Greeting Filipinos & Etiquettes

[thekfc]

I need some guidance on proper introductions & Etiquette.

I have gotten some of the etiquette like taking your shoes off when entering a home, showing some humility, speaking softly and listening & being respectfully. No kissing and displaying affection in public.

Now what about introduction & greeting people?

For the uncle & aunts  - I would greet them as "tito Dave" and "tita Carol"  or would Uncle Dave and Aunt Carol do?

And the sisters & brothers  "ate Jane" & "Kuya Ray" or can I address them as brother Ray & sister Jane? They all speak good English?

My girl nieces & nephew address me as either tito John or just uncle john.

How would I greet her mother?  

Do I perform a "Mano Po" with just the mother or every other elderly family member or elderly person I am introduced to? There may be a few elderly people I may meet.
But I read some where that it is unusual and awkward for someone to do the "mano" gesture to non-relatives or newly made acquaintances.

What about using opo or po? someone told me that is is not necessary for me to use it because I do not speak Tagalog.

 

[Bear]

Yes to Mano Po if they are older than you.  Only Ate and Kuya if they are older than you.  Your girlfriend should direct you - ask her.

The Bear Family

[evoltnvii]

hehehehe... sorry man I'm only laughing because i was pretty clueless also.

First opo and po don't mean the same thing. OO and OPO both mean yes. if your girl asks you a question you can answer OO or Hindi (yes or No). If and elder asks you a question you can answer OPO or Hindi po. Po is a validation of someone being older than you.

For the uncle & aunts - Tito and Tita is fine they will more than anything respect you more because you tried to speak a few words of Tagalog to them. Same with the brothers and sisters but only if they are older than you. Kuya and Ate are meant for the eldest members of the siblings.

When meeting most people just saying "Hello kamusta" (hello how are you?) is fine. they will normally reply Mabuti Ikaw (i am fine and you?) and you can say mabuti or in English talk to them. Also they may say Salamat (thankyou)

When meeting her mother or father or grandparents be very respectful of course. And my experience just saying Kamusta po and them performing mano po worked very well.
FYI really the only people you need to perform mano po for are the parents grandparents or other elder members of the family they may have had a hand in raising your girl. Best recommendation is ask her she will direct you in the right direction how to handle the situation.

sorry if i ramble a bit but i hope it helps
few words you may want to remember
lolo = Grandpa
lola = grandma
Tatay = father
Nanay = mother
OO / OPO = yes
Hindi = no
Salamat = thankyou
Kamusta = how are you
Mabuti  = i am fine
Ikaw = and you
Pwede Ba = Please
Maganda = Beautiful
Masarap = Delicious
Mahal = love
Mahal Din Kita = I love you  (if you are at that point)

[thekfc]

Thanks guys.

I did asked my girl about a few of these things but I also ask here because I wanted the point of view from a non Filipino - your experience.

Some (not all) of the words I knew.

As for her immediate family members who are older than me are:
Her mother (who is deaf) - her father is dead.
The oldest sibling - her brother - he do not live with them, he is taking care of the family farm.
2 sisters ( older than me by 1 yr & 3 yrs).
And a few aunts.
The majority of her older (30+ yrs) family members are females - she have 2 brothers & 1 uncle & that is it..

I did bring up the question to her about who should I ask for permission when the time comes and she said her oldest brother, her 3rd sister (she is younger that me) & 2nd sister (a year older than me). The 2 sisters are the ones who taught her "everything" she knows.

[Ray]

I agree with evoltnvii’s response.

Po is a sign of respect, similar to using “sir” or “ma’am” in English. You can use po when addressing obviously older folks or with any adult strangers. But there is no need to overdo it.

For brothers or sisters, I would simply address them by their first name, or nickname if they prefer.

The mano po is optional and used mostly among relatives or close family friends at the initial meeting of the day. You may want to use it the first time you greet her mother. For other elderly people, there is no need for you to use it…but if you offer a handshake to an elderly person and they give you their hand palm down, then you should do the mano po. I found that most of the elderly gentlemen just preferred a firm handshake.

You also may find that the small children will want to greet you with the mano po. Just offer them your right hand palm down. It's really cool!

Standard Tagalog greeting is “kumusta ka?”, "kumusta po kayo?", or just “kumusta?”. The standard reply is “mabuti”, or “mabuti naman”, or "mabuti po naman". If you want to show a little humor, you can respond to “kumusta ka” with “humihinga pa” (still breathing) or “heto, buhay pa” (still alive).

If you forget any of this junk, just revert to English at any time.

If you are at someone’s home for dinner, at least taste everything. If anything is too disgusting for you, ask your girl for help finishing it. As long as you make an attempt, you won’t be disrespectful. If the other family members start burping at the table, don’t be shocked…just try to outdo them.  

