In reply: Learning Tagalog ad (I hope this info can help expats)

Learning tagalog is easy specially if you really wanted to learn by your heart. In fact, several foreigners here in the Philippines were already fluent in speaking in tagalog in just staying here for a couple of months. Tagalog is our main dialect here in the Philippines but we do also have secondary languages all around the country depending on what Provinces or region. For additional information, here are 8 major languages that we our using in the Philippines.

1.Cebuano - It is mainly spoken in Cebu. (This is what you ask in your message ).It is also spoken in certain areas in Mindanao, including Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Butuan, Bukidnon and General Santos City.

2.Ilokano or Ilocano - This is spoken in the northern part of the Philippines.

3.Bikolano or Bicolano - This is the language spoken in the Bicol Region, one of the biggest regions in the country. A variation of the Bicolano language, the Bisakol language, provides a link between Bicolano and Visayan languages

4.Hiligaynon or Ilonggo -  It is spoken in Iloilo, Bacolod, Panay Islands, Capiz, Antique and Aklan. It is also spoken in some parts of Mindanao such as in North and South Cotabato.

5.Waray - This is another language spoken in the Visayas islands (the middle part of the country). It is spoken in Samar and Leyte.

6.Kapampangan -  It is spoken by people from the Pampanga province, a portion of Tarlac and a portion of Bataan.

7.Pangasinense(Another dialect that I know how to speak ) - the language of the Pangasinan province.


--Quiet confusing because of so many secondary languages, right? Hehe! But don't worry once you learn how to speak in tagalog (our main language), you can communicate in any part of the Philippines. I hope I help you with this. For questions, just feel free again to ask. Thank you! God bless..

- Joan