Most everyone is familiar with this day, as it is celebrated nearly everywhere the world. Yet, when exactly is April Fools’ Day? And where did April Fools come from? April Fools’ Day is observed on April 1st every year. This day of jokes and pranks is believed to have stemmed from the 16th-century calendar change in France, when New Year’s Day was moved from April 1 to January 1. This action was taken due to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar.

However, a few people were resistant to the calendar change, so they continued to observe New Year’s Day on April 1st, rather than the new date. They were referred to as the “April Fools”, and others started playing mocking tricks on them. This custom endured, and is practiced to this day around the world!

Table of Contents

1. Top One Million Words You Need to Know for April Fools’ Day
2. Filipino Phrases You Can Use on April Fools’ Day
3. Some of the Coolest April Fools’ Pranks To Play on Anybody
4. How Can FilipinoPod101 Make Your April Fools’ Day Special?
5. Top 1000 Most Useful Phrases in Filipino - Testing New Technology

1. Top One Million Words You Need to Know for April Fools’ Day

Do you want to know how to say April Fools’ Day in Filipino? Well, there are millions of ways and words, but here are the top one million Filipino words you really need to know! Simply click this link. Here are some of them you will find useful:

1. joke - magbiro
2. funny - nakakatawa
3. lie - magsinungaling
4. sneaky - mapanlinlang
5. prankster - pilyo
6. prank - kapilyuhan
7. play a joke - lokohin ang isang tao
8. humor - katatawanan
9. deceptive - mapanlinlang
10. April 1st - ika-una ng Abril
11. surprise - manggulat
12. fool - loko

2. Filipino Phrases You Can Use on April Fools’ Day

Don’t limit yourself to practical jokes - use these April Fools’ phrases in Filipino to prank your favorite Filipino friend or colleague!

1. I learned Filipino in 1 month.
   • Nag-aral ako ng Filipino sa loob ng isang buwan.
2. All classes for today got canceled.
   • Lahat ng klase ngayong araw na ‘to ay nakansela.
3. I’m sorry, but I’ve just broken your favorite pair of glasses.
   • Sorry, pero nasira ko ang paborito mong pares ng salamin sa mata.
4. Someone has just hit your car.
   • May kakabangga lang sa kotse mo.
5. I’m getting married.
   • Magpapakasal na ako.
6. You won a free ticket.
   • Nanalo ka ng libreng tiket.
7. I saw your car being towed.
   • Nakita kong tinotow ang kotse mo.
8. They’re giving away free gift cards in front of the building.
   • Namimigay sila ng mga libreng gift card sa harap ng building.
9. A handsome guy is waiting for you outside.
   • May gwapong lalaking naghihintay sa’yo sa labas.
10. A beautiful lady asked me to give this phone number to you.
    • May isang magandang babaeng nagpapabigay nitong numero ng telepono sa’yo.
11. Can you come downstairs? I have something special for you.
    • Pwede ka bang bumaba? Mayroon akong isang espesyal na bagay para sa’yo.
12. Thank you for your love letter this morning. I never could have guessed your feelings.
    • Salamat para sa love letter kaninang umaga. Hindi ko kailanman maiisip na ganon pala ang iyong nararamdaman.

Choose your victims carefully, though; the idea is to get them to laugh with you, not to hurt their feelings or humiliate them in front of others. Be extra careful if you choose to play a prank on your boss - you don’t want to antagonize them with an inappropriate joke.

3. Some of the Coolest April Fools’ Pranks To Play on Anybody

Right, now that you know the top million April Fools’ words in Filipino, let’s look at some super pranks and tricks to play on friends, colleagues and family. Some April Fools ideas never grow old, while new ones are born every year.

Never joke in such a way that it hurts anyone, or humiliates them badly in front of others - the idea is for everybody to laugh and enjoy the fun! Respect is still key, no matter what day of the year it is.

1- Infestation

This trick is so simple, yet so creepy, it’s almost unbelievable. Take black paper, cut out the silhouette of a giant cockroach, a spider or another insect, and stick it inside the lampshade of a table lamp. When the lamp is switched on, it will look like a monstrous insect is sitting inside the lampshade. Or, get a whole lot of realistic-looking plastic insects, and spread them over a colleague’s desk and chair, or, at home, over the kids’ beds etc. Creep-factor: stellar.

2- Which One Doesn’t Fit?

Put the photo of a celebrity or a notorious politician in a frame, and take it to work on April Fools’ Day. Hang the photo on the staff picture wall, and wait. You’ll be surprised how long it can take for people to notice that one picture doesn’t fit.

3- Something Weird in the Restroom

At work, replace the air freshener in the restroom with something noxious like insect killer, oven cleaner or your own odious mixture in a spray bottle. Be sure to cover the bottle’s body so no one suspects a swap.

Or paint a bar of soap with clear nail polish, and leave it at the hand wash basin. It will not lather.

Or, if your workplace’s restroom has partitioned toilets with short doors, arrange jeans or trousers and shoes on all but one of the toilet covers, so it looks like every stall is occupied. Now wait for complaints, and see how long it takes for someone to figure out the April Fools’ Day prank. You’ll probably wish you had a camera inside the restroom. But, unless you don’t mind getting fired, don’t put your own recording device in there!

4- Call Me Funny

Prepare and print out a few posters with the following instructions: Lion Roar Challenge! Call this number - 123-456-7890 - and leave your best lion’s roar as voicemail! Best roarer will be announced April 10 in the cafeteria. Prize: $100. (Lion’s roar is just an example; you can use any animal call, or even a movie character’s unique sound, such as Chewbacca from Star Wars. The weirder, the funnier. Obviously!) Put the posters up in the office where most of the staff is likely to see them. Now wait for the owner of the number to visit you with murderous intent. Have a conciliatory gift ready that’s not a prank.

5- Minty Cookies

This is another simple but hugely effective prank - simply separate iced cookies, scrape off the icing, and replace it with toothpaste. Serve during lunch or tea break at work, or put in your family’s lunch boxes. Be sure to take photos of your victim’s faces when they first bite into your April Fools’ cookies.

6- Wild Shopping

At your local grocer, place a realistic-looking plastic snake or spider among the fresh vegetables. Now wait around the corner for the first yell.

7- The Oldest Trick in the Book

Don’t forget probably the oldest, yet very effective April Fools’ joke in the book - smearing hand cream or Vaseline on a door handle that most staff, family or friends are likely to use. Yuck to the max!

8- Sneeze On Me

Another golden oldie is also gross, yet harmless and utterly satisfying as a prank. Fill a small spray bottle that you can easily conceal with water. Walk past a friend, colleague or one of your kids, and fake a sneeze while simultaneously spraying them with a bit of water. Expect to be called a totally disgusting person. Add a drop of lovely smelling essential oil to the water for extra confusion.

