Usage Note
Bahay refers to both a physical house and a home. It is most commonly paired with 'sa' (sa bahay) to mean 'at home' or 'to the house' in everyday conversation.
Examples
" Nasa bahay si tatay. "
Natural Translation
Father is at home.
Literal Translation
Is-at house father.
" Malaki ang bahay namin. "
Natural Translation
Our house is big.
Literal Translation
Big the house ours.
" Mas gusto kong manatili sa bahay tuwing umuulan kaysa lumabas at mabasa sa malakas na ulan. "
Natural Translation
I prefer to stay at home when it rains rather than go out and get soaked in the heavy rain.
Literal Translation
More like I stay at house whenever raining than go-out and get-wet in strong rain.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
How Tagalog words workDerived Words
Actor Focus Verbs
Object Focus Verbs
Related Words
Explore Tagalog by topic
Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.

Is Tagalog Hard to Learn? An Honest Answer
Tagalog takes around 1,100 hours to reach professional proficiency. Here is what is easy, what is hard, and what to expect at 3, 6, and 12 months.

Ng vs Nang in Tagalog: The Spelling Rule
Ng vs nang sound identical but spell differently. Use ng to mark nouns (of, the object), and nang for how, when, repetition, and counting time.

Tagalog Time Expressions: Past, Present & Future Guide
Tagalog has no tenses — it uses aspect. Learn time words, days of the week, clock time, and the aspect system, with vocabulary tables and cultural notes.

How Long Does It Take to Learn Tagalog?
Survival Tagalog takes ~3-4 weeks and comfortable conversation 6-12 months. FSI's 1,100 hours is the professional bar, not the talking-to-family bar.