Wondering about the perfect response in Tagalog if someone asks you, “Anong oras na?” Well, we’ve got you covered! In this post, we will discuss the concept of telling the time in Tagalog and how you can easily do it using simple Tagalog words.
If you are ready for that, then let’s get the ball rolling!
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Why Do Filipinos Tell The Time Two Ways?
In the Philippines, schedules matter, but there is also this ‘Filipino time,’ which surprises a lot of visitors. This often means that some Filipinos might be late by a few minutes or even an hour compared to the scheduled time.
Some believe this attitude has roots in the Spanish colonial period, though it’s not directly related to the ‘siesta time’ observed in Spain. But aside from the habit of being late, Filipinos also adopted the Spanish way of telling the time. Even today, the locals use Tagalog and Spanish versions interchangeably.
Filipino Way Of Telling Time
Below are examples of how Filipinos tell the time using the native Tagalog forms.
| Time In English | Tagalog |
|---|---|
| 1:00 (one o’clock) | ika-isa |
| 2:00 (two o’clock) | ika-dalawa |
| 3:00 (three o’clock) | ika-tatlo |
| 4:00 (four o’clock) | ika-apat |
| 5:00 (five o’clock) | ika-lima |
| 6:00 (six o’clock) | ika-anim |
| 7:00 (seven o’clock) | ika-pito |
| 8:00 (eight o’clock) | ika-walo |
| 9:00 (nine o’clock) | ika-siyam |
| 10:00 (ten o’clock) | ika-sampu |
| 11:00 (eleven o’clock) | ika-labing-isa |
| 12:00 (twelve o’clock) | ika-labing-dalawa |
Spanish Way Of Telling Time
Below are the examples of how Filipinos tell the time in the Spanish language:
| Time In English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| 1:00 (one o’clock) | ala-una |
| 2:00 (two o’clock) | alas-dos |
| 3:00 (three o’clock) | alas-tres |
| 4:00 (four o’clock) | alas-kwatro |
| 5:00 (five o’clock) | alas-singko |
| 6:00 (six o’clock) | alas-sais |
| 7:00 (seven o’clock) | alas-siete |
| 8:00 (eight o’clock) | alas-otso |
| 9:00 (nine o’clock) | alas-nueve |
| 10:00 (ten o’clock) | alas-dies |
| 11:00 (eleven o’clock) | alas-onse |
| 12:00 (twelve o’clock) | alas-dose |
What Time Is Alas Sais, Alas Dies Or Alas Onse?
The Spanish-derived hours are the ones you will hear most often in conversation, so they are also the ones people look up most. Reading straight from the table above, alas-sais is 6:00, alas-dies is 10:00 and alas-onse is 11:00.
Spelling varies, which is why the same hour turns up written more than one way. Alas-sais is the everyday form, and Wiktionary’s Tagalog entry records it as an alternative spelling of alas seis, which sits closer to the original Spanish seis. The hour is the same either way.
One pattern is worth noticing in the table. Only one o’clock takes ala-, as in ala-una, because una is singular. Every other hour takes alas-, from alas-dos right through to alas-dose.
Ways To Tell The Time In Tagalog
When you’re in the Philippines, knowing how to talk about time is important. The table below will show you the Tagalog words for hours and minutes so you can fit right in!
| English | Tagalog |
|---|---|
| What time is it? | Anong oras na? |
| It’s one o’clock | Ala una na |
| It’s quarter past one | Labinlimang minuto na makalipas ang ala una |
| It’s half past one | Ala una y media na |
| It’s quarter to two | Labinlimang minuto pa bago mag-alas dos |
| It’s two o’clock | Alas dos na |
| It’s quarter past two | Labinlimang minuto na makalipas ang alas dos |
| It’s half past two | Alas dos y media na |
| It’s quarter to three | Labinlimang minuto pa bago mag-alas tres |
| It’s three o’clock | Alas tres na |
| It’s quarter past three | Labinlimang minuto na makalipas ang alas tres |
| It’s half past three | Alas tres y media na |
| It’s quarter to four | Labinlimang minuto pa bago mag-alas kwatro |
| It’s four o’clock | Alas kwatro na |
| It’s quarter past four | Labinlimang minuto na makalipas ang alas kwatro |
| It’s half past four | Alas kwatro y media na |
| It’s quarter to five | Labinlimang minuto pa bago mag-alas singko |
| It’s five o’clock | Alas singko na |
| It’s quarter past five | Labinlimang minuto na makalipas ang alas singko |
| It’s half past five | Alas singko y media na |
| It’s quarter to six | Labinlimang minuto pa bago mag-alas sais |
| It’s six o’clock | Alas sais na |
| It’s quarter past six | Labinlimang minuto na makalipas ang alas sais |
| It’s half past six | Alas sais y media na |
| It’s quarter to seven | Labinlimang minuto pa bago mag-alas siyete |
| It’s seven o’clock | Alas siyete na |
| It’s quarter past seven | Labinlimang minuto na makalipas ang alas siyete |
| It’s half past seven | Alas siyete y media na |
| It’s quarter to eight | Labinlimang minuto pa bago mag-alas otso |
| It’s eight o’clock | Alas otso na |
| It’s quarter past eight | Labinlimang minuto na makalipas ang alas otso |
| It’s half past eight | Alas otso y media na |
| It’s quarter to nine | Labinlimang minuto pa bago mag-alas nueve |