9- Word Play Repairs

Put a fresh leek in the hand wash basin at home or work, and then tell your housemates or colleagues this: “There’s a huge leak in the restroom/bathroom basin, it’s really serious. Please can someone go have a look?!” Expect exasperation and smiles all around. Note that this prank is only likely to work where people understand English well.

10- Scary Face

Print out a very scary face on an A4 sheet of paper, and place it in a colleague’s, or one of your kid’s drawers, so it’s the first thing they see when they open the drawer. You may not be very popular for a while.

11- Wake Up To Madness

Put foamy shaving cream, or real whipped cream on your hand, and wake your kid up by tickling their nose with it. As long as they get the joke, this could be a wonderful and fun way to start April Fools’ Day.

12- Computer Prank

This one’s fabulous, if you have a bit of time to fiddle with a colleague, friend or your kid’s computer. It is most effective on a computer where most of the icons they use are on the desktop background itself (as opposed to on the bottom task bar).

Take and save a screenshot of their desktop with the icons. Set this screenshot as their background image. Now delete all the working icons. When they return to their computer, wait for the curses when no amount of clicking on the icons works.

13- Monster Under the Cup

This one will also work well anywhere people meet. Take a paper cup, and write the following on it in black pen: “Danger! Don’t lift, big spider underneath.” Place it upside-down on prominent flat surface, such as a kitchen counter, a colleague’s desk or a restaurant table. Expect some truly interesting responses.

14- Prank Door

Write in large letters on a large and noticeable piece of paper: PUSH. Tape this notice on a door that should be pulled to open, and watch the hilarious struggle of those clever souls who actually read signs.

4. How Can FilipinoPod101 Make Your April Fools’ Day Special?

If you happen to visit Filipino, or if you work for any Filipino company, knowing the above Filipino prankster phrases can really lighten up your day. Showing you have a sense of humor can go a long way to cement good relationships in any situation. These phrases are at your disposal for free, as well as are these 100 core Filipino words, which you will learn how to pronounce perfectly.

Also, don’t stop at learning April Fools’ phrases in Filipino - bone up your Filipino language skills with these FREE key phrases. Yes, FilipinoPod101 doesn’t joke when it comes to effective, fun and easy learning.

Now, as a bonus, test our super-learning technology, and learn the Top 1000 most useful phrases in Filipino below! But that’s not all. Read on to learn how you can be eligible for large enrollment discounts at FilipinoPod101.

5. Top 1000 Most Useful Phrases in Filipino - testing new technology

Help us by being a language guinea pig! Listen to this video above with embedded cutting-edge, frequency-based learning technology that enables you to learn large amounts of data in record time.

• Note: This technology is in beta-phase of development, and we invite your input for fine-tuning.
• To participate: Watch the video for instructions, and leave a comment to rate it. Your comment will make you eligible for large enrollment-fee discounts. To watch the video, please click the play button.

Thank you for helping FilipinoPod101! We’re serious about making learning Filipino fun.

Learn all the Filipino New Year wishes online, in your own time, on any device! Join FilipinoPod101 for a special Filipino New Year celebration!

Can you relate to the year passing something like this: “January, February, March - December!”? Many people do! Quantum physics teaches us that time is relative, and few experiences illustrate this principle as perfectly as when we reach the end of a year. To most of us, it feels like the old one has passed in the blink of an eye, while the new year lies ahead like a very long journey! However, New Year is also a time to celebrate beginnings, and to say goodbye to what has passed. This is true in every culture, no matter when New Year is celebrated.

So, how do you say Happy New Year in Filipino? Let a native teach you! At FilipinoPod101, you will learn how to correctly greet your friends over New Year, and wish them well with these Filipino New Year wishes!

Table of Contents

1. How to Celebrate New Year in Filipino
2. Must-Know Filipino Words & Phrases for the New Year!
3. Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions in Filipino
4. Inspirational New Year Quotes
5. Inspirational Language Learning Quotes
6. How To Say Happy New Year in 31 Languages
7. How FilipinoPod101 Can Help You Learn Filipino

But let’s start with some vocabulary for Filipino New Year celebrations, very handy for conversations.

1. How to Celebrate New Year in Filipino

In the Philippines, New Year’s Day is celebrated every 1st of January. The celebration starts with New Year’s Eve, when families gather for Media Noche meaning the meal to greet the new year, and to set off firecrackers. This is why New Year’s Eve is said to be the noisiest day of the year in the Philippines, because of the large number of outdoor celebrations, parties, and firecrackers.

Now, before we get into more detail, do you know the answer to this question-

What do you think would be a good outfit to wear on New Year’s Eve in the Philippines?

If you don’t already know, you’ll find out a bit later. Keep reading.

During New Year’s Eve, families gather in the houses of their parents for Media Noche. Media Noche is a feast shared by the family to welcome the new year. Every type of food served is laced with an underlying meaning and is believed to bring luck, or swerte and prosperity, or kasaganaan for the new year. Some of the food prepared during the party, or handaan in Filipino, include a dozen circular fruits believed to bring prosperity, biko (which is a kind of sweetened sticky rice), in order to make our luck stick around; and pansit (a type of noodles) or spaghetti for longevity. In Filipino, the word longevity is mahabang buhay.

Filipinos believe that it’s necessary to make noises to ward off evil spirits. That’s why firecrackers are set off the moment the clock strikes twelve, and normally continue on until early morning. The exact time new year begins is the noisiest because you won’t just hear firecrackers, but also the ringing of pots and pans, trumpets, and blowing of horns.

In recent years, going to street parties to welcome the New Year has become a popular tradition in the Philippines, especially in Manila. This is partly due to the fact that firecrackers are gradually being prohibited for individual use. Due to the massive amount of firecrackers used and since the people typically setting them off at home are not professionals, individual use of firecrackers brings danger to the neighborhood.

Many people also attend street parties sponsored by the two biggest television stations in the country. One of these is held every year at the intersection of Ayala and Makati Avenue. Here, participants can closely see their favorite artists, dance, and watch a fireworks display from professional pyrotechnicians.

When welcoming the new year, it’s a tradition for children to jump at midnight, since it is believed that it will make them taller. It is also common to see adults jumping because they are still hoping to grow taller!

Now it’s time to answer our quiz question-

What do you think would be a good outfit to wear on New Year’s Eve in the Philippines?

It is said that polka dots are the best design to wear on New Year’s Eve! Filipinos believe that wearing something with circular patterns, like polka dots, will bring a prosperous year full of luck, especially when it comes to money.

Happy New Year!
Maligayang Bagong Taon!

