Shopping and Haggling

The price is an opening offer. Everyone knows this. Behave accordingly.

The false friend that will embarrass you

Start here, because this one matters. In Tagalog, mahal means love. Tagalog speakers say mahal kita and mean "I love you."

In Siargaonon, mahal means expensive. Only expensive. There is no romantic sense whatsoever. Say mahal takaw to someone on Siargao and you have not confessed your feelings — you have informed them that they are overpriced.

The word you actually want is higugma: Tag higugma takaw. Write it down. This is the single most consequential false friend in the language and visitors walk into it constantly.

How a haggle actually goes

At the palengke — the public market — a price is the beginning of a conversation, not the end of one.

Ask Pila ang presyo? When the answer offends you, and it will, the correct response is Mahal karajaw! — too expensive! Then: Pwede mag-tawad? Can I bargain?

The phrase that does the real work is Ubusi pa gamay — lower it a little more. It is polite, it is expected, and it is not rude to use it twice.

When you're satisfied: Sige, paliton ko. — okay, I'll buy it. Then Bayad na. — here's the payment. Your change is your sukli.

And if you decide against it entirely, Dili rakan. — never mind, I won't. Nobody will be offended. That is what a market is.

The words themselves — 11 entries