Shopping in Siargaonon
11 words and phrases, recorded by a native speaker of Siargaonon (Surigaonon), the language of Siargao Island in the Philippines. Part of Getting Around.
| Siargaonon | English | Notes on usage |
|---|---|---|
| Pila ang presyo? | How much is the price? | |
| Mahal karajaw! | It's too expensive! | |
| Pwede mag-tawad? | Can I bargain / get a discount? | Common in markets |
| Ubusi pa gamay | Lower it a little more. | Also used when pointing out directions or placing an item |
| Sige, paliton ko. | Okay, I'll buy it. | |
| Dili rakan. | Never mind / I won't anymore. | |
| Jaon bay mas gamay? | Do you have a smaller one? | |
| Jaon bay lain na kolor? | Do you have another color? | |
| Bayad na. | Here's the payment. | |
| Sukli | Change (money returned) | |
| Palengke | Market / Public market |
Hearing it spoken
Written Siargaonon can only take you so far — the sounds are what give a speaker away. Two rules matter more than any other: the letter J is always hard, as in the English "jump" (never softened to a "y"), and many words that use an L in neighbouring languages use a Y here — ulo becomes uyo, balay becomes bayay. The pronunciation guide covers both in detail.
Every phrase on this page can be heard aloud, drilled with flashcards and quizzes, and scheduled for review in the free app.
Mahal Does Not Mean What You Think
Mahal karajaw! means it is too expensive. If you have come from Tagalog, stop here for a moment: in Tagalog mahal means dear or beloved. In Siargaonon it means expensive, and only expensive.
Say it to a person rather than a price and you have told them they are costly. The word you would want instead is in Taghigugma ta kaw, and it is not mahal.
The Language of the Market Came From Spain
Read the vocabulary above and a pattern appears. Presyo for price, Palengke for market, Sukli for change, Bayad na. for here's the payment, kolor for colour, pwede for can I — nearly the whole commercial vocabulary arrived with Spanish.
This is the same thing the calendar shows on the months page. Words tied to administration and trade were borrowed readily; words tied to home, weather and the body were not. You can almost map the colonial economy by which parts of the dictionary are Spanish.
How to Actually Bargain
Pwede mag-tawad? opens the negotiation — it asks whether bargaining is possible at all, which is the polite way in. From there, Ubusi pa gamay asks for a little more off; the pa carries the sense of still, a bit further.
Two closings are worth having ready. Sige, paliton ko. is okay, I'll buy it. And Dili rakan. is never mind — a way to step back from a price without any hard feeling.
If you want a different item rather than a different price, Jaon bay mas gamay? asks for a smaller one and Jaon bay lain na kolor? asks for another colour. Both open with jaon bay — do you have.
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Is a word missing, or is something here wrong? This record is incomplete by definition — a living language is bigger than any one speaker. Tell us and it will be reviewed and added.