2. Must-Know Filipino Words & Phrases for the New Year!

1- Year

taon

This is pretty self-explanatory. Most countries follow a Gregorian calendar, which has approximately 365 days in a year, while in some cultures, other year designations are also honored. Therefore, New Year’s day in Filipino could fall on a different day than in your country. When do you celebrate New Year?

2- Midnight

hatinggabi

The point in time when a day ends and a new one starts. Many New Year celebrants prefer to stay awake till midnight, and greet the new annum as it breaks with fanfare and fireworks!

3- New Year’s Day

Araw ng Bagong Taon

In most countries, the new year is celebrated for one whole day. On the Gregorian calendar, this falls on January 1st. On this day, different cultures engage in festive activities, like parties, parades, big meals with families and many more.

4- Party

kasiyahan

A party is most people’s favorite way to end the old year, and charge festively into the new one! We celebrate all we accomplished in the old year, and joyfully anticipate what lies ahead.

5- Dancing

sayawan

Usually, when the clock strikes midnight and the New Year officially begins, people break out in dance! It is a jolly way to express a celebratory mood with good expectations for the year ahead. Also, perhaps, that the old year with its problems has finally passed! Dance parties are also a popular way to spend New Year’s Eve in many places.

6- Champagne

champagne

Originating in France, champagne is a bubbly, alcoholic drink that is often used to toast something or someone during celebrations.

7- Fireworks

paputok

These are explosives that cause spectacular effects when ignited. They are popular for announcing the start of the new year with loud noises and colorful displays! In some countries, fireworks are set off to scare away evil spirits. In others, the use of fireworks is forbidden in urban areas due to their harmful effect on pets. Most animals’ hearing is much more sensitive than humans’, so this noisy display can be very frightful and traumatising to them.

8- Countdown

countdown

This countdown refers to New Year celebrants counting the seconds, usually backward, till midnight, when New Year starts - a great group activity that doesn’t scare animals, and involves a lot of joyful shouting when the clock strikes midnight!

9- New Year’s Holiday

Bagong Taon

In many countries, New Year’s Day is a public holiday - to recuperate from the party the previous night, perhaps! Families also like to meet on this day to enjoy a meal and spend time together.

10- Confetti

konfeti

In most Western countries, confetti is traditionally associated with weddings, but often it is used as a party decoration. Some prefer to throw it in the air at the strike of midnight on New Year’s Eve.

11- New Year’s Eve

Bisperas ng Bagong Taon

This is the evening before New Year breaks at midnight! Often, friends and family meet for a party or meal the evening before, sometimes engaging in year-end rituals. How are you planning to give your New Year greetings in 2018?

12- Toast

tagay

A toast is a type of group-salutation that involves raising your glass to drink with others in honor of something or someone. A toast to the new year is definitely in order!

13- Resolution

resolusyon

Those goals or intentions you hope to, but seldom keep in the new year! Many people consider the start of a new year to be the opportune time for making changes or plans. Resolutions are those intentions to change, or the plans. It’s best to keep your resolutions realistic so as not to disappoint yourself!

14- Parade

parada

New Year celebrations are a huge deal in some countries! Parades are held in the streets, often to celebratory music, with colorful costumes and lots of dancing. Parades are like marches, only less formal and way more fun. At FilipinoPod101, you can engage in forums with natives who can tell you what Filipino New Year celebrations are like!

3. Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions

So, you learned the Filipino word for ‘resolution’. Fabulous! Resolutions are those goals and intentions that we hope to manifest in the year that lies ahead. The beginning of a new year serves as a good marker in time to formalise these. Some like to do it in writing, others only hold these resolutions in their hearts. Here are our Top 10 New Year’s resolutions at FilipinoPod101 - what are yours?

Learn these phrases and impress your Filipino friends with your vocabulary.

1- Read more

Magbasa ng mas marami.

Reading is a fantastic skill that everyone can benefit from. You’re a business person? Apparently, successful business men and women read up to 60 books a year. This probably excludes fiction, so better scan your library or Amazon for the top business reads if you plan to follow in the footsteps of the successful! Otherwise, why not make it your resolution to read more Filipino in the new year? You will be surprised by how much this will improve your Filipino language skills!

2- Spend more time with family

Mag-ukol ng mas maraming oras sa pamilya

Former US President George Bush’s wife, Barbara Bush, was quoted as having said this: “At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, a parent.” This is very true! Relationships are often what gives life meaning, so this is a worthy resolution for any year.

3- Lose weight

magpapayat

Hands up, how many of you made this new year’s resolution last year too…?! This is a notoriously difficult goal to keep, as it takes a lot of self discipline not to eat unhealthily. Good luck with this one, and avoid unhealthy fad diets!

4- Save money

mag-ipon

Another common and difficult resolution! However, no one has ever been sorry when they saved towards reaching a goal. Make it your resolution to save money to upgrade your subscription to FilipinoPod101’s Premium PLUS option in the new year - it will be money well spent!

5- Quit smoking

Tumigil sa paninigarilyo.

This is a resolution that you should definitely keep, or your body could punish you severely later! Smoking is a harmful habit with many hazardous effects on your health. Do everything in your power to make this resolution come true in the new year, as your health is your most precious asset.

6- Learn something new

Matuto ng bago.

Science has proven that learning new skills can help keep brain diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s at bay! It can even slow down the progression of the disease. So, keep your brain healthy by learning to speak a new language, studying towards a qualification, learning how to sew, or how to play chess - no matter how old you are, the possibilities are infinite!

7- Drink less

Bawasan ang pag-inom.

This is another health resolution that is good to heed any time of the year. Excessive drinking is associated with many diseases, and its effect can be very detrimental to good relationships too. Alcohol is a poison and harmful for the body in large quantities!

8- Exercise regularly

Regular na mag-ehersisyo.

This resolution goes hand-in-hand with ‘Lose weight’! An inactive body is an unhealthy and often overweight one, so give this resolution priority in the new year.

9- Eat healthy

Kumain ng masustansyang pagkain

If you stick with this resolution, you will lose weight and feel better in general. It is a very worthy goal to have!

10- Study Filipino with FilipinoPod101

pag-aaral ng Filipino kasama ang FilipinoPod101.com

Of course! You can only benefit from learning Filipino, especially with us! Learning how to speak Filipino can keep your brain healthy, it can widen your circle of friends, and improve your chances to land a dream job anywhere in the world. FilipinoPod101 makes it easy and enjoyable for you to stick to this resolution.

4. Inspirational New Year Quotes

Everyone knows that it is sometimes very hard to stick to resolutions, and not only over New Year. The reasons for this vary from person to person, but all of us need inspiration every now and then! A good way to remain motivated is to keep inspirational quotes near as reminders that it’s up to us to reach our goals.

