“Which” is a very bewitching word to translate into Tagalog (pun intended). After all, It’s pretty useful high-frequency (commonly used) word in English. At the end of this lesson there is a 5-point test to check if you know how to translate “which” from English into Tagalog.
Try this lesson out. Lots of Tagalog learners find it difficult to translate the word from English to Tagalog. Sentences that use “which” that can sound quite easy to say in English can be difficult to say in Tagalog.
So how exactly do you say the English word “which’ in Tagalog?
Sounds like a straightforward question. But being a certified world-champion language nerd, let me complicate things first before I make them simple.
A grammar geek could say there are eleven uses of the word “which” if you check the dictionary. “Which” cane be used both as a pronoun and an adjective. (Check out more about Tagalog pronouns (The Beginner’s Guide to Tagalog pronouns) and Tagalog adjectives (The 5 Types of Tagalog Adjectives) here).
But, I’m not going that far. That’s too geeky, even for me.
Instead, let me focus on the two main usages of the word “which” (both as pronouns) that you’re probably having a problem with in translating “which” into Tagalog.
The first “which” is used when asking to specify a choice. The second “which” is used to refer to something previously mentioned.
Let’s dig in deeper.
Translating “Which” Used to Specify a Choice into Tagalog
In English the most common usage of the word which is when one asks for information to specify someone or something from a set of choice.
For example: “Which one do you want?”
We can translate this into the word “Alin” or “Aling.”
English: “Which one do you want?”
Tagalog: “Alin yung gusto mo?”
English: “Which of the two do you want?”
Tagalog: “Alin sa dalawa yung gusto mo?”
English: “I don’t know which one I want.”
Tagalog: “Hindi ko alam alin yung gusto ko.”
English: “Which one?”
Tagalog: “Alin?”
English: “Which of the three did you eat?”
Tagalog: “Alin sa tatlo ang kinain mo?”
As you may have noticed from the examples in this section and the next section that the word “alin” doesn’t have to be used at the start of the sentence.
“Alin” also can be in a question or in an answer. Also, it can be used no matter when tense of the verbs around it, whether past, present, or future.
Using the word “Aling“
You can also use “Aling” when the word is use to indicate that a noun is among the choices.
English: “Which song will you sing?”
Tagalog: “Aling kanta ang kakantahin mo?”
English: “Which woman did you love the most?”
Tagalog: “Aling babae ang pinakaminahal mo?”
English: “Do you already know which house you are going to?”
Tagalog: “Alam mo na ba kung aling bahay yung pupuntahan mo?”
While this may look scary to remember, just remember that the word “aling” comes right before the noun that is the choice. Meanwhile, “alin” works like the pronoun itself.
Translating “Which” When Used to Refer to Something Previously Mentioned into Tagalog
They next most common usage of the word “which” in English is when you use it to refer to something that was previously mentioned.
For example: “I like the girl which kissed me.”
In this case we can translate the word “which” with the Tagalog word “na”
Let’s see this in action.
English: “I like the girl which kissed me.”
Tagalog: “Gusto ko yung babae na humalik sa akin.”
English: “I talked to the girl which dances well.”
Tagalog: “Kinausap ko yung babae na magaling sumayaw.”
English: “Are you going to the place which was flooded?”
Tagalog: “Pupuntahan mo ba yung lugar na binaha?”
English: “I ate the food which she gave me.”
Tagalog: “Kinain ko yung pagkain na binigay niya sa akin.”
English: “Don’t give money to the woman which fooled you.”
Tagalog: “Huwag mong bigyan ng pera yung babae na nanloko sayo.”
As you can see the word “na” never comes at the start of the sentence. Just like using the word “which” like this in English, the word word “na” always comes before the phrase that gives further information.
“Which” Tagalog Translation Test
Let’s test what you’ve learned.
Write down whether the blank should have Alin, Aling or Na.
Question 1:
English: “Which one do you want, the red one or the blue one?”
Tagalog: “_____ yung gusto mo, yung pula or yung bughaw?”
Question 2:
English: “The dog which escaped was caught last night”
Tagalog: “Yung aso _____ nakatakas ay nahuli kagabi.”
Question 3:
English: “I don’t know which car bumped me.”
Tagalog: “Hindi ko alam _____ kotse ang bumangga sa akin”
Question 4:
English: “Which book do you want to borrow?”
Tagalog: “______ libro yung gusto mong hiramin?”
Question 5:
English: “He told me which has no sugar.”
Tagalog: “Sinabi niya sa akin _____ yung walang asukal.”
Click this link to Download Answer Key
So, how did you do?
5 correct = Bathala Level
4