English words that only make sense in Filipino

Filipino English is now its own brand | Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels

It’s no surprise that Filipinos are some of the best English speakers in the world. After all, English is our second language. It was introduced to the country during the US colonial occupation in the 1900s and was even designated an official language in the 1935 Constitution.

Much has changed since then, but English remains a widely spoken and understood language in the country. Filipino may be the national language, and various other regional languages are also widely used. But it is also undeniable that English takes up a large share of usage in society, be it in media, business, government, and education.

And as it is dealing with and using a living language, it constantly evolves—so much so that Filipinos now have their own brand of English.

Filipino netizens had a field day on Twitter recently, sharing their favorite Filipinisms.

I can’t explain it but the line “give chance to others” is written completely in Filipino

— Andrew Panopio (@kickthecandrew) July 4, 2023

Technically these words are *still* English but will only make sense in the Filipino context.

1. Gets

The word “get” has several formal meanings, like to have or achieve or catch something (as in “I got you something” or “Get some sleep”), or to become or reach a particular state, or to come or move into a state or position (as in “I got into the car” or “It’s getting late”).

But the Filipino “gets” is akin to “understand.” It might have been derived from the phrase, “I get/don’t get it,” shortened to just “gets.”

Gets?

2. Actually

The word “actually” is an adverb. Quick grammar lesson in case we’ve forgotten what that means: An adverb modifies or qualifies an adjective or verb.

Basically, in standard English, “actually” is a term that emphasizes that a situation exists or happened. (“I didn’t think I’d actually have to explain what an adverb is.”)

When a Filipino says “actually,” it is rarely ever followed by another word. It’s just that. It is also another way to express agreement.

“That was a pretty good movie.”

“Actually!”

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3. Feeling close

Sometimes shortened to “FC,” the phrase “feeling close” refers to people who act all friendly towards you even if you’re not really friends. Definitely not something you’d want to be described as.

4. Brownout

Perhaps a quintessential Filipino experience, power outages are often referred to as “brownouts.” But while “Pinoys” colloquially used brownouts as a blanket term for all kinds of power outages, officially, it means there’s electricity, just not enough to go around.

You may also like: What we call “brownouts” aren’t actually brownouts

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5. Monthsary

Possibly a uniquely Pinoy phenomenon, the monthsary is just the monthly equivalent of an anniversary.

6. Batchmate

Filipinos often use this to refer to someone who graduated the same year as you but just belonged in a different class or degree (or, in Philippine English, “course.”)

What are your favorite Filipinisms?