Learn Filipino – Perapera

The 5 Best Apps for Learning Filipino

Josiah — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 23:33:27 +0000

FlipinoPod101 boasts an enormous selection of video/audio lessons and a fully customizable syllabus.

100% audio based, Pimsleur helps you to achieve an intermediate conversational level very quickly.

Highly gamified & fun to use, Ling is packed with dozens of short ‘mini-lessons’ with interactive dialogues

For many, the Philippines is a place of paradise. Friendly locals, dreamy beaches and exquisite cuisine makes this unique country an ideal destination for travelling, with over 7000 islands to explore boasting some of the best natural beauty on Earth. But how important is it for you to learn the Filipino language?

Whilst it’s true that English is widely spoken in the cities, once you get outside the urban areas and really start to explore the country you’ll quickly discover that everyone speaks Tagalog, the official language of the Philippines.

Tagalog is a fascinating language, with a complex grammar system that’s vastly different to English. And yet, those who take the plunge and commit to studying it soon discover that it’s well worth the journey.

So, what’s the best way to learn Tagalog without actually being in the country? Which apps & language programs are the most effective and affordable to quickly get up to speed with Tagalog? Don’t worry, we’ve got your back. Read on to discover our list of top five apps for learning Tagalog (and a few more runners up at the end).

Are you ready to check out the best apps for learning Filipino?

‘Tara na!’ (it means ‘Let’s go!)

1. Filipinopod101

Best Overall – Most Comprehensive

Overall, the best app by far is FilipinoPod101. A subscription to the app grants access to an enormous library of video and podcast lessons, ranging in topic from travel to dating. The company behind FilipinoPod101, Innovative Language, has been around for a long time and it shows. Not only do you get high quality video lessons with full dialogues & transcripts, but a myriad of extra learning tools all tied up nicely into an intuitive and easy-to-use app.

FilipinoPod101 gives you the ability to fully customize your own learning by selecting specific learning ‘pathways’ from their vast lesson library. The pathway guides you through each lesson, completing exercises & focusing on specialised topics. Alongside the lessons you’ll find frequency word lists, flashcards, topical vocab lists, a word bank, and more. Plus, you can sign up today using our unique coupon code and get up to 77% off.

Click here to read our full FilipinoPod101 review.

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 3/5

 4/5

 5/5

2. Pimsleur

Most Effective Conversational App

The Pimsleur app isn’t for everyone. It’s a rather heavy & intensive course that gets you up to a basic conversational level of Tagalog in a very short space of time. Each 30-60 minute lesson first introduces you to an authentic dialogue and then proceeds to deconstruct it into it’s basic phrases, words and sounds, whilst testing you throughout with a spaced repetition system of learning. It’s not cheap either, but it’s backed by decades of research and is a very effective tool for developing a fluent conversational level very quickly.

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 5/5

 4/5

3. Ling

Most Fun & Interactive

Ling is a highly gamified app for learning over 50 different languages (including Tagalog). It motivates you with the possibility to earn bananas, compete with friends and unlock new levels to complete, similar to how Duolingo operates. The basic version is free, and beyond that you’ll need a monthly subscription granting access to a whole library of lessons, games, activites and reading/writing exercises.

The lessons all incorporate high quality audio files, which includes the interactive chatbot that allows you to ‘talk’ with the app by selected pre-programmed responses. Overall, the effectiveness of the app is up for question since it’s mostly just passive learning (without any actual speaking or writing practice) however it certainly is very engaging & motivating, which is an essential ingredient to long term language success.

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 3/5

 4/5

 5/5

4. Learn Tagalog by Dalubhasa

Most Cost Effective

Sometimes the best apps are those that are developed by native speakers, and certainly ‘Learn Tagalog by Dalubhasa‘ is well worth checking out. The app teaches basic vocabulary, phrases and grammar. It’s split into 5 levels, from beginner to expert, with the first two levels being completely free (after this you’ll need to buy a subscription). Whilst it starts off with very basic topics like colors, numbers, pronouns and conjunctions, the content quickly transitions into more colloquial Tagalog which is far more useful for everyday life & speaking like a local.