Click here for quotes that will also work well in a card for a special Filipino new year greeting!

Make decorative notes of these in Filipino, and keep them close! Perhaps you could stick them above your bathroom mirror, or on your study’s wall. This way you not only get to read Filipino incidentally, but also remain inspired to reach your goals! Imagine feeling like giving up on a goal, but reading this quote when you go to the bathroom: “It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop.” What a positive affirmation!

5. Inspirational Language Learning Quotes

Still undecided whether you should enroll with FilipinoPod101 to learn a new language? There’s no time like the present to decide! Let the following Language Learning Quotes inspire you with their wisdom.

Click here to read the most inspirational Language Learning Quotes!

As legendary President Nelson Mandela once said: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.” So, learning how to say Happy New Year in Filipino could well be a way into someone special’s heart for you! Let this year be the one where you to learn how to say Happy New Year, and much more, in Filipino - it could open many and unexpected doors for you.

6. How To Say Happy New Year in 31 Languages

Here’s a lovely bonus for you! Why stop with Filipino - learn how to say Happy New Year in 31 other languages too! Watch this video and learn how to pronounce these New Year’s wishes like a native in under two minutes.

7. Why Enrolling with FilipinoPod101 Would Be the Perfect New Year’s Gift to Yourself!

If you are unsure how to celebrate the New Year, why not give yourself a huge gift, and enroll to learn Filipino! With more than 12 years of experience behind us, we know that FilipinoPod101 would be the perfect fit for you. There are so many reasons for this!

• Custom-tailored Learning Paths: Start learning Filipino at the level that you are. We have numerous Learning Pathways, and we tailor them just for you based on your goals and interests! What a boon!
• Marked Progress and Fresh Learning Material Every Week: We make new lessons available every week, with an option to track your progress. Topics are culturally appropriate and useful, such as “Learning how to deliver negative answers politely to a business partner.” Our aim is to equip you with Filipino that makes sense!
• Multiple Learning Tools: Learn in fun, easy ways with resources such 1,000+ video and audio lessons, flashcards, detailed PDF downloads, and mobile apps suitable for multiple devices!
• Fast Track Learning Option: If you’re serious about fast-tracking your learning, Premium Plus would be the perfect way to go! Enjoy perks such as personalised lessons with ongoing guidance from your own, native-speaking teacher, and one-on-one learning on your mobile app! You will not be alone in your learning. Weekly assignments with non-stop feedback, answers and corrections will ensure speedy progress.
• Fun and Easy: Keeping the lessons fun and easy-to-learn is our aim, so you will stay motivated by your progress!

There’s no reason not to go big in 2018 by learning Filipino with FilipinoPod101. Just imagine how the world can open up for you!

In most cultures, it is custom to express gratitude in some way or another. The dictionary defines gratitude as follows: it is “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness”. Giving a sincere, thankful response to someone’s actions or words is often the ‘glue’ that keeps relationships together. This is true in most societies! Doing so in a foreign country also shows your respect and appreciation for the culture. Words have great power - use these ones sincerely and often!

Table of Contents

1. 12 Ways to say ‘Thank you’ in Filipino
2. Video Lesson: Learn to Say ‘Thank You’ in 3 Minutes
3. Infographic & Audio Lesson: Survival Phrases - Thank You
4. Video Lesson: ‘Thank You’ in 31 Languages
5. How FilipinoPod101 Can Help You

So, how do you say ‘Thank you’ in Filipino? You can learn easily! Below, FilipinoPod101 brings you perfect translations and pronunciation as you learn the most common ways Filipino speakers say ‘Thanks’ in various situations.

1. 12 Ways to say ‘Thank you’ in Filipino

1- Thank you.

Salamat!

The magical words that can bring a smile to any face. For one day, truly mean it whenever you say these words, and see how this lifts your spirit too!

2- That’s very kind of you.

Napakabuti ninyo.

This phrase is appropriate when someone clearly goes out of their way to give good service, or to offer you a kindness.

3- Thanks for your kind words!

Salamat sa iyong mga papuri!

Someone paid you a compliment and made you feel good? That is kind of him/her, so express your gratitude!

4- Thank you for coming today.

Salamat sa pagdating ngayong araw.

This welcoming phrase should be part of your arsenal if you’re conducting more formal meetings with Filipino speakers. If you’re hosting a party, this is also a good phrase when you greet your Filipino guests!

5- Thank you for your consideration.

Salamat sa iyong konsiderasyon.

This is a more formal, almost solemn way to thank someone for their thoughtfulness and sensitivity towards you. It is also suitable to use when a native speaker has to consider something you submit, like a job application, a project or a proposal. You are thanking them, in essence, for time and effort they are about to, or have spent on your submission.

6- Thanks a lot!

Maraming salamat!

This means the same as ‘Thank you’, but with energy and enthusiasm added! It means almost the same as ‘thank you so much’ in Filipino. Use this in an informal setting with your Filipino friends or teachers.

7- Teachers like you are not easy to find.

Ang mga guro na katulad ninyo ay bihira.

Some phrases are compliments, which express gratitude by inference. This is one of them. If you’re particularly impressed with your FilipinoPod101 teacher, this is an excellent phrase to memorize!

8- Thank you for spending time with us.

Salamat sa iyong oras na makasama kami.

Any host at a gathering with Filipino speakers, such as a meeting or a party, should have this under his/her belt! Use it when you’re saying goodbye or busy closing a meeting. It could also be another lovely way to thank your Filipino language teacher for her time.

9- Thank you for being patient and helping me improve.

Salamat sa iyong pasensiya at pagtulong na mapabuti ako.

This phrase is another sure way to melt any formal or informal Filipino teacher’s heart! Teaching is not easy, and often a lot of patience is required from the teacher. Thank him/her for it! It’s also a good phrase to use if you work in Filipino, and want to thank your trainer or employer. You will go a long way towards making yourself a popular employee - gratitude is the most attractive trait in any person!

10- You’re the best teacher ever!

Ikaw ang pinakamahusay na guro magpakailanman!

This is also an enthusiastic way to thank your teacher by means of a compliment. It could just make their day!

11- Thank you for the gift.

Salamat sa iyong regalo.

This is a good phrase to remember when you’re the lucky recipient of a gift. Show your respect and gratitude with these words.

12- I have learned so much thanks to you.

Marami akong natutunan, salamat sayo.

What a wonderful compliment to give a good teacher! It means they have succeeded in their goal, and you’re thankful for it.

