Learning Tagalog

10 Tips for Getting the Most out of

Learning Tagalog

1. The best advice: do 15 to 30 minutes every day

Making your Tagalog practice into a daily habit is probably the most
effective way of learning Tagalog. It’s best to set aside 15 to 30
minutes every day.

Why just 15 to 30 minutes?

 for optimal concentration

 it’s easy to fit 15 to 30 minutes into your daily schedule (for

example, after dinner)

Why every day?

 for frequent repetition and optimal memorization

 it’s easier to stick to a daily habit, than to a less frequent one

 to keep Tagalog “at the tip of your tongue;” you’re more likely
to practice what you’ve learned

 by making Tagalog a part of your daily life, it will become

second nature to you

Some ideas to help you stay on track

 put a reminder next to your TV or on your kitchen table

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 place small notes with Tagalog phrases in your bathroom and
change them regularly

If you skip your Tagalog routine for some time, that’s fine, you can
get back to it anytime. Just take it lightly and enjoy yourself!

2. Take your time

Take your time. Advance as quickly or as slowly as you feel

comfortable.

You can also split up lessons this way:

Day 1: Read the story

Day 2: Review the story and read the drills
Day 3: Review the story and the drills

Whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed, just stop. Have a fresh look

at it the next day.

If you’re feeling too tired to start a new lesson, you can also just
listen to old lessons or review the previous lesson.

3. Review each lesson a few times

The key to remembering what you learn in the lessons, is to review

them a few times. The point is not that you know them by heart, but
that you have picked up the patterns and the vocabulary of the
lessons.

Every 5 lessons, you might want to review all lessons since your last
review, by simply listening to the overview at the end of each lesson.

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4. Practice with native speakers

One of the fun things about learning a language is surprising people

with what you have learned. Do it whenever you have the chance. It
builds confidence and reinforces your knowledge.

Native speakers will be happy to teach you new words and

expressions.

If you don’t have anyone to practice with face-to-face, you can look
for someone online. Try sites like My Language Exchange or look for
Tagalog tutors on Skype.

5. Consult the grammar reference

Sometimes you may want to have a good overview of a particular

topic. The best place to look is the Tagalog grammar reference. It
gives simple explanations and provides plenty of useful examples.

6. Use a paper notebook (optional)

You might also want to use a paper notebook and write down each
Tagalog sentence the first time you encounter it, while saying it out
loud. This will help you remember it.

7. Use headphones (optional)

Use headphones to listen to the audio recordings. This provides the

best sound quality.

8. Record yourself (optional)

If you want to be sure of your pronunciation, record yourself with a

headset or other microphone. You can use a free program such as
Audacity or a recorder. Then compare your pronunciation to that of

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the recordings in the course. Doing this just a few times will give you
an idea of what to work on.

For an overview of all Tagalog sounds and pronunciation patterns,

see Tagalog Pronunciation or watch the Tagalog Pronunciation
Videos.

9. Listen to the audio for practice

You can buy the course audio as downloadable MP3s or as CDs to

practice listening even while you’re away from your computer. This
is a great way to reinforce your memory.

You can also print out and read the transcript with translations while
listening.

10. Ask questions

If anything isn’t clear in the course, or you’re not sure what

something means, just send us an email. We’ll be happy to help you.

© Frederik and Fiona De Vos | Last updated: 30 July 2012

Learn Tagalog with Learning Tagalog