Pinoy Slang 101

26 May 2009

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Pinoy Slang 101

I’m writing this as a response to Sarah’s post this morning… or was it yesterday evening? Ugh, this timezone difference gets confusing. Filipino’s actually a really simple language when you get the hang of it. It’s basically a mix of Tagalog, some other native words from other local dialects, and “Tagalized” foreign words. Here are a few simple terms, both formal and colloquial that we usually use:

Pinoy
This word is the colloquial term for Filipino, since the word Filipino is too formal to use on some occasions. To pronounce it, just say the words “pin” followed by the expression, “oy” really quickly, in monotone, and there you have it.

Bakit
This is the Pinoy word for why. It sounds much like “bucket” but instead of pronouncing the first syllable as “bugh” you pronounce it “bah”. So it’s pronounced as “bahket”.

Ikaw
This word denotes you, or the person you’re talking to or addressing. It’s pronounced as “E-cow” but said really quickly with less stress on the “E”.

Oo
This word means yes. Basically it’s pronounced by saying the word “awe” two times really really quick: awe-awe.

Sige
This is an affirmation which, in English, can stand for the words sure, fine, or okay. To pronounce it, get the first the letters from the word cigarette so you end up with “cig” then just add a “eh” right after it. It’s fluidly pronounced as “cigeh”

Hoy
This is a common word used to get someone’s attention. It’s the Pinoy version of “Hey”. If I’m not mistaken this is also a common term in Latin American countries. If you know how to say “Ahoy!” just drop the “A” and the weird pirate accent that comes with it, and you have it nailed.

Ewan
It’s a term that denotes uncertainty. It can stand for “I don’t know,” “I’m clueless,” “Beats me,” etc. The mood of it changes depending on the intonation. If you say it too loud and too quickly, the tone will change to a pissed off, “How the hell should I know?!”, and if you say it too soft and too friendly, the tone will change to a flirtatious or mischievous, “I won’t tell you, so try to take a wild guess.” The most common way of pronouncing it is by saying “eh” followed quickly by “one”, yes the number. So it’s pronounced as “ehwan” in a monotonous tone.

There you have it, a quick and simple: Pinoy Slang 101. I hope it helps the cause.