Ilocano Phrases for Additional Knowledge

Philippines has a variety of languages and dialects in every region. Being an archipelago, people were separated before. There were different tribes and each of them has a different language

Ilocano is one of the languages here in the Philippines. It is spoken in the northern region by the Ilocano people. You may not have a concrete reason to learn it if you’re not leaving in the north. But it would be nice to know a little about it, right?

So here it is . . .

1. Naimbag nga bigat/ Naimbag nga aldaw/ Naimbag nga rabii

This means “Good morning/Good day/ Good evening”, respectively. This is a basic greeting for the day. It feels kind of formal. Most Ilocanos do not really greet each other like this. But, in formal occasions, this is used.

2. Mangan tayo pay

This means, “Let’s eat first.” The word “mangan” means eat. When a visitor came in a house while the family is eating, the family would say this for courtesy. It is an invitation for courtesy and the visitor don’t actually eat with them.

3. Ay-ayaten ka

This means, “I love you”. If you want to be romantic, you can use this to express your love. For some Ilocanos, this feels really deep and saying this feels that you love that person deeply and truly.

4. Nagpintas ka

You say this to appreciate the beauty of a person. It means “You are so beautiful” and is usually said to women. You tell this to a person when you think she really is undeniably pretty.

5. Kasano nga ubraen daytoy?

This is a question and it means “How do you do this?”. If you want someone to teach you, tell them this politely. “Daytoy” is a pronoun so make sure you point out what you’re referring to.

6. Sadino ayan na daytoy?

This means “Where is this?”. If you want to find something or someplace, you can ask this someone. If you’re a tourist, you can ask this to a resident and make sure to point out what you’re referring to.

7. Mapan nak diay

If you want to go somewhere else, say this. “Mapan nak diay” means “I will go there”. You can include where you want to go, too. For example, “mapan nak diay palengke” which means “I will go to the market”.

8. Awan kwartakon

This is a phrase fitting for my situation right now. This means “I have no money.” You can say this to express your frustrations of being broke. This is an expression I’ve been using the most recently.

9. Mabisin nak

Other than the phrase above, I’ve been usually saying this. It means “I’m hungry.” Tell this when you’re hungry and want something to eat. If you’re parched or dehydrated, say “makain-inum nak”.

10. Makapaladingit ti napasamak

This means, “What happened is so saddening.” You say this when something bad happened. But, this phrase is really deep and only the older generation would be able to say this.

11. Haan ko maawatan

When you’re in class and can’t absorb anything, say this. This means “I can’t understand.” I’ve been saying this a lot because I can’t understand what I’m studying anymore. Pray for me (In Ilokano, this is “ikararagan dak”).

12. Nagpudot tatta nga aldaw

“Today is so hot” is the meaning of this phrase. Since it is summer now, we really do say this a lot. Saying this won’t actually make it colder but the weather is really frustrating.

We do not really have anything in our language to denote respect, unlike in Filipino so make sure your tone is really polite. I hoped you learned something here.

Languages are beautiful in their own ways and I wish you appreciate the Ilocano language too.