Learning the Iloko language is a great way to immerse yourself with the rich culture of the Ilocos region. The Ilocano language, or Iloko as it is officially called, is the third most spoken language in the Philippines. To guide you through the language, you have to know the basic Ilocano phrases that you might need when in Ilocos.
Iloko is my first language, being born and raised in Vigan City. I use this language on a daily basis, but I admit that I am not as fluent as I think I am. Still, I hope this guide on some basic Ilocano phrases would be of great help to you when you travel to any Iloko-speaking province.
Basic Ilocano Phrases To Know
Greetings
| Iloko phrase | English translation |
| Kablaaw! | Greetings! |
Since the Iloko language has no direct translation of “Hello,” we use the term Kablaaw as a form of salutation.
| Iloko phrase | English translations |
| Naimbag nga bigat! | Good morning! |
| Naimbag nga aldaw! | Good noon! Good day! |
| Naimbag nga malem! | Good afternoon! |
| Naimbag nga rabii! | Good evening! |
Like in any language, we use these greetings depending on the time of the day. The term “naimbag” literally translates to “good.”
Moreover, we can use the greeting, “Naimbag nga aldaw,” as a form of hello.
| Iloko phrase | English translation |
| Kumusta? | How are you? |
Loosely based on the Spanish greeting “Como Estas,” the term “Kumusta” is similar to its Filipino counterpart.
We use it when we want to ask another person how they are or what they are feeling at the moment.
Introductions
| Iloko phrase | English translation |
| Anya iti nagan mo? | What is your name? |
When meeting someone for the first time, you can use this phrase to ask the name of the person. “Nagan” in Iloko means name.
| Iloko phrases | English translation |
| Iti nagan ko ket ◯◯ | My name is ◯◯ |
| ◯◯ ti nagan ko. | ◯◯ is my name. |
You can use these two phrases interchangeably since they convey the same meaning. Amusingly, others would just mention their names when you ask them in casual conversations.
Other Useful Basic Ilocano Phrases
| Iloko phrase | English translation |
| Agyamanak! | Thank you! |
| Agyamanak la unay! | Thank you very much! |
We use this term to express gratitude and appreciation for another person. The superlative “la unay,” is added when you want to express much gratitude.
| Iloko phrase | English translation |
| Awan aniaman! | No problem! You’re welcome! |
We use this to reply to a person who showed gratitude to you.
| Iloko phrase | English translation |
| Ay-ayaten ka! | I love you! |
| Ay-ayaten ka la unay! | I love you very much! |
We use these terms to express affection or fondness towards another person. Similar to the prior phrase, we use the superlative “la unay,” to express strong affections.
Its root word “ayat,” means love.
| Iloko phrase | English translation |
| Wen | Yes |
| Haan | No |
We use these terms to approve or negate something. Conversely, we also use “Haan” when we want to say “Do not.”
| Iloko phrase | English translation |
| Sadino iti ◯◯ | Where is ◯◯ |
We use this when asking for the address of a specific place.
Wrapping Up
So there you have it. I hope you have learned a lot from this basic Ilocano phrases guide. This will be very essential for you when you visit the Ilocos regions in the future.
