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Some free Tagalog learning resources

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Author Photo by: iamthestartor
Jan 22 2023, 12:21pm CST ~ 1 year, 2 mos ago. 
Some free Tagalog learning resources
* Wiktionary
* Hosts not only definitions of Tagalog terms, but also many other words and phrases in many other languages. Unfortunately the amount of Tagalog words isn't comprehensive right now, but I believe over time through the work of volunteers it will become one of the best Tagalog dictionaries.
* Pambatang Diksiyonaryo & Diksiyonaryong Adarna at Buribooks
* Though you have to pay to access most of Buribooks's content, with a free account you can access both the Pambatang Diksiyonaryo & Diksiyonaryong Adarna, both monolingual dictionaries.
* diksiyonaryo.ph
* Comprehensive monolingual dictionary. Also provides Filipino definitions for other Philippine languages like Cebuano, Ilocano, etc.
* kwfdiksiyonaryo.ph
* Comprehensive monolingual dictionary. Provides root words, parts of speech, etc
* learningtagalog.com/grammar/index.html
* Comprehensive overview on Tagalog grammar.
* Drops
* Fairly decent, but some translations are too literal, unusual, or overall just not used by native Tagalog speakers.
* Memrise
* Memrise itself doesn't offer an official Tagalog course, but there are many user generated ones in app.memrise.com/cour ses/english/tagalog/ , with varying quality
* LanguageCrush Tagalog Grammar Lite languagecrush.com/bo ok/1
* Gives a good overview of Tagalog grammar, plus additional exercises to reinforce grammar. However I'd wish there were an option for the exercises to translate from Tagalog to English rather than only English to Tagalog. Also incorrectly teaches that focus is the same as emphasis.
* Clozemaster
* Tests vocab by offering a Tagalog sentence along with its English translation, but removing one word from the Tagalog sentence, and users have to guess what word was deleted. Not too big a fan, since most sentences sound awkward and unnatural, but to some people this may appeal.
* Anki
* Very effective flashcard app. Bit of a steep learning curve to it though. Don't make the same mistake I did; in the beginning I had thought anki was boring and tiring. But after I learned how anki works and tune the settings accordingly, Anki isn't so bad to go through, and greatly helped in memorizing anything: not just for Tagalog, but for other areas of life. Anki is saving my life in my world history class.
* refold.la
* Provides a detailed plan to learn languages
 
Resources I was able to get for free through my library, work, and school.
 
* Mango Languages
* A Tagalog course separated into 10 chapters. Gives decent grammar explanations, but I'm doubtful how "conversational" the sentences are, which is one of their main selling points. When I said to my mom "Ikinagagalak kong makilala ka" (one of the first sentences they teach) she was weirded out because she never heard that phrase before.
* Rosetta Stone
* Though I've only used Rosetta Stone's Tagalog course every once in a while, I've used it everyday in my Spanish class. In both cases, really boring, slow, and repetitive.
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Author Photo graemew
Feb 05 2023, 1:10am CST ~ 1 year, 2 mos ago. 
Thanks for the resources. I've heard of many of them. I'll be using Pimsleur audio lessons. I've also got some books on culture, language lessons, and a simple dictionary that I bought on my last trip to Philippines.
 
Another super-modern and topical resource is ChatGPT. I had it translate the classic phrase "my hovercraft is full of eels" into Tagalog, but it seemed to use a word for frog instead of eel, and it wouldn't accept that my Filipino friends disagreed with the translation, so use with caution. In theory, it will handle slang and informal language just fine, but it is likely to refuse to process anything it deems "offensive."
 
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Author Photo quarter
Feb 07 2023, 3:38am CST ~ 1 year, 2 mos ago. 
Sad that most of the non-dictionary resources use unnatural sentences. Over the years, Tagalog.com really has been the best resource for me.
 
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Author Photo jkos Badge: AdminBadge: SupporterBadge: Serious SupporterBadge: VIP Supporter
Feb 07 2023, 11:41am CST ~ 1 year, 2 mos ago. 
Sad that most of the non-dictionary resources use unnatural sentences. Over the years, Tagalog.com really has been the best resource for me.
 
@quarter
 
Oh yeah...this was a pet peeve of mine...
When I had people work on the TDC sentences, I didn't ask them to "write a translation of this English sentence" (which is what a lot of sites do)...instead, we just gave them a Tagalog word and said "Write sentences that make sense using this Tagalog word..." This way, there is no translation happening that messes up the "naturalness" of the sentences...it's pure Tagalog from the start, written by native speakers, which I think does yield a much better set to work from as a learner...
 
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