2. Video Lesson: Learn to Say ‘Thank You’ in 3 Minutes

With a hundred dialects and two officially recognized languages (Filipino and English) there are several ways of expressing thanks. Lets take a look at the most common ways of saying “thank you” in Filipino. As in many languages, there are formal and informal ways of showing thanks.

1- Salamat.
In Filipino “Thank you” is salamat. The word salamat is the casual way of saying “thank you” or “thanks.” Now in Filipino there are other ways to express one’s gratitude. There is a formal way to do this.

2- Salamat po.
In Filipino the Formal way of expressing gratitude, e.g. “Thank you” is salamat po. This phrase is used among older people to show politeness and respect.

3- Maraming salamat po.
For very special occasions when someone goes above and beyond the call of being kind, when someone is extremely generous, or at any other time you’re extremely grateful, we have the following phrase to express gratitude: maraming salamat po (Thank you very much). The first word maraming means “many.” It is followed by salamat, which in English is “thanks” and it is then followed by po. Po has no equivalent word in English. Po is used in phrases as a sign of respect to older people. The entire phrase is maraming salamat po. The informal way of saying this phrase is maraming salamat.

Cultural Insights
Quick Tip 1
Salamat is the Filipino word for “thank you.” You may want to use a more formal phrase to express your gratitude, in this case salamat po is more appropriate. You would use salamat po if you were thanking someone older than you. In expressing extreme gratefulness you may use maraming salamat or “thank you very much.” In exceptional circumstances, you may combine the three phrases at the same time: maraming salamat po.

Quick Tip 2
The most typical way of saying “thank you” in Filipino is salamat. It is also the informal or the casual way of expressing your gratitude to someone you are comfortable with like friends or casual acquaintances.

On the run to the Phillipines? Wait! You can’t go without some basic language phrases under your belt! Especially if you’re heading to meet your prospective employer! Either in person or online, knowing how to say ‘Thank you’ in the Filipino language will only improve their impression of you! FilipinoPod101 saves you time with this short lesson that nevertheless packs a punch. Learn to say ‘Thank you’ in Filipino in no time!

3. Audio Lesson: Survival Phrases - Thank You

Perhaps you think it’s unimportant that you don’t know what ‘Thank you’ is in Filipino, or that it’s too difficult a language to learn. Yet, as a traveler or visitor, you will be surprised at how far you can go using a little bit of Filipino in Filipino!

Click Here to Listen to the Free Audio Lesson!

At FilipinoPod101, we offer you a few ways of saying ‘Thank you’ in Filipino that you have no excuse not knowing, as they’re so simple and easy to learn. The lesson is geared to aid your ‘survival’ in formal and informal situations in Filipino, so don’t wait! You will never have to google ‘How do you say thanks in Filipino’ again…!

4. ‘Thank You’ in 31 Languages

For the global traveler in a hurry, here are 31 ways to say ‘Thank you’! These are the first words you need to learn in any foreign language - it is sure to smooth your way with native speakers by showing your gratitude for services rendered, and your respect for their culture! Learn and know how to correctly say ‘Thank you’ in 31 different languages in this short video.

5. Why would FilipinoPod101 be the perfect choice to learn Filipino?

However, you need not stop at ‘Thank you’ in Filipino - why not learn to speak the language?! You have absolutely nothing to lose. Research has shown that learning a new language increases intelligence and combats brain-aging. Also, the ability to communicate with native speakers in their own language is an instant way to make friends and win respect! Or imagine you know how to write ‘Thank you’ to that special Filipino friend after a date…he/she will be so impressed!

FilipinoPod101 Has Special Lessons, Tools and Resources to Teach You How to Say Thank You and Other Key Phrases

With more than a decade of experience behind us, we have taught thousands of satisfied users to speak foreign languages. How do we do this? First, we take the pain out of learning! At FilipinoPod101, students are assisted as they master vocabulary, pronunciation, and conversation through state-of-the-art and fun online learning methods. A library replete with learning resources allows for you to learn at your own pace and in your own space! Resources include thousands of video and audio recordings, downloadable PDF lessons and plenty of learning apps for your mobile devices. Each month, we add benefits with FREE bonuses and gifts to improve your experience.

We accommodate all levels and types of learners, from Absolute Beginner to Advanced, and FilipinoPod101 is free for anyone to sign up. However, you can choose to fast track your fluency with lesson customization and increased interactive learning and practicing. Upgrade to Premium, or Premium PLUS to enhance your experience and greatly expedite your learning. With this type of assistance, and pleasurable effort on your part, you will speak Filipino in a very short period of time!

Click Here to Visit FilipinoPod101!

Best of all is that you’re never alone! We believe that practice is the holy grail of learning any new language, and we gear our courses to ensure lots of it. Enroll with us, and you gain immediate access to our lively forum where we meet and greet, and discuss your burning questions. Our certified teachers are friendly and helpful, and you are very likely to practice your first ‘Thanks!’ in Filipino on him/her, AND mean it! Hurry up, and sign up now - you will thank us for it.

Learn 4 tools and techniques to stop translating in your head and start thinking in Filipino

Going through Filipino lessons is enough to get by and learn the basics of Filipino, but to truly become fluent you need to be able to think in Filipino. This will allow you to have conversations with ease, read smoothly, and comprehensively understand natives. To do this, you need to go beyond just completing daily or weekly lessons.

We naturally translate in our heads because it’s viewed as the easiest way to learn the definitions needed when learning a language. This way of learning can actually hinder your skills and fluency later on. If your brain has to make neural connections between the word you’re learning, what it means in your native tongue, and the physical object the connection will not be nearly as strong. When you bypass the original translation between Filipino and your native language then there is a more basic and strong connection between just the Filipino vocabulary word and the tangible object.

In this blog post, you will learn the 4 important techniques to easily and naturally begin to speculate about the daily occurrences in your life. The best part is all of these techniques are supported and can be achieved through FilipinoPod101.com.

Create Your Free Lifetime Account and Start Learning the whole Filipino Language from the Beginning!

1. Surround yourself with Filipino

By surrounding yourself with Filipino constantly you will completely immerse yourself in the language. Without realizing it you’ll be learning pronunciation, sentence structures, grammar, and new vocabulary. You can play music in the background while you’re cooking or have a Filipino radio station on while you study. Immersion is a key factor with this learning process because it is one of the easiest things to do, but very effective. Even if you are not giving the program your full attention you will be learning.

One great feature of FilipinoPod101.com is the endless podcasts that are available to you. You can even download and listen to them on the go. These podcasts are interesting and are perfect for the intention of immersion, they are easy to listen to as background noise and are interesting enough to give your full attention. Many of them contain stories that you follow as you go through the lessons which push you to keep going.

