TagalogNow is one person learning their family's language.
I'm Jun — a half-Filipino, half-British software engineer in the UK. I grew up around Tagalog without ever really speaking it, and TagalogNow started as the tool I needed to change that.
There's no company behind it in the usual sense. One person designs it, builds it, and ships every update — which keeps it small, fast, and cared for.
- Tagalog words
- 12,500+
- with audio pronunciation
- 99%
- guided lessons
- 120
- illustrated flashcards
- 900
Behind TagalogNow
Why I built this
When I finally sat down to learn Tagalog properly, everything I found was one of two things: textbooks full of stiff, formal sentences nobody in my family has ever said, or apps that taught words with no sense of how Filipinos actually talk — the Taglish, the po at opo, the things you only pick up around a dinner table.
So I built the app I couldn't find. Every lesson teaches Tagalog the way it's really spoken, with the cultural context that makes it make sense. And I learn from it every day myself — so when something feels clumsy, I'm the first to notice, and the one who can fix it.
I don't do it alone
Native Filipino speakers have shaped TagalogNow at every step:
- Recording audio
- Reviewing every lesson and translation
- Keeping the cultural notes honest
My family is the final test: if a phrase wouldn't sound natural coming from them, it doesn't go in the app.
Four things I won't compromise on
Tagalog as it's actually spoken
Real phrases, Taglish included, and the cultural notes that explain why people say it that way. No textbook stiffness.
The free version is a real course
A full unit of lessons and the entire dictionary, free. Not a taster with the good parts locked away.
Your learning stays on your phone
No account needed. Your progress lives on your phone, works offline, and stays yours.
Small on purpose
One person makes it and looks after it, with native speakers keeping it honest. Questions get answered by the person who made the app.
Take Tagalog with you
The full course, a 12,500-word dictionary, and flashcards that make every word stick — free to start on iOS and Android.