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 4/5

 3/5

5. Italki

Best for Conversational Practice

Italki is an absolute godsend when it comes to developing natural, conversational Filipino language skills. Students who use italki regularly find that their speaking confidence skyrockets and they end up enjoying the learning process much more, and therefore keeping up their motivation to maintain a study habit.

You can browse through the many hundreds of available tutors, book a trial class and get speaking right away. Don’t worry if you are just a beginner, the tutor will adjust their level to cater to your experience. Lessons are affordable and can be carried out on zoom, google or using their own built-in learning platform.

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 4/5

Runners-up for Best Filipino App:

Maybe these top five apps didn’t quite satisfy your tastebuds? Here’s some additional runners up that you might find more useful.

Memrise

Memrise is a very popular option for learners of all sorts of languages, from Chinese to Hungarian. They’ve recently widened their market to loads of new langauges – including Tagalog. You can expect videos of native speakers, natural dialogues, gamified quizes & a nice user interface.

However, the app now allows you to choose from several difference courses that are created by independent course creators. This means that whilst the amount of content & variety is awesome, the quality does vary somewhat. So be a bit careful with this one. It’s also a bit pricer than the other apps we’ve mentioned so far.

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 3/5

 4/5

 5/5

Tandem

If you like the idea of practice with native speakers then you’ll love Tandem. Along with other similar apps (like Hellotalk), Tandem creates a digital space for language exchange students to connect. Rather like a social media site, you can fill in your own profile about your own interests and learning goals and then start messaging other students who share your same interests. The app will automatically pair you with someone looking to learn a language you already possess (English or maybe Russian, for example).

The app makes it easy to spend equal amounts of time speaking each others target language and even suggests conversational promts and questions to ask. It has a built in error corection feature to allow you to correct mistakes, plus a translate button – very handy! It can get quite addictive, I often have many language partners all on the go at the same time, but it’s a great way to get real exposure to the native language and make meaningful cultural exchanges.

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 5/5

 3/5

 5/5

Language Drops Tagalog (Filipino)

Drops is a fun app for learning new vocabulary through games & activities. It follows a predominantly visually-based method of learning by assosiating words with images. Whilst there’s not much in the way of grammar, the short puzzles & word games can be a great way to build up your Filipino vocabulary.

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Effectiveness:

User Experience:

 4/5

Conclusion: The 5 Best Apps For Learning Filipino

If you’ve get anything out of this article I hope that it’s the fact that there’s loads of really cool apps out there for learning Tagalog. Now you have literally no excuse to get out there and start learning this beautiful language.

To recap, overall we recommend checking out FilipinoPod101 as our choice for the best app for learning Filipino. It’s both entertaining & very effective for learning Tagalog, providing you are disciplined enough to follow the learning paths through to their end. Couple this with an app for speaking like italki and your all good to go!

But most of all, try to find out which method works best for you, and have fun!

Josiah

Josiah is a digital nomad with a passion for language learning and adventure travel. He’s taught English as a foreign language for many years and is currently learning Georgian, French and Chinese.

FilipinoPod101 Coupon Code

Editorial Team — Wed, 09 Dec 2020 10:50:16 +0000

If you’ve decided to learn to speak Filipino — a fun language spoken by almost 70 million people — you cannot go wrong using FilipinoPod101, a comprehensive language-learning program by Innovative Language. We even have these incredible discount codes to help you get started while saving money.

FilipinoPod101 Coupon Codes

Both new and existing members are eligible to take advantage of the following FilipinoPod101 Coupon Codes.

Each deal has been verified to work as of Oct 2021, so contact us if you encounter any issues.

FilipinoPod101—30% Off Coupon

The link below can save you 30% off regular subscription costs when you sign up for a two-year subscription. That’s up to $165. Simply, click the link and your discount is automatically applied.

FilipinoPod101 30% OffGet Up To $165 Off

FilipinoPod101—60% Off Special Promo

Save 60% off regular subscription costs when you sign up for the top-secret Lifetime subscription plan. Pay a one-time fee and you gain access to FilipinoPod101 for life. This plan gives you the chance to take your time learning without feeling like you’re wasting money.