2. Learn through observation

Learning through observation is the most natural way to learn. Observation is how we all learned our native languages as infants and it’s a wonder why we stop learning this way. If you have patience and learn through observation then Filipino words will have their own meanings rather than meanings in reference to your native language. Ideally, you should skip the bilingual dictionary and just buy a dictionary in Filipino.

FilipinoPod101.com also offers the materials to learn this way. We have numerous video lessons which present situational usage of each word or phrase instead of just a direct translation. This holds true for many of our videos and how we teach Filipino.

3. Speak out loud to yourself

Speaking to yourself in Filipino not only gets you in the mindset of Filipino, but also makes you listen to how you speak. It forces you to correct any errors with pronunciation and makes it easy to spot grammar mistakes. When you speak out loud talk about what you did that day and what you plan to do the next day. Your goal is to be the most comfortable speaking out loud and to easily create sentences. Once you feel comfortable talking to yourself start consciously thinking in your head about your daily activities and what is going on around you throughout the day.

With FilipinoPod101.com you start speaking right away, not only this, but they have you repeat words and conversations after a native Filipino speaker. This makes your pronunciation very accurate! With this help, you are on the fast path to making clear and complex sentences and then actively thinking about your day.

4. Practice daily

If you don’t practice daily then your progress will be greatly slowed. Many people are tempted to take the 20-30 minutes they should be practicing a day and practice 120 in one day and skip the other days. This isn’t nearly as effective because everyday you practice you are reinforcing the skills and knowledge you have learned. If you practice all in one day you don’t retain the information because the brain can realistically only focus for 30 minutes at most. If you’re studying for 120 minutes on the same subject little of the information will be absorbed. Studying everyday allows you to review material that you went over previous days and absorb a small amount of information at a time.

It’s tough to find motivation to study everyday, but FilipinoPod101.com can help. It’s easy to stay motivated with FilipinoPod101.com because we give you a set learning path, with this path we show how much progress you’ve made. This makes you stick to your goals and keep going!

Conclusion

Following the steps and having patience is the hardest part to achieving your goals, it’s not easy learning a new language. You are essentially teaching your brain to categorize the world in a completely new way. Stick with it and you can do it just remember the 4 tools I taught you today! With them, conversations, reading, and understanding will become much easier. The most important thing to remember is to use the tools that FilipinoPod101.com provides and you will be on your way to being fluent!

Learn Filipino With FilipinoPod101 Today!

Speaking is usually the #1 weakness for all Filipino learners. This is a common issue among language learners everywhere. The reason for this is obvious: When language learners first start learning a language, they usually start with reading. They read online articles, books, information on apps and so on. If they take a class, they spend 20% of their time repeating words, and 80% of the time reading the textbook, doing homework or just listening to a teacher. So, if you spend most of your time reading instead of speaking, you might get better at reading but your speaking skills never grow. You get better at what you focus on.

So if you want to improve you speaking skills, you need to spend more of your study time on speaking. Here are five tips to help you get started:

1. Read out loud
If you’re listening to a lesson and reading along, read out loud. Then re-read and speed up your tempo. Do this again and again until you can speak faster. Try your best to pronounce the words correctly, but don’t obsess about it. Read swiftly, emote and put some inflection on the sentences. Reading aloud helps to train the muscles of your mouth and diaphragm to produce unfamiliar words and sounds.

2. Prepare things to say ahead of time.
As you may know from experience, most learners run out of things to say. But, if you prepare lines ahead of time, you won’t be at a loss for words in conversations. This will help you not only to learn how to say the words, but how to say them in the right context. A good way to prepare yourself before conversations is with our Top 25 Questions Series, which teaches you how to ask the most common conversational questions, and how to answer them, in Filipino:

Click here to learn the top 25 Filipino questions you need to know.

3. Use shadowing (repeat the dialogues as you hear them).
Shadowing is an extremely useful tool for increasing fluency as well as improving your accent and ability to be understood. Shadowing helps create all the neural connections in your brain to produce those words and sentences quickly and accurately without having to think about it. Also, as mentioned in tip #1, shadowing helps develop the muscle memory in all the physical parts responsible for the production of those sounds. Depending on what your primary and target languages are, it’s quite likely that there are a lot of sounds your mouth just isn’t used to producing. Shadowing can be done, for example, when watching TV shows or movies or listening to music.

Each one of our lessons begins with a dialogue. Try to shadow the conversation line by line, and you’ll be mastering it in no time.

Click here to for a FREE taste of our Absolute Beginner series!

4. Review again and again.
This is the key to perfection, and we can’t emphasize it enough. Most learners don’t review! If you review and repeat lines again and again, you’ll be speaking better, faster and with more confidence.

5. DON’T BE AFRAID TO MAKE MISTAKES!
You’d be surprised by how many people try to avoid talking! The more you speak, the faster you learn – and that is why you’re learning Filipino. Practice speaking every chance you get: whether it’s ordering coffee, shopping or asking for directions.

Hello Listener,

You’ll want to know about these 2 new Filipino learning tools and features. They’re great for reviewing, motivation and progress. One is an unofficial sneak peek.

So what are they? The brand new Achievement Badges and the Word Bank! And… if you want to master Filipino, unlock our proven learning system at 26% OFF and get a Bonus 6.5-hour Audiobook!

In this month’s newsletter:

1. 72 Hours Left! Click here to get 26% OFF + FREE 6.5-Hour Audiobook
2. New Feature! Achievement Badges Now Available for Premium PLUS
3. Sneak Peek: Save & Review Vocab with this Study Tool

Click here to learn Filipino and get 26% OFF. Up to $62.40 in savings.
(The free 6.5-hour Filipino audiobook will be inside your welcome email)

2. NEW Feature! Learn and Stay Motivated with NEW Achievement Badges
Learning Filipino? You deserve recognition and motivation. So, if you’re a Premium PLUS member… you can now unlock new badges as your Filipino improves. Your Premium PLUS teacher will give out badges as you complete weekly assignments. The result? You master more Filipino, unlock badges for your progress, and stay motivated to keep going.

Click here to learn about the Premium PLUS Achievement Badges!

3. Here’s a Sneak Peek at the Newly Redesigned Word Bank!
We haven’t fully announced this yet… but here’s a sneak peek! The Word Bank – your personal collection of words and phrases – is better than ever. What’s new? First, a shiny new design. You can sort and manage your vocab and phrases with custom labels. And feel free to print out your entries as physical study material or export them as files! Not a Premium member? Take advantage of the 26% discount by Friday.

