Learn Tagalog!
Tagalog is spoken in the Philippines and is the official language, along with English. Tagalog is a local language in the Manila area, and has become a lingua franca for the Philippines. It is the most important language in a country of dozens of native languages.
Related to Indonesian and Malay, Tagalog borrows from Spanish (due to hundreds of years as a Spanish colony), Chinese and English. It is spoken in pockets around the world and is one of the most commonly spoken foreign languages in the US.
The only major obstacle to learn Tagalog comes from the lack of learning materials. Few publishers make anything available. There are some choices, and the internet provides a few extra free resources, so all is not lost!
Internet L-Lingo.com
This is a great new resource for learning a variety of Asian languages, including Tagalog. The initial few dozen lessons are available free in your internet browser. The lessons are introduced somewhat like Rosetta Stone, along with some great extras like downloadable transcriptions and grammar, mp3 audio and a flashcard feature. There is a monthly subscription fee which is very affordable, and a downloadable desktop version if you want it. A very interesting course with great value.
Internet/Free Seasite Tagalog
This is a supersite for leaners of languages of south-east Asia and tagalog is no exception. There are tutorials, phrases and idioms, a dictionary, readings, culture, games and music. Lots of free resources for learning Tagalog.
Internet/Free
The Pinoy Podcast
The Pinoy Podcast is a short but good quality podcast. There are dozens of episodes which equals a few hours of free audio with phrases and vocabulary to learn Tagalog for free.
Internet/Free
Tagalog 1
This is another site for learning Tagalog with basic tutorials with audio, and tests to gauge your progress.
Internet/Free Transparent Language offers a free vocabulary trainer to get started learning Tagalog. Get your Free BYKI™ Lite download by Transparent Language
The Teach Yourself series makes courses for dozens and dozens of languages, and they are tailor-made for each language. Teach Yourself Tagalog comes with a coursebook and two audio cds. The focus is on conversation and the course provides lots of everyday vocabulary, phrases and dialogues. This course is easy to use, practical, portable and easier to find than any other course for learning Tagalog.
Pimsleur Tagalog Comprehensive I
Pimsleurs Tagalog Comprehensive Level 1 is a new addition to the Pimsleur line. Pimsleurs all-audio format is a great introduction to the language, and with it you'll develop a better accent and conversation ability than with any other published language method. It's a great way to begin to learn Tagalog. For a more in-depth look at how Pimsleur products work, read my review of Pimsleur products.
This inexpensive software program to learn Tagalog is a great tool to have in your arsenal. Lots of vocabulary and phrases, dialogues, audio from native speakers, games and activities and much more to get you started on your path to learn Tagalog.
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