Filipino - English translation

Filipino to English: preserve who “we” includes and what the verb emphasizes

Kami and tayo do not describe the same group

Filipino distinguishes we that excludes the person being addressed from we that includes them. Kami excludes the addressee; tayo includes them. English we leaves that difference unmarked. In an invitation, meeting arrangement, or shared responsibility, preserve the intended group with wording such as we both or our team where needed.

“Aalis tayo bukas” can be “We’re leaving tomorrow,” including the listener. “Aalis kami bukas” can use the same English sentence, but the listener is excluded. If the distinction affects whether the recipient should prepare to travel, make it explicit rather than allowing English brevity to erase an instruction-relevant fact.

Siya does not identify an English gendered pronoun

Filipino siya refers to a person without encoding he or she. An isolated sentence does not justify guessing gender from a job or name. Use a known pronoun from the conversation, repeat the person’s name, or use singular they where appropriate. Preserve the individual’s number rather than turning a neutral singular person into an actual group.

The same reference check applies when several people appear in a paragraph. English gendered pronouns may seem to make the wording smoother, but a fluent guess adds an identity claim not present in the source. Keep names explicit at the point where the referent would otherwise become unclear.

Focus is not a direct instruction to use English passive

Filipino verb morphology and markers organize participants in ways that do not correspond simply to English active versus passive. Identify who acts, what is affected, and which participant the source highlights. An English active sentence can sometimes communicate a source construction naturally even where a literal grammatical gloss looks passive.

Aspect also needs interpretation. Completed, ongoing, and contemplated forms interact with time expressions and the message’s purpose. Do not select English tense solely by counting prefixes or syllables. A work update should preserve whether an action has happened, is still happening, or is planned, with the same participants throughout.

Translate respect and ordinary sentence patterns naturally

Po can mark respectful address, but it is not an independent English please to insert everywhere. “Salamat po” can simply be “Thank you,” with the respectful tone carried by the surrounding exchange. Adding sir or madam automatically may create a relationship or title the source did not specify.

Filipino descriptions can also form complete sentences without an English-style be verb. English ordinarily needs its own subject and copula where required. Restore those elements without treating every particle as a separate English word. Finally, preserve deliberate English words or official names appearing inside a Filipino message; code-switching and identifiers require contextual interpretation, not automatic deletion or forced retranslation.