| Sardeng! | Stop! | Distinct from Para!, which you shout to get off a jeepney. |
Somewhere to stay
Asking for a room and what is in it.
| Ilocano | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Adda pay ti kuarto yo? | Do you have a room available? | |
| Manu ti kuarto para maysa nga tao? | How much is a room for one? | |
| Manu ti kuarto para dua nga tao? | How much is a room for two? | |
| Mabalin nga makitak diay kwarto? | May I see the room? | |
| Adda ti kwartoyo nga naul-ulimek? | Do you have a quieter room? | |
| Nadaldalus | Cleaner | Ilocano compares by reduplicating the root; Tagalog adds mas. |
| Nalaklaka | Cheaper | |
| Agyanak ti dua nga rabii | I'll stay two nights | |
| Paki dalus diay kuartok | Please clean my room | |
| Mabalin nga riingen nak ti ___? | Can you wake me at ___? | |
| Kuarto | Room | |
| Ules | Blanket | |
| Banio | Bathroom | |
| Telepono | Telephone | |
| Telebisyon | Television |
Things to buy
Everyday items you might need to ask for.
| Ilocano | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sabon | Soap | |
| Siampo | Shampoo | |
| Sepilyo | Toothbrush | |
| Pagibarbas | Razor | |
| Payong | Umbrella | Identical, and worth having in the Philippines year round. |
| Papel | Paper | |
| Bolpen | Pen | |
| Bateria | Battery | |
| Selyo para iti surat | Postage stamps | |
| Agas | Medicine | |
| Pangep-ep iti ut-ot | Pain reliever | |
| Agas ti panateng | Cold medicine | |
| Agas ti sakit iti buksit | Stomach medicine | |
| Libro | Book | |
| Diario | Newspaper | |
| Diksionario | Dictionary | |
| Adda dakdakkel wenno basbassit? | Do you have something bigger or smaller? | |
| Apo? | Is anybody there? | The standard call at a doorway. Ilocano Apo is a respectful address; Tagalog Tao po literally asks 'person?'. |
| Paggatangak ti? | Can I buy? | |
| Ania daytoy? | What is this? | |
| Alaem | Take it |
Drinks
Water, coffee, milk and what to say when you order.
| Ilocano | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Danom | Water | No shared root — a basic word where the two languages are entirely unalike. |
| Kape | Coffee | |
| Gatas | Milk | Identical. |
| Bote | Bottle | |
| Tsokolate | Chocolate | |
| Maysa pay | Another one, please | |
| Ania ti oras nga agrikepkayo? | What time do you close? | |
| Baso | Glass |
The body
Head to foot, with the words that differ most between the two languages.
| Ilocano | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ulo | Head | Identical in both languages. |
| Buok | Hair | |
| Mata | Eye | Identical, and shared across most Philippine languages. |
| Lapayag | Ear | |
| Agong | Nose | |
| Ngiwat | Mouth | |
| Ngipen | Tooth | Near-identical — one vowel apart. |
| Dila | Tongue | Identical. |
| Bengnged | Neck | |
| Bukot | Back | |
| Ima | Hand | |
| Kuko | Fingernail | Identical. |
| Saka | Foot | |
| Gurong | Leg | |
| Tumeng | Knee | |
| Tian | Belly / stomach | Near-identical. |
| Puso | Heart | Identical. |
| Dalem | Liver | |
| Dara | Blood | |
| Tulang | Bone | A trap: Tagalog tulang means 'poem'. The Tagalog for bone is buto. |
| Lasag | Flesh / meat | |
| Kudilpending review | Skin |
Animals
Everyday creatures, and a few that trip people up.
| Ilocano | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ayop | Animal | |
| Aso | Dog | Identical. |
| Billit | Bird | |
| Lames | Fish (the animal) | Ikan is the word you will meet on a menu; lames is the creature. |
| Uleg | Snake | |
| Igges | Worm | |
| Kuto | Louse | Identical. |
| Ipus | Tail | |
| Dutdut | Feather | |
| Sara | Horn |
Nature & weather
Sun, rain, rivers and trees.
| Ilocano | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Aldaw | Sun | Ilocano aldaw and Tagalog araw both mean sun and day. Context decides. |
| Bulan | Moon | In both languages the word for moon is also the word for month. |
| Bituen | Star | Near-identical. |
| Langit | Sky | Identical. |
| Ulep | Cloud | |
| Angep | Fog | |
| Uran | Rain | The d/r/l correspondence again — uran against ulan. |
| Angin | Wind | |
| Apoy | Fire | Identical. |
| Asok | Smoke | |
| Dapo | Ash | Both languages named the colour grey after this word. |
| Karayan | River | |
| Danaw | Lake | |
| Baybay | Sea | |
| Bantay | Mountain | A false friend: Tagalog bantay means 'guard' or 'to watch'. |
| Bato | Stone | Identical. |
| Darat | Sand | |
| Daga | Earth / soil | Careful: Tagalog daga means 'rat'. |
| Kayo | Tree | Tagalog kahoy means wood, and Ilocano kayo covers both tree and wood. |
| Bakir | Forest | |
| Bulong | Leaf | |
| Ramot | Root | |
| Sabong | Flower | |
| Bunga | Fruit (of a tree) | Identical. Prutas is the everyday word for fruit you eat. |
| Bin-i | Seed | |
| Ruot | Grass |
Everyday verbs
The actions that carry most sentences.
