Wednesday, October 3, 2007
One thing we have noticed is that greetings are important here in the Philippines
. People say, “Good morning,” “Good noon,” “Good afternoon,” and “Good evening.” We tend to just say ‘Hi!’ or nothing in particular. We noticed that when we came into the kitchen in the morning, and our girls were there, they always said ”Good morning” before they said anything else. And if I walked in and said, “Lan, do you know where I put my glasses?” she would answer, “Good morning, Ate.” Oops! So we have learned that it is polite to greet people with the appropriate for the time of day greeting whenever we see someone for the first time in that day. This is what people do! And doing it in Cebuano gets you extra points!
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# 1 Bob said:
Ah, AmericanLola - This is SO True! It is something that I notice each and every day!
# 2 alvin jackson said:
my friend son always say opo everytime he answer me is that natural for them to answer “opo”
# 3 AmericanLola said:
Yes, Alvin, he is just answering you politely, like saying ‘Yes, Sir’ only nicer! ‘Po’ is a respect term in Tagalog and is used a lot.
# 4 Rally said:
Thank you, Lola, for your tip. Could you suggest a Tagalog term of formal respect for a woman? Perhaps you have already covered this in previous posts. If so, let me know. Namaste.
# 5 AmericanLola said:
Hi Rally, Perhaps others will want to make suggestions, but I will offer whqat I know. An older woman in an office or store should always be called ‘Maam’ and you should use “po” iif you are using any Tagalog. An older woman who is part of a family you are staying with, and who is, or is becoming a good friend, you may call Maam also but ask permission to call her “Ate” (AH-teh), which means older sister. If the lady is really old, like the grandma or great aunt of the family you are close to, You could probably call her ‘Mama’ :Mader or Lola. It would be best to ask someone close to you age what they want you to all their grandma or mother. It is always good to make a mistake on the side of being overly respectful, rather than on the side of being not respectful enough.
# 6 Lea said:
American Lola, on a different note… that’s what we’re trying to do in our household too. First thing in the morning when we saw each other, my son or hubby; we tried to say good morning. The more you do it, it just becomes a habit (good one). The Indian exchange student that lives with us is adjusting with that too….Everytime I heard my 4 y.o son, saying Good Morning, Mommy, or Good Morning, Daddy or Good morning, Ate Nilly (xc student); I smiled and felt so proud.
You know that kind of pride that you don’t have to remind them like in saying “thank you”.
On the other hand, my husband do try to say “magandang umaga” since we have tagalog-speaking friends in Luzon and here in the US. He has difficulty pronouncing the “ng”.
Rally, “Namaste” is commonly used in India? Are you from India?
# 7 Klaus said:
Dear American Lola, you are so true. But even in my surroundings the Filipinos will just lift only their eyebrow. So9me really like to say Hello or Good Morning and even try to hug me…
# 8 ethan said:
# 9 AmericanLola said:
Hello Ethan, in Cebuano, you say it, “Ikaw ang akong suod nga higala!” “You are my close friend.”