Remember, as a foreign guest, you can get away with a lot as long as you act respectful and courteous to everyone, even waiters or hired help. I would not get nasty with anyone, even an obnoxious cab driver or stranger. Just be polite and soft-spoken, but firm if you need to be.

Some other common greetings:

Magandang umaga (po)!  =  Good morning!
Magandang hapon (po)!  =  Good afternoon!
Magandang gabi (po)!  =  Good evening!
Paalam na (po)!  =  Good bye!
Salamat (po)!  =  Thank you!
Walang anuman, or wala pong anuman!   =  You’re welcome!

Ray

[Ray]

A note for evoltnvii:

“Mahal din kita” actually means “I love you too”.

Mahal kita = I love you
Mahal na mahal kita = I love you very much

[Jeff S]

Standard Tagalog greeting is “kumusta ka?”, "kumusta po kayo?", or just “kumusta?”

Anyone know if that has its origins in the Spanish como esta?

[Bear]

I remember sitting in a taxi waiting for Honey to accomplish some function for our wedding before we headed off for some sighting attraction.  The radio was on and just hapopened to be thinking about learning to speak some of her language.  I heard the radio say Maganda (pretty) and follow up with "ganda, ganda mo".  Not sure what gave me he insight but I surmised that "ganda ganda mo" meant "very, very pretty" so when Honey came back I found a way to use it.  She blushed and hugged me and ashed me where I heard that, on PL?  I said no, on the radio but others on PL would.

Save that one till you're there and alone!!!

The Bear Family

[thekfc]

Anyone know if that has its origins in the Spanish como esta?

Yep, everything I have read said that it derives from the Spanish word Como esta?
I also ask my girl - she is a school teacher - she said yes.

[Ray]

Yes Jeff, a good number of Tagalog (and other Filipino language) words are derived from Spanish, and also from English. Often, the spelling will be different with the pronunciation mostly the same as the Spanish.

There is no “C” in the Tagalog alphabet, so “K” is usually substituted for a “C”. You will find many proper names however using “C”.

For the “CH” sound, Tagalog uses “TS”, so “chismosa” would become “tsismosa”.

There is no “F” in the Tagalog, alphabet, so “P” is used in it’s place. Febrero becomes Pebrero in Tagalog.

There is no “V” in Tagalog, either and “B” is usually substituted. Verde would become Berde.

Etc., etc., etc…

Ray

[evoltnvii]

A note for evoltnvii:

“Mahal din kita” actually means “I love you too”.

Mahal kita = I love you
Mahal na mahal kita = I love you very much

you are correct sir my bad lol

[Ray]

evoltnvii,

You have a good grasp of the Filipino culture and it's nice to see another kano studying the language. 

Ray

[evoltnvii]

evoltnvii,

You have a good grasp of the Filipino culture and it's nice to see another kano studying the language. 

Ray

All thanks to my girl i dont take credit lol.

[Dave H]

You guys and all of your "po, opo, ho, oho's"!  Bisyans use  "Nang or Nong" and  "Day or Dong" which is more personal.

example:

Tagalog: Ano Po ang pangalan nila?
Cebuano: Unsa'y pangalan nimo Nang? or Nong?

Dave

[Dave H]

evoltnvii,

You have a good grasp of the Filipino culture and it's nice to see another kano studying the language. 

Ray

To attempt to learn about your wife's culture and language is a very noble deed! Even if you don't learn much of the language at first, it will still pay you back huge dividends in more ways than one! It is important to choose a culture that you like!

Being immersed in the Bisayan language and culture, I am now able to understand the topic of most conversations, if not all the specific details. I look forward to the day when I am be able to hold a decent conversation in Bisayan. Better yet, maybe I should just listen and pretend that I don't understand... 

Dave

[piglett]

To attempt to learn about your wife's culture and language is a very noble deed! Even if you don't learn much of the language at first, it will still pay you back huge dividends in more ways than one! It is important to choose a culture that you like!
Being immersed in the Bisayan language and culture, I am now able to understand the topic of most conversations, if not all the specific details. I look forward to the day when I am be able to hold a decent conversation in Bisayan. Better yet, maybe I should just listen and pretend that I don't understand... 
Dave

Hey Dave that pretending to not understand thing mite work well for ya.
I used to work with these guys ...i think they were from Ecuador.
Anyways they would use this trick from time to time.
"Hey Fernando you need to go take out the trash"....."Oh what i just don't understand"
You could do the same when someone asks for money.
"Oh I'm sorry i don't understand ....bye bye"


I sure think it's worth trying out on some of the locals.


piglett

[Dave H]

I used to work with these guys ...i think they were from Ecuador.
Anyways they would use this trick from time to time.
"Hey Fernando you need to go take out the trash"....."Oh what i just don't understand" ::

piglett

Hi piglett,

I used to do the same thing to them.  "Me no speaky Spanish," especially with mechanics. If I found out they were going to try to rip me off, I would start speaking to them in Spanish. Then they would apologise profusely and do a good job. 

Dave