| It’s nine o’clock in the evening | Alas nueve na ng gabi |
| It’s quarter past nine | Labinlimang minuto na makalipas ang alas nueve |
| It’s half past nine | Alas nueve y media na |
| It’s quarter to ten | Labinlimang minuto pa bago mag-alas diyes |
| It’s ten o’clock | Alas diyes na |
| It’s quarter past ten | Labinlimang minuto na makalipas ang alas diyes |
| It’s half past ten | Alas diyes y media na |
| It’s quarter to eleven | Labinlimang minuto pa bago mag-alas onse |
| It’s eleven o’clock | Alas onse na |
| It’s quarter past eleven | Labinlimang minuto na makalipas ang alas onse |
| It’s half past eleven | Alas onse y media na |
| It’s quarter to twelve | Labinlimang minuto pa bago mag-alas dose |
| It’s twelve o’clock | Alas dose na |
| It’s quarter past twelve | Labinlimang minuto na makalipas ang alas dose |
| It’s half past twelve | Alas dose y media na |
| It’s quarter to one | Labinlimang minuto pa bago mag-ala una |
| It’s midnight | Hatinggabi na |
| It’s midday | Tanghali na |
| in the morning | ng umaga |
| in the afternoon | ng hapon |
| in the evening | ng gabi |
Did you notice something? Yes, “y media” is a way Filipinos say “half past” in Tagalog. It comes from Spanish because of their history with Spain. Many people in the Philippines, young and old, use “y media” daily.
There’s another way to say it: “kalahating oras pagkatapos ng [hour],” which means “half an hour after [hour].” This way is more formal. But in everyday talk, most people just say “y media” when telling the time in Tagalog. So, if you hear both, now you know they mean the same thing.
How Do You Say Telling The Time In Tagalog?
If you want to ask the time in Tagalog, you can just ask, Anong oras na?
To sound more polite, you can instead ask, Anong oras na po? or Alam mo ba kung anong oras na?
Other Tagalog Vocabulary Related To Time
Time is a constant topic in daily conversations, no matter where you are. In the Philippines, there are specific Tagalog words that help describe different times of the day and related concepts.
It’s also important to know Tagalog words for plans as many Filipinos use these terms interchangeably with English.
Here’s a list to expand your Tagalog vocabulary and help you discuss time more fluently in Tagalog.
| English | Tagalog | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | Umaga | |
| Noon | Tanghali | |
| High noon | Tanghaling tapat | |
| Afternoon | Hapon | |
| Evening | Gabi | |
| Midnight | Hating-gabi | |
| Middle of the night/Early morning | Madaling-araw | |
| Minute | Minuto | |
| Seconds | Segundo | |
| Now/Right now | Ngayon | |
| Today | Ngayon o ngayong araw | |
| Yesterday | Kahapon | |
| Tomorrow | Bukas | |
| Later | Mamaya | |
| In a While | Mayamaya |
With this list in hand you can talk about time in Tagalog across most everyday situations. Practice them regularly and they will start to feel natural in conversation. It also helps to practice speaking Tagalog out loud, even on your own.
Frequently Asked Questions About Telling The Time In Tagalog
What Is Mañana Habit In Filipino?
Mañana Habit is an old Filipino habit of procrastination. It is setting plans, tasks, or responsibilities aside or for later. The negative side effect of this is not prioritizing what is important, which causes forgetfulness and laziness.
However, many Filipinos are fighting to stop tardiness in the younger generation. For them, it is not a great way to promote what is Pinoy culture through this context.
Do Filipinos Still Use The Spanish Way Of Telling The Time?
The short answer is yes; Filipinos still use the Spanish-influenced way to tell the time. It is actually shorter than pure Tagalog or Filipino in terms of syllables! Sometimes, Filipinos even use English instead because it’s just easier to tell the time in English.
What Is The Meaning Of Filipino Time?
Filipino time is a culture of not showing up on time based on scheduled events.
To explain further, Filipinos are very flexible in the sense of time and are not pressured to always be strict with deadlines. In Filipino culture, Filipino time is connected with the previous Mañana Habit. Although it’s an old habit, it’s not a polite way to show respect for Filipinos, and this habit should be avoided.
Practice Your Tagalog Language Skills By Telling The Time
You have the whole clock now, from ala-una to alas-dose, with y media for every half past. Well done for working through it. The next step is the fun part, which is saying it out loud to someone and hearing it come back at you.
Ling is built for exactly that. Its flashcards pair Tagalog words with native speaker audio, its mini-games turn practice into quizzes and listening rounds, Dialog gives you a real conversation to practice, and Review quietly saves whatever you keep missing so you can come back to it. Ready to carry on? Start learning the Tagalog language with Ling, and the next Anong oras na? will feel like an easy one.