| Ilocano | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Aginom | To drink | |
| Mangan | To eat | |
| Maturog | To sleep | |
| Agmagna | To walk | |
| Umay | To come | |
| Agtugaw | To sit | |
| Tumakder | To stand | |
| Agidda | To lie down | |
| Makita | To see | Identical. |
| Agdengngeg | To hear / listen | |
| Ammo | To know | Seen in Diak ammo — I don't know. |
| Agpanunot | To think | |
| Agsao | To say / speak | |
| Agkanta | To sing | |
| Agay-ayam | To play | |
| Kumatawa | To laugh | |
| Aganges | To breathe | |
| Agbiag | To live | Agbiag ti Ilocano — long live the Ilocano — is a common toast and slogan. |
| Aglangoy | To swim | Cognates. |
| Agtayab | To fly | The root tayab gives pagpatayaban, the Ilocano word for airport. |
| Agited | To give | |
| Agiggem | To hold | |
| Agbuggo | To wash | |
| Agpunas | To wipe | Near-identical. |
| Agguyod | To pull | |
| Agduron | To push | |
| Agitali | To tie | Near-identical. |
| Agdait | To sew | |
| Agbilang | To count | Near-identical. |
| Agkali | To dig | |
| Putiden | To cut | Cognates. |
| Matinnag | To fall | |
| Agayus | To flow | |
| Agpuor | To burn | |
| Agbuteng | To be afraid |
Describing things
Size, temperature, condition and quality.
| Ilocano | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dakkel | Big | |
| Bassit | Small | |
| Atiddog | Long | |
| Ababa | Short | |
| Nalawa | Wide | Cognates. |
| Akikid | Narrow | |
| Napuskol | Thick | |
| Naingpis | Thin | |
| Nadagsen | Heavy | |
| Nabara | Warm / hot | |
| Nalamiis | Cold | Nalam-ek is the other common Ilocano form. |
| Napno | Full | |
| Baro | New | Cognates. Ilocos Norte's Batac and the barong shirt share this root. |
| Daan | Old (of things) | A false friend: Tagalog daan means 'road' or 'hundred'. |
| Naimbag | Good | Nasayaat is the other common form. This is the word in every Ilocano greeting. |
| Dakes | Bad | |
| Narugit | Dirty | |
| Nalinteg | Straight | |
| Nagtimbukel | Round | |
| Natadem | Sharp | |
| Nabasa | Wet | Watch this one: Tagalog basa is both 'wet' and 'to read', told apart by stress. |
| Namaga | Dry | |
| Umno | Correct | |
| Adu | Many | |
| Amin | All | |
| Sabali | Other / different |
Question words
Who, what, where, when and how — including the saan trap.
| Ilocano | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sino | Who | Identical. Siasino is the fuller Ilocano form. |
| Ania | What | |
| Sadino | Where | The classic trap. Tagalog saan means 'where'; Ilocano saan means 'not'. |
| Kaano | When | |
| Kasano | How | |
| Ditoy | Here | Near-identical. |
| Sadiay | There | |
| Nagan | Name | |
| Ken | And | |
| No | If | A false friend for English speakers — Ilocano no means 'if', not 'no'. Ilocano for 'no' is haan. |
How often the machine gets these right
We ran all 411 translatable entries in our Ilocano↔Tagalog phrasebook through the same engine this site uses, and compared each result against the human-checked Tagalog. Categories are our own; the comparison ignores punctuation and casing.
Machine output matched or came close to the human English for 56.0% of 411 phrases. The rest were partly or entirely wrong.
Least reliable
- Family & people33%
- Understanding33%
- Introductions33%
- Courtesy44%
- Food & eating48%
Most reliable
- Colours86%
- Time & days77%
- Feelings75%
It returns the Ilocano unchanged and calls it a translation
The most damaging failure, because nothing signals it went wrong. When the engine does not recognise an Ilocano word it echoes the input. Ten of our test phrases came back identical to what went in despite having a perfectly ordinary Tagalog equivalent.
| Input | What it returned | Correct |
|---|---|---|
| Haan | Haan | Hindino |
| Danom | Danom | Tubigwater |
| Ikan | Ikan | Isdafish |
| Manu? | Manu? | Magkano?how much? |
| Baga | Baga | Pulared |
| Babbai | Babbai | Babaewomen |
If the output looks like the input, it almost certainly failed. A further 17 words in our set were identical in both languages legitimately — 'lima', 'pito', 'itlog', 'kape' — so identical output is not proof of failure on its own.
It routes through English and picks the wrong sense
The engine has little direct Ilocano↔Tagalog training data, so it pivots through English. Where the English word is ambiguous, the wrong sense gets carried into Tagalog.
| Input | What it returned | Correct |
|---|---|---|
| Kannawan | Gamit ang karapatan | Kananright (direction) → English 'right' → Tagalog 'karapatan', a legal right |
| Dalan | Subaybayan | Daanroad → 'track' → 'to monitor' |
| Asawa | Kasal | Asawaspouse → 'married' → 'wedding' |
We assumed a full sentence would rescue the right sense, and then measured it. It does not: longer input scored no better than single words going into Tagalog, and worse going into Ilocano. Check the output instead of trusting context to fix it.
It adds words that were never in the source
Short greetings sometimes come back with filler the original did not contain.
| Input | What it returned | Correct |
|---|---|---|
| Naimbag nga bigat. Kumusta ka? | Magandang umaga, guys. kamusta ka na? | Magandang umaga. Kumusta ka?'guys' has no counterpart anywhere in the Ilocano |
Read the output for length. If it is noticeably longer than the source, something was invented.
It shifts formality without warning
Kinship and courtesy terms come back in a different register than the source, which matters in a language where address terms carry respect.
| Input | What it returned | Correct |
|---|---|---|
| Tatang | Ama | Tataywarm/familiar 'dad' becomes formal 'father' |
| Diak kayat | ayoko | Ayaw kocontracted to a casual spoken form |
Have output checked by a speaker before using it in anything formal or public.
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 2026-07-26. 12 entries are marked “pending review” — carried on general reference and awaiting confirmation from a native speaker.