Basic Tagalog will help the student of Tagalog achieve a fundamental proficiency in the language within a short period of time. The fifty lessons present the basic rules of grammar, important verb conjugations, and common vocabulary. By studying just two hours per day, within six months the student will aquire a grasp of the language sufficient to speak, write, and understand Tagalog in everyday situations.
Learn the foundations of Tagalog through:
carefully planned lessons that follow a practical rather than strict grammatical order
structured introduction of 800 words of vocabulary, sufficient to cover daily needs
introduction of common idioms
feedback from previous students of this method
Paraluman Aspillera, author, teacher, and newspaper journalist, specialized in the teaching of English and Tagalog. She was director of the Institute of Filipino Language and Culture at Philippine Women's University and a professor of Pilipino and Philippine Literature at the Institute of Asian Studies, University of the Philippines. She wrote the popular daily column "Your Tagalog Column," which appeared in the Manila Times, and authored many books and articles in both English and Tagalog. Mrs. Aspillera dedicated herself to promoting the national language and culture of her country through extensive travel in North America, Europe, and Asia, and served as executive secretary and director of the UNESCO-sponsored Akademya ng Wikang Pilipino.
Pretty useful for grammar to supplement programs such as L-Lingo or Rosetta Stone; however, it lacks answer keys for all the exercises except for the final assessment.
This book was particularly surprising for its succinctness, especially because Aspillera was the daughter of Lope K. Santos, who wrote the bloated and overrated Banaag at Sikat. Even the limpid translation of Prof. Danton Remoto could not salvage the bloated novel of ideas. In contrast, this is a most effective guide of basic Tagalog that remains relevant even today!
I learned about 1,000,000 being known as angaw, and the cute expression Kahimanawari! meaning hopefully so. It's an excellent starter for those who are totally ignorant of the Tagalog language, and as a refresher of sorts to me, was an easy and excellent read.
required text for my semester of Tagalog 1. I got a B, and I remember nothing. Well I do remember my pinoy relatives questioning the book in a handful of sections. from what I know from studying foreign languages in school is you're not going to learn a language all that well from a book. travel and immerse yourself in the language