Waray-Waray, or Waray in short, is spoken in the provinces of Leyte, Samar, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar and Biliran. When traveling to these provinces in Eastern Visayas, it really helps a lot if you will learn some basic Waray phrases. When riding the jeepney or tricycle, buying food or pasalubong, or simply greeting your local friends, knowledge of some Waray phrases will help you get around easier and will surely make your visit more fun. Here is a list of useful Waray phrases essential for tourists and travelers.
Basic Greetings, Introductions and Language
| English | Waray |
| Good morning (to you/us all)! | Maupay nga aga (ha inyo/aton nga tanan)! |
| Good noon! | Maupay nga udto! |
| Good afternoon! | Maupay nga kulop! |
| Good evening! | Maupay nga gab-i! |
| Happy Fiesta! | Maupay nga Patron! |
| Thank you! | Salamat! |
| Thank you very much! | Damo nga salamat! |
| You are welcome. | Waray sapayan. |
| What's your name? | Ano imo ngaran? |
| How are you? | Kumusta ka? |
| Fine, thank you. | Maupay man, salamat. |
| Where do you live? | Taga diin ka? / Diin ka naukoy? |
| I live in. | Taga ______. |
| Where did you come from? | Tikang ka diin? |
| I came from _______. | Tikang ako ha ______. |
| Yes. | Oo. |
| No. | Diri. |
| Do you speak Tagalog? | Maaram ka mag-Tagalog? |
| I don't speak Waray. | Diri ako maaram mag-Waray. |
| I don't understand. | Diri ako nakakaintindi. |
Numbers and Time
| 01 - usá (una*) 02 - duwá (dos*) 03 - tuló (tres*) 04 - úpat (kuwatro*) 05 - limá (singko*) 06 - únom (sais*) 07 - pitó (siyete*) 08 - waló (otso*) 09 - siyám (nuwebe*) 10 - napúlô (diyes*) 11 - onse 12 - duse 13 - trese 14 - katorse 15 - kinse 16 - diyesi-sais 17 - diyesi-siyete 18 - diyesi-otso 19 - diyesi-nuwebe 20 - bente |
21 - bente-uno 22 - bente-dos 23 - bente-tres 24 - bente-kuwatro 25 - bente-singko 26 - bente-sais 27 - bente-siyete 28 - bente-otso 29 - bente-nuwebe 30 - trenta 40 - kuwarenta 50 - singkuwenta 60 - sisenta 70 - setenta 80 - otsenta 90 - nobenta 100 - usa ka gatus 1,000 - usa ka yukut 1,000,000 - usa ka libo |
| English | Waray |
| What's the time? | Ano it oras na? |
| What time do we ...... - eat? - leave? |
Ano it oras kita ......? - makaon? - malakat? |
| ______ o'clock. | Alas Spanish number*. |
| When? | Kanus-a? |
| - Tomorrow. | - Buwas. |
| - Yesterday. | - Kakulop. |
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| Multicab in Tacloban City | Photo by Edgar Co for pinasmuna.com |
Transportation and Schedule
| English | Waray |
| How much is the fare? - going to ______ - coming from ______ |
Tagpira it pasahe? - pakadto ha ______ - tikang ha ______ |
| Here's my fare please! | Pasahe! |
| Please pass (my fare)! | Alayon! |
| Halt! | Para! |
| Which jeep/van should I take going to ______? | Ano it jeep/van it sasakyan pakadto ha ______? |
| Where are you going? | Makain ka? |
| Where are we getting off? | Diin kita mahaw-as? |
| Is it far? | Harayo ba? |
| It's just near. | Harani la. |
| What time will the jeep/van/bus leave? | Ano it oras malakat it jeep/van/bus? |
| What time is the first/next/last trip? | Ano it oras it mauna/masunod/katapusan na biyahe? |
| How many hours is the trip? - going to ______ - coming from ______ |
Pira ka oras it biyahe? - pakadto ha ______ - tikang ha ______ |
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| Hinatukan na Manok served at The Oriental Leyte | Photo by Edgar Co for pinasmuna.com |
Food and Dining
| English | Waray |
| Let's eat! | Pangaon kita! |