FilipinoPod101 60% OffPremium Only

FilipinoPod101—77% Off Secret Promo

Those who want to learn more than one language can benefit from another top-secret subscription plan—Three-Language Lifetime subscription. Pay once and you can access FilipinoPod101 and two other languages of your choice for life. This will save 77% off regular subscription costs if you use the programs for five years or more.

FilipinoPod101 77% OffPremium Only

Using Your FilipinoPod101 Coupons

New FilipinoPod101 Members

Choose one of the above discounts.
1. Basic, Premium, or PremiumPLUS are the monthly plans to choose. We will cover these plans in detail later.
2. Set up your payment information using Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or PayPal.
3. Determine the length of the subscription remembering longer subscriptions will save more money.
4. Check your email for a link to verify your account and begin your studies.

Existing FilipinoPod101 Members

1. Log into FilipinoPod101, and then return to this page.
2. Choose one of the above discounts.
3. You will be guided through the steps to claim your deal.

Can These Discounts be used Everywhere?

Yes, as long as you have internet access, you can use these discount codes.

Which Plan is Best?

Basic

The Basic plan is best for you if:

• you are on a budget but still need access to the entire lesson library
• you are traveling soon and would like quick phrases to get by

Premium

The Premium plan is best for you if:

• you want access to all the learning tools available including flashcards and voice recognition
• you prefer interactive lesson quizzes to make sure you know your material
• you have friends and family who speak Filipino

PremiumPLUS

The PremiumPLUS plan is best for you if:

• you prefer some one-on-one instruction
• you want ongoing testing to make sure you are progressing
• you like the idea of personalized learning plans

If you can’t choose, another option is to try out the Premium plan for $1 for your first month. Click the link below.

Premium Plan $1 FilipinoPod101

Editorial Team

Our Editorial Team is a group of language learning enthusiasts who are passionate about testing new apps and finding the best ways to learn a language.

FilipinoPod101 Review

Michael — Thu, 14 Nov 2019 04:05:43 +0000

Editor’s Note: This FilipinoPod101 review is up to date as of February 17th, 2022. The article contains affiliate links, however we only recommend products that we have personally used and believe in.

The country of the Philippines has recently been designated as Newly Industrial and also as an Emerging Market, so there is no better time than now to learn to speak or polish up on the Filipino language.

Nearly 50 million people living on The Philippines’ almost 7,600 islands speak some form of Filipino.

Filipino is, in fact, one of the most geographically dispersed languages in the world, second only to English. It is likely that whether planning your next exotic vacation, connecting with business prospects, or learning about other cultures, you have come across the Filipino language or one of its close relatives.

FilipinoPod101, created by Innovative Languages, is one of the quickest ways we’ve found to learn Filipino on your own time.

Already made up your mind and looking for our FilipinoPod101 discount?

FilipinoPod101 Review: Summary

Name: FilipinoPod101

URL: www.filipinopod101.com

Operating System: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS

Currency: USD

Price: Free lifetime account. 7-day trial period. Basic subscription is $8/month. Premium subscription is $25/month. PremiumPLUS subscription is $47/month. Sign up for 3-, 6-, 12- or 24-months and receive a discount.

Application Category: Language Learning Software

Description: Innovative Language is breaking new ground with FilipinoPod101 and its counterparts. Designed to quickly immerse you in the Filipino language, FilipinoPod101 also lets you learn at your own pace and style. You will find skill levels ranging from Absolute Beginner to Advanced Speaker.

In a Nutshell: FilipinoPod101 takes a logical approach to language learning by offering myriads of podcasts, videos, and assorted learning tools. With mobile apps and desktop tools, how to learn Filipino is completely up to you.

Quality of Learning Materials:

Quantity of Lessons:

Effective and Efficient:

Teaches Useful Phrases:

Price:

 5/5

 4/5

Overall Score: 4.2

 4.2/5

The Goods

The Bads

Filipino vs. Tagalog

Wait, you might think, shouldn’t I learn to speak Tagalog? Isn’t that what is spoken in The Philippines?

The answer is yes, along with many other dialects that are all variations of Filipino. Tagalog is spoken by about 1/3 of the country’s population and is very wide-spread throughout the world.

Essentially, Filipino is the standardized form of Tagalog and is considered the national language.

It is widely used in public communications and government affairs. To better understand the relationship between Filipino and Tagalog, you can compare British English to American English. Both speakers can be understood by each other, and generally the only differences are spelling and dialects.

FilipinoPod101 Review: Overview

FilipinoPod101 boldly proclaims that it will teach you the Filipino language in the most fun, easiest, and fastest way possible. You can quickly try out a free lesson before even signing up. Once you decide to sign up for a monthly subscription, you have a free lifetime account. Then, you can choose your subscription options. A seven-day trial period is absolutely free.

With a free account, you’ll have access to a whole bunch of curated audio and video lessons, learning tools like flashcards, and common Filipino word lists. If you then choose to upgrade to one of the monthly subscription plans, you’ll also receive access to:

English translations, lesson notes, and quizzes
Interactive vocabulary and phrase learning tools
Thousands of video and audio podcast lessons by native Filipino speakers
Mini-lessons delivered to your inbox each day
One-on-one instruction with a native speaker (only the PremiumPLUS subscription)

The Pros: What We Liked About FilipinoPod101

We really enjoyed the time we spent learning on the platform. Here are the things we liked the most:

Pro #1: Complete Access to Video and Audio Library

As soon as you start your subscription you will have full access to thousands of videos, podcasts, and learning tools. There are so many lists of words and phrases that make sense in today’s world. Whether you want to quickly ask someone the way to the gym or where to find a smoothie shop, you will easily find it.

Pro #2: Extensive Lesson Library, Modern Topics

FilipinoPod101 boasts the largest lesson library in the world, with over 215 hours of real lessons delivered by professional language tutors. The range of topics available is just as vast – from ‘A Filipino Feast’ to ‘Essential Filipino for Emergencies’.

Whatever you need, you’ll probably find a whole lesson on it. Plus you can even search through the entire library for the topic you’re after. With so many language programs out there consisting of outdated and boring content, FilipinoPod101 provides a breath of fresh air when it comes to finding something interesting to study.

Pro #3: Mobile Applications

Take your lessons on the go. Instead of wasting time away on the subway or in traffic, listen to your lessons right on your phone. With the ability to learn anytime you want, you can easily review lessons almost anywhere.

Pro #4: Fully Downloadable Content

From the MP3 files to the comprehensive lesson notes, everything is available to be downloaded for offline learning. This way you can listen on the go, and study anywhere you are without wifi. And with each lesson being on average only 15 minutes long, you can really squeeze in extra language practice into your schedule and fit your studies around your life, picking up again exactly where you left off.

Pro #5: Immersive Lessons with Native Speakers

All the instructors on FilipinoPod101 are native speakers of the Filipino language. This means you get to hear the dialect of a true Filipino speaker. It makes pronunciation much more accurate when trying out your skills with other speakers.

The Cons: What we Didn’t Like About FilipinoPod101

No language learning program is perfect and this one has a few downsides. Here’s what we didn’t like as much:

Con #1: Advanced Learning is Lacking

Though FilipinoPod101is an excellent tool for beginning to intermediate speakers, advanced speakers wanting to take their fluency to the next level may not find the content very challenging. If you were once fluent in Filipino and are looking for a refresher course, you may find some decent review topics but lacking in terms of advanced learning content.

Con #2: Higher Price

The price for the PremiumPLUS subscription is one of the highest around. Though the quality and quantity of learning materials is superb, this cost might just be too much for all but the most dedicated learners.

Con #3: Feels a Bit Unstructured

Unlike a traditional textbook or set syllabus, FilipinoPod101 is all about letting you (the learner) select your own lessons from their vast lesson library. For this reason, some students have commented that it all feels a bit disorganised without a clear syllabus to follow.

For some students who prefer to be guided along and find the prospect of taking your own learning into your own hands a bit daunting, we recommend using the course alongside a more dedicated textbook. Otherwise the Premium PLUS subscription will be of great use to you since you’ll be provided with a personalized learning program with a 1-on-1 instructor to guide through every step of the way.

Personally, we feel that the learning methodology is actually a huge advantage to your studies, allowing you to focus on only the topics and content you find the most interesting and need to work on the most. The grammar can always be assimilated as you encounter more and more authentic language in context, which is why we love that almost every lesson contains a dialogue or some kind of authentic audio text, broken down line-by-line for you to study.

What are the Lessons Like

The lessons do not need to be completed in order, which offers you further customization of your learning. However, they are generally structured to take you up the ladder toward fluency. Absolute Beginners start out with learning “hello” and how to introduce themselves. The Beginner level starts with learning “I love you” and other simple phrases.

Intermediate lessons start off with a focus on more conversational topics and interactions with others, Upper Intermediate lessons and Advanced learners begin to learn more about Filipino festivals, about Metropolitan Manila and the government. In all levels of the lessons, the Philippine culture is sprinkled throughout, immersing you deeper into the history of the Philippines.

Within each level, you can select which lesson ‘pathways’ to pursue by selecting ‘Add To Dashboard’. The pathways will then be available from your central dashboard where you can track your progress and see other similar lessons that may be recommended to you.

A learning pathway consists of many individual lessons, centered around either an audio podcast or YouTube-style video. It’s first recommended to listen or watch the video to hear the language initially in context. The instructor also often drops in interesting cultural information and takes their time to clarify any complicated grammar.

The real meat of the lesson then comes next, with the line-by-line dialogue, vocab list and grammar bank. You can now take your time to listen to each line in isolation, and even record your own pronunciation! The vocab list includes any new words that the lesson introduces, each with plenty of example sentences.

Finally, everything is summarised rather concisely into the lesson notes. You’ll probably find yourself spending most of your time studying these since they contain everything from the lesson and do an amazing job of explaining the grammar rules and structure of the language.

You can then test your knowledge by taking a short quiz or assessment (depending upon the pathway type) and move onto the next lesson in the series. And remember – everything is fully downloadable at no extra cost!

Vocab Tools

To help you really expand your range of vocabulary, FilipinoPod101 features some really useful built-in tools for you to utilize at any time, in between lessons or even straight from the app.

1) Vocab Lists

We found the vocab lists to be a great help whenever you get bored during lessons. They cover all sorts of random and fascinating topics, from surviving a zombie apocalypse to Filipino chat-up lines. There’s enough material to keep you browsing away for hours, and constantly adding to your palette of Filipino vocabulary.

2) Spaced Repetition Flashcards

The flashcards work similarly to the vocab lists; however you not only have a large pool of pre-existing sets to choose from, but you can create your own from scratch and share amongst friends. Like the more popular Anki or Quizlet, you can then test yourself by translating the English, Filipino or image. Your progress is tracked and the ones you get wrong the most will be shown more frequently until they are committed to memory.

3) Core 2000 Word List

Want to bypass all the obsolete and useless language and cut right through to the core of what locals actually say? The core 2000 words list is a comprehensive list of the most frequently used words in the FIlipino language. You can even narrow the list further to show only the top 100 or so words and filter by category.

4) Word of the Day Emails

An optional extra that you can opt into. You’ll receive a new word to your inbox daily. A useful tool to keep your language learning ticking over with new language being learnt daily.

5) Word Bank

During any of the lessons or activities you might encounter some new words you don’t want to let slip away. This is what the word bank is for, allowing you to save any word into your personal word bank and even categorise or label them individually. You can also export your list at any time.

Who Should Buy FilipinoPod101?

FilipinoPod101 is an exceptional learning tool for those who:

want to quickly learn useful phrases for an upcoming vacation or business trip
plan to expand their business to the Philippines
do not have time to attend or cannot find classes
want to know how to learn Filipino quickly and effectively
thrive with independent study programs

Who Shouldn’t Buy FilipinoPod101

Since everyone learns best in different ways, you cannot find an all-encompassing language learning program. Those who may not benefit from FilipinoPod101 include those who:

FilipinoPod101 vs. The Competition

There are quite a few other apps and programs out there that promise to teach you to speak Filipino quickly. However, the truth is that most of these free apps are nothing more than a glorified translation dictionary. This means they truly can’t compare to the in-depth learning you will find in FilipinoPod101.

Since Filipino is not a highly sought after language, you will find little in the way of local community college courses and even online materials. Here is a brief comparison of the few that we did find.

FilipinoPod101 vs. MyLanguageExchange.com

My Language Exchange claims to be the best way to learn Filipino. The idea is fairly simple. You are paired with a Filipino speaker who wants to learn English (or your native language.) All lessons are planned by a certified teacher and are hosted on the website.

While we feel that this can be a great way to learn colloquialisms and idioms, the lessons are not as structured or comprehensive as with FilipinoPod101.

There is no educational requirement of your paired speaker, so you may not receive correct information from them. If used in conjunction with another learning application, this could be highly beneficial but not as a primary way to learn Filipino.

FilipinoPod101 vs. Rosetta Stone Tagalog

First, we must note that standardized Filipino language learning programs are few and far between. We did find Rosetta Stone offers courses so you can learn to speak Tagalog. While many speak this version of Filipino, we prefer to start learning with the standardized version first.

That being said, Rosetta Stone offers a 3-day trial period for their latest available lesson. You can then decide whether you want to sign up for 3-, 6-, 12- or 24-month subscription with an increasing discount for the longer the term. You can add tutoring online for an additional fee. Though you receive access to both the desktop version and mobile app, you will need to purchase a microphone and speakers to get the most from this system.

All in all, we found this course wasn’t as comprehensive as FilipinoPod101.

Is it Worth the Money?

Ultimately, that depends on how keen you are to learn Filipino. We recommend testing out the platform first with a free 7-day trial, and then seeing if you find it useful for your level and learning style. This is a great option for those who are sitting on the fence about learning Filipino.

Dedicated learners will certainly benefit from a Premium or PremiumPLUS subscription with one-on-one instruction included. If you’ve already made up your mind and have decided to get a membership, use our link below to get 30% off:

The 1 Dollar Initial Offer

If you’d like to try the program out for longer than 7 days then you’re in luck! After you’ve signed up for your free account you’ll be offered a full 30 days of FilipinoPod101 Premium for only $1. We’re telling this now because once you click away you won’t have this option again.

But be careful, after the 30 days is up you’ll be automatically placed on the premium subscription and charged $25 a month. So it might be best to just sign up for a 3, 6 or 12 month membership from the get-go to make best use of the subscription discounts on offer, in addition to our 30% off coupon code.

The Secret Lifetime Membership Option

I’ll be honest: I’m not a big fan of paying monthly (or even yearly) for something. If this is you too, there’s a secret lifetime membership option that you may not have heard about.

For the price of roughly 3-4 years membership, you can get lifetime access to FilipinoPod101. If you know you’re a lifelong learner and are dedicated to a long term goal, this might be your best bet.

For the obsessive polyglots out there, there’s also an option to purchase lifetime premium access to all 34 languages (Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Italian, French… etc). It’s not cheap, but could be great value for the right person.

Important Note I think it’s worth noting that Innovative Language isn’t one of these fly-by-night product makers that abandon their products after selling a bunch of lifetime memberships. They’ve been around for years and are constantly improving the interfaces and releasing new lessons. In fact, I’ve been using their JapanesePod program for years!

FilipinoPod101 Review: Summary

We can confidently recommend FilipinoPod101 for both Philippines expats and leisure travelers alike. With a mobile app and online access to FilipinoPod101’s entire learning library, you can easily fit learning Filipino into your already busy lifestyle.

Conclusion: With few ways to learn the Filipino language, FilipinoPod101 makes a great case for being one of the most extensive programs available. In line with competitors’ prices, we think it offers the best value for the self-motivated and determined learner.

Michael

Michael has lived in Japan on and off for almost 10 years. He loves studying Japanese, and is currently working on going from N2 to N1 on the JLPT.