Usage Note
Isla is a Spanish loanword for island, and it is central to Filipino geographic identity given that the Philippines is an archipelago of over 7,000 islands. The native equivalent pulo is also widely used and tends to be more informal in register.
Examples
" Pumunta kami sa isla. "
Natural Translation
We went to the island.
Literal Translation
Went we to island.
" Maganda ang isla ng Boracay. "
Natural Translation
The island of Boracay is beautiful.
Literal Translation
Beautiful the island of Boracay.
" Bawat isla sa Pilipinas ay may sariling wika at kultura na ikinararangal ng mga residente nito. "
Natural Translation
Every island in the Philippines has its own language and culture that its residents take pride in.
Literal Translation
Each island in Philippines has own language and culture that take-pride-in the residents its.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
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