| Have you eaten yet? | Kumaon ka na? |
| Yes, I just ate. Thanks! | Oo, kakatapus ko pa la kumaon. Salamat! |
| Not yet. | Diri pa. |
| Where do you want to eat? | Diin mo gusto kumaon? |
| Do you have ______? | May-ada kamu ______? |
| Yes, we have! | May-ada! |
| No, we don't have! | Waray! |
| Delicious! | Marasa! |
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| Delicacies from Catbalogan City, Samar | Photo by Edgar Co for pinasmuna.com |
Shopping
| English | Waray |
| How much (is this)? How much is one/two/three kilo(s)? |
Tagpira (ini)? Tagpira it usa/duwa/tulo ka kilo? |
| How many? | Pira ka damo? |
| How many pieces? | Pira ka bug-os? |
| - It's so expensive! | Mahal hin duro! |
| Don't I get a discount? | Waray tawad? |
| Where can I buy a/an ______? | Diin ako makakapalit hin ______? |
| Do you sell e-load? | May-ada kamu e-load? |
Disclaimer: This list is based on an interview we made during a trip in Tacloban City. We would highly appreciate if you can let us know if there are any incorrect entries on this list. If there are any phrases that you think should be included he, we will gladly include them. Just send us an email at pinasmuna@gmail.com.
nice one Ramil & Egay, ang galing!
ReplyDeleteThanks Glen! :-) Nag enjoy talaga kami sa pag survey nito sa Tacloban, naging productive kami nung bumabagyo kaya ayun ginambala namin to the max ang staff ng Go Hotels Tacloban :-)
DeleteYeah, the Go Hotel staffs are very welcoming and helpful... :)
ReplyDeleteI miss Go Hotels Tacloban :-)
DeleteHi, Ram and Ed. 'Had fun reading this post. I'm from Catbalogan, Samar (now based in Manila, and Waray is my first language. Some of the phrases here we'd say differently in my turf (we have the best Waray dialect and our accent is neutral ... My friends from other parts of Region 8 will kill me if they see this). In Catbalogan, we typically say:
ReplyDelete• "Diin mo karuyag kumaon?" (Where do you want to eat?)
• "Anon oras it pinaka-urhi nga byahe?" (What time is the last trip?)
• “San-u?” (When?) *I’m pretty sure “Kanus-a” is Bisaya, not Waray. I'll confer with my Waray friends to confirm. ;)
Hi Aiyo! Thanks for visiting our blog :-) What I notice in Tacloban is that people tend to switch between or mix Waray and Bisaya. Unfortunately, we are pure Tagalogs and have no clue how correct this list is, haha. Thanks so much for the corrections. We will work on having this reviewed again by a Waray to eliminate mixes with Bisaya :-)
Delete'Not really corrections, everything on your post is an acceptable variety that if you say them to a Waraynon they'll understand :) (except Kanus-a, which even I wouldn't have understood without your translation here). I think the mix is because Tacloban, being the regional center is a melting pot of people from different parts of Leyte and Samar. I have friends who attended Pisay in Palo, Leyte (well, not Tacloban, but really close)who learned to speak Bisaya from classmates from Southern Leyte (and other Bisaya-speaking parts of the region). :)
DeleteAlso, I miss Charito's Delights, but their stuff for pasalubong is "Mahal hinduro!" :)
ReplyDeleteHaha, you're right! They are quite expensive. But we love their hopia de pili and pili polvoron! :-)
DeleteHi thank you very much for these if it werent for you i cannot understand my greatgrandmother . I am really cebuano but i am half cebuano half waray . My first language was bisaya but i am learning waray . THANK YOU VERY VERY VERY VERY MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDelete