Aug2
2

Konnichiwa, bitches

Although my traveling to non-English speaking countries is limited, I’ve noticed that being able to say a few key phrases can go a long way.

When I was in the Philippines I started compiling (with the help of my GSE team members) a list of those phrases in several different languages – mainly in languages of countries that I aspire to visit. Like too many things that I start, the idea was an obsession for a short while and then sat unfinished. Well, it’s time that I finished it.

Words & phrases

These are some of the words and phrases that I think are the most commonly used, and/or the most useful:

  • hello
  • goodbye
  • yes
  • no
  • please
  • thank you
  • you’re welcome
  • Excuse me.
  • I’m sorry.
  • Help me.
  • I would like …
  • water
  • food
  • beer
  • cheers
  • My name is …
  • What is your name?
  • Nice to meet you.
  • How much?
  • Where is…
  • bathroom
  • Do you speak English?
  • What?
  • Why?
  • I don’t understand.

I’ve narrowed the list down to 25, but could easily think of others that could make the cut. Did I miss any important ones?

The languages

I have a mental list of countries that I want to visit in my lifetime, which represents the languages that I chose. It’s definitely not meant to be an all inclusive list, although that would be really interesting to see. If/when I finish the initial list, I will undoubtedly add more.

  • German
  • Spanish
  • French
  • Italian
  • Greek
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Chinese (Mandarin)
  • Tagalog (Filipino)

Thankfully, I actually remember all of the German words and phrases, so I will be adding those later. The rest I will need to get translated. So, if you know any of the ones listed, please to let me know.

Edit: I’ve added a page for the translations.

2 Responses to “Konnichiwa, bitches”

  1. Here are the Spanish translations

    hello: Hola
    goodbye: Adios
    yes: Si
    no: No
    please: Por favor
    thank you: Gracias
    you’re welcome: De nada
    Excuse me: Perdón
    I’m sorry: Lo siento, disculpame, perdoname (depends on situation and where you are lol)
    Help me: Ayudame
    I would like: Me gustaria…
    water: agua
    food: comida
    beer: una cerveza
    cheers: salud
    My name is …Me llamo
    What is your name? Como te llamas?
    Nice to meet you: Mucho gusto
    How much? Cuanto cuesta?
    Where is… Donde esta…
    bathroom: baño
    Do you speak English? Hablas ingles?
    What? Que?
    Why? Por que?
    I don’t understand. No entiendo

    You owe me $20 now

    11:22 PM Aug. 02 from Tina

  2. Hi Jon!
    I’ll try to give you the Tagalog versions of these words. I said I’ll try because most of the English words here are more frequently used than their Tagalog version.

    hello – mabuhay! (formal greeting) hoy! (informal)
    goodbye – paalam
    yes – oo
    no – hindi
    please – pakiusap
    thank you – salamat po (to an older person) salamat (to a younger person)
    you’re welcome – walang anuman (actually, it’s more of a “don’t mention it” response to a thank you)
    Excuse me. – pasensya na or pagpasensyahan mo ako
    I’m sorry. – patawad
    Help me. – tulungan mo ako
    I would like … gusto kong
    water – tubig
    food – pagkain
    beer – beer (do you miss San Miguel beer?)
    cheers – mabuhay! (it means so many things) but if you are raising your glass of wine for a toast you may say “tagay!”
    My name is … ang pangalan ko ay…
    What is your name? – anong pangalan mo?
    Nice to meet you. – ikinagagalak kitang makilala
    How much? – magkano?
    Where is… – saan ang…?
    bathroom – banyo or commonly called as CR
    Do you speak English? – Nagsasalita ka ba ng Ingles?
    What? – ano?
    Why? – bakit?
    I don’t understand. – hindi ko maintindihan

    I hope this one helps.

    Cheers!
    Arnold

    3:19 AM Aug. 03 from Arnold Capuloy