Premium Users: Click here to access the New Word Bank!
(Note: You must be logged in to access this)

To your fluency,
Team FilipinoPod101

P.S. We’re giving you a BONUS 6.5-Hour Audiobook. Get 26% OFF by Friday!
No school or textbooks necessary to learn Filipino! In fact, you get a FREE Audiobook when you get 26% OFF any 1- or 2-year plan. Master Filipino in LESS time with this 2-for-1 deal! Unlock our learning system – over 70 hours of audio and video lesson by real teachers and more! Just $2.96/month and up to $62.40 OFF. Hurry! Ends Friday, 8/28/2015!

Ends Friday! Click here to learn Filipino and Get 26% OFF!
(Your FREE Audiobook will instantly be available in your welcome email)

There are plenty of destinations where you can get by with English, but sometimes you want to do better than just ‘get by’. Here are 6 reasons you should learn the basics of the language of your next trip destination.

1. You will be able to discover your destination better than other tourists.
Getting by is one thing, but actually experiencing a trip abroad is quite another. No amount of guidebooks and online research can compensate for a basic lack of language ability. Speaking the language of your destination permits you to explore that destination beyond the regular tourist traps. Your language skills will not only allow you to dig into all the hidden gems of your destination, but they will also allow you to mingle with the locals to get a true experience on your holiday. Think of it this way: you’re not restricted to talking to the people at the tourist desk anymore.

2. Knowing how to communicate with local police or medical personnel can be life-saving.
Before you leave for your destination, make sure you learn how to ask for help in that destination’s local tongue. Do you know how to ask the waiter if this dish has peanuts in it? Or tell your host family that you’re allergic to fish? Can you tell the local doctor where it hurts? Moreover, an awareness of an environment improves your chance of remaining safe inside it. For example, walking around a busy marketplace, dazzled by an unfamiliar language, signs and accents will instantly render any tourist a more attractive mark for pickpockets. Communicating with other people, asking questions and looking confident will make you look like a semi-local yourself, and will ward off potential thieves.

Click here for Filipino Survival Phrases that will help you in almost every situation

3. It helps you relax.
Traveling is much less stressful when you understand what that announcement at the airport was saying, or if this bus line reaches your hotel. These things stress you out when traveling and they disappear when you understand the language. This allows you to focus on planning your trip in a better, easier way.

4. Speaking the language can provide you with a way to get to know people you’d never otherwise have the opportunity to speak with.
Sometimes those relationships turn into friendships, and other times they’re nothing more than a lively conversation. Either way, as Nelson Mandela said: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” When you approach someone – even staff at a store or restaurant – with English, rather than their own language, an invisible divide has already been erected. Making even a small effort to communicate in the language of the place you’re visiting can go a long way and you’ll find many more doors open up to you as a result.

Click here for the Top 25 Filipino Questions you need to know to start a conversation with anyone

5. You’ll be a better ambassador for your country.
If we’re honest with ourselves, we know very little about other countries and cultures, especially the local politics. And what we do know is often filtered to us by the media, which tends to represent only certain interests. When you can speak the local language, you’re able to answer questions that curious locals have about your country and culture. Are you frustrated with how your country is presented in global news? Are you embarrassed by your country’s leaders and want to make it clear that not everyone is like that where you’re from? This is a very good opportunity to share your story with people who have no one else to ask. We all have a responsibility to be representatives of the place we come from.

6. Learning another language can fend off Alzheimer’s, keep your brain healthy and generally make you smarter.
For more information, check out this blog post about the 5 Benefits of Learning a New Language.

Hello Listener,

Did you start this year out with a resolution to learn Filipino? Haven’t found time to make it happen yet? Well, with students everywhere going back to school this month… Now’s a perfect time to renew your dream of truly learning Filipino.

Even if you’re a complete beginner. Even if you’re out of school…
You can and will learn Filipino with 70+ hours of lessons from real teachers. The Too Cool for School Sale at FilipinoPod101 starts today:

Click here to get 26% OFF & a free Audiobook!

Start speaking Filipino from your very first lesson and get our entire Filipino learning system at 26% OFF! That’s just $2.96/month with Basic or $7.40/month with Premium and up to $62.40 in savings. So if you upgrade now, you instantly receive:

• 26% Discount On Any 1- or 2-Year Basic Subscription
• 26% Discount On Any 1- or 2-Year Premium Subscription
• PLUS a 6.5-Hour Filipino Audiobook for FREE

How does it work? And how will you learn Filipino?
Learning Filipino in a class simply isn’t an option for most of us with work, family and busy schedules. Between the excessive costs and the inconveniences of getting to class and working around someone else’s schedule, classrooms aren’t realistic.

But at FilipinoPod101, you get fun, effective and proven lessons from real Filipino teachers. The entire learning system was designed to help you overcome the obstacles of traditional classes, because:

• FilipinoPod101 is a Mere Fraction of the Cost of Classrooms
• You Get 70+ Hours of Audio & Video Lessons from Real Filipino Teachers
• You Access Lessons & Study Tools With Your Computer or Any Mobile Device
• You Learn at Your Own Pace and When It’s Convenient For You
• There Are No Extra Textbooks To Buy (But you do get a FREE Audiobook!)

Click Here to Get 26% Off Any Annual Subscription & A Filipino Audiobook FREE!

That’s right: You learn whenever and wherever is convenient for you and at a pace you choose! And during the Too Cool for School Sale, just sign up for any annual Basic or Premium subscription by clicking on any link and we’ll instantly discount the price by 26%!

And with a Premium plan, you’re unlocking the entire system….

• Exclusive! App for the iPhone, iPad or Android
• Full Lesson Library Access: 400+ Filipino Lessons
• Read Along with Every Lesson with PDF Lesson Notes
• Get Instructor Feedback & Comments on Each Lesson
• Stay Motivated & See Your Progress Grow with Progress Tracking
• Know Which Lesson to Study Next with Learning Guidance
• Hear the Conversation Line by Line with the Line by Line Dialogue
• Get Full Lesson Transcripts, Translations & Review Tracks
• Get Extra Practice with Review Quizzes for Every Lesson
• Master Filipino Words Fast with Smart Online Flashcards
• Reach Conversational Fluency with the 2,000 Top Filipino Word List
• Save Words & Phrases for Later Review with the Word Bank
• Perfect Your Pronunciation with Voice Recording Tools
• 24/7 Access via Any Device with Internet Access
• Get All the Vocab from a Lesson Season with Season Vocabulary
• Exclusive! Create Your Own Word Lists with the Custom Lists App
• …and much more!

Click here to get UNLIMITED access for just $0.24/day or $7.40/month!
(Your FREE Audiobook will instantly be available in your welcome email.)

So for the next few days, that means you gain full access to our Basic plan for as low as just $2.96 per month or our most popular Premium plan for just $7.40 a month – a mere fraction of what you would pay for traditional classroom instruction!

Don’t Forget Your FREE Filipino Audiobook!
Get the best of both worlds with real-life conversation and the in-depth explanations of a textbook! Listen to over 6.5 hours of lessons and read along with 200+ pages. You’ll get your free Audiobook instantly when you upgrade, inside the welcome email.

Click Here To Learn Filipino At 26% OFF & Get Your Free Audiobook!

And Upgrading is Risk-Free.

Remember, you get a 60-Day Money-Back Guarantee so if plans change or you are anything less than thrilled with our language learning system – we’ll promptly refund your entire order without any hassles or questions.

But hurry: Although it’s never too late to make a fresh start and realize your dream of learning Filipino, the Too Cool for School Sale ends soon, so….

Click here to learn Filipino with 70+ hours of Filipino lessons & save up to $62.40
(Your FREE Audiobook will instantly be available in your welcome email.)

To Making a Fresh Start,

Team FilipinoPod101

P.S. All subscriptions are fully backed by our 60-day money-back guarantee meaning you can lock in your savings now and if you later decide that you’re not learning Filipino as fast as you’d like, then we’ll refund your entire subscription amount. You have nothing to lose but you have to ACT NOW before this Too Cool for School Sale ends!

Click here to get UNLIMITED Filipino learning for just $0.24/day or $7.40/month!
(Your FREE Audiobook will instantly be available in your welcome email.)

Hi there Listener,

When you’re learning Filipino and want real progress…look for the consistent method. One that’s non-stop and keeps you going. What’s a good one? FilipinoPod101 Lessons – free audio and video lessons, every week. In fact, a new season of lessons has started this month that you can grab. Anything else? Vocab lists, where you learn new words and phrases all the time. And don’t forget that our 29% OFF Summer of Filipino Sale ends Friday!

In this month’s newsletter…

1. Sale Ends Friday! Click Here to Get 29% OFF Basic or Premium!
2. A New Season Has Started: New, Free, Weekly Filipino Lessons
3. Free Feature Alert: Speak More Filipino With Word & Phrase Lists

1. Summer of Filipino Sale ends Friday! Get a HOT 29% OFF!
Want to speak and understand Filipino like a native speaker? Get 29% OFF and start speaking Filipino with lessons by real teachers. Unlock our entire Filipino course and learning system – 70+ hours of audio and video lessons, mobile apps, lesson notes, study tools and more! Just $2.84/month and up to $69.60 OFF! Ends 7/31/2015!

Click Here to Save up to $69.60 on the Most Effective Filipino Course!
(Discounted prices ONLY available until Friday, July 31st, 2015!)

2. New Lessons Started this July – Here’s the 2015 Lesson Schedule!
Now, we know that you want more lessons. They’re non-stop, free and get you speaking more Filipino in minutes. So, you should know that new lessons and seasons started on July 6th. What kind of lessons? And what days do they come out on? Check the publishing schedule. And if you want to get our entire system – over 70+ hours of lessons – grab the 29% discount above!

Click Here to See the New Lesson Publishing Schedule!

3. Free Feature Alert: Speak More Filipino with Word & Phrase Lists
Here’s another non-stop way to boost your Filipino – Filipino Word and Phrase Lists. They’re based on holidays, current events and all-around useful topics. Our listeners learned how to talk about their summer plans in Filipino with a recent list! Just click below, access any list and review with definitions, sample sentences and audio pronunciation.

Click Here to Access the Free Filipino Word & Phrase Lists.

To your Filipino fluency,

Team FilipinoPod101

P.S. Ends Friday! Get a HOT 29% OFF the Most Effective Filipino Course!
Ready to master more Filipino this summer? Get 29% OFF any plan and start speaking Filipino with lessons by real teachers. Unlock our ENTIRE learning system – 70+ hours of audio and video lessons, mobile apps, lesson notes, study tools and more! Just $2.84/month and up to $69.60 OFF! Ends 7/31/2015!

Click Here to Get 29% OFF the Most Effective Filipino Course!
(Discounted prices ONLY available until Friday, July 31st, 2015!)

1. Schedule your time.

One of the most important factors in keeping your motivation up is developing it into a habit. Whether it be 20 minutes or 3 hours, schedule time to study every day and stick to it. Regular exposure solidifies what you learn and keeps you progressing. To make sure you stick to your routine, a great idea is to build a schedule for your day and decide that every day/Monday/weekend, you study from 6pm to 8pm. Just remember that 30 minutes a day, every day, is better than a binge 8-hour study session at the end of the week (though it’s obviously better than nothing).

2. Learn a word a day with our great Word of the Day learning tool.

Trying to learn everything at once and getting overwhelmed by the sheer number of words in your new language is not a good idea. Sometimes, even if you do learn new words, you forget them quickly because you haven’t heard them enough in context. As mentioned above, daily exposure to new words is an important factor in solidifying your target language. Our Word of the Day tool delivers you daily words and phrases, shows you how to pronounce them and use them in different contexts. Since you can get the WOTD via email, Facebook, or Twitter, this is a passive way of learning a language that fits into your existing daily social media routine. It only takes 3 minutes to review a word and practice its pronunciation, so you can do it on the way to work, in the gym, or even before you go to bed.

Click here to get the Filipino Word of the Day for FREE!

3. Make friends!

If there’s a community of people who speak the language you want to learn in your city, start attending those events! Friendship is the easiest way to get comfortable with the slang, intonation, and mannerisms of a new language. The key to learning any language is speaking a lot, so try to find a native speaker who can be your conversation partner. Having friends that speak your target language means that you will find yourself in situations where you have no choice but to speak that language. But since they are your friends, you will be doing things you enjoy with them. So these situations will probably have little or no stress. These friendships will also mean that you have someone you can ask about language, culture, and so on.

4. Take a break!

If you’re having an off day or if your brain is already tired of studying, see if you can take a break and do something fun AND useful. Comic books, illustrated stories, and cartoons are a fun way to keep learning while reducing the target language text load for weary eyes. Plus, the images help you plant lasting seeds of memory, as researchers say humor opens up cognitive doors. This is a way to keep the target language active in your brain without the strain of studying a textbook.

Don’t get stuck with the same content though. When things start to bore you, move on. Change up your books, movies, anime, music, dramas, and so on when they start getting old.

5. Don’t give up!

As with any goal, there are going to be pitfalls along the way. You’d have to be incredibly determined to never have an off-day or consider giving up. And when you do it’s ok, but the important thing is to pick yourself up after this temporary setback and keep going. Knowing you’ve overcome a few obstacles is only going to make the moment you have your first conversation in another language that much sweeter. Like the Filipino proverb says, ‘Fall down seven times, stand up eight.’

If you need more motivation, check out this list of the Top 10 Inspirational Quotes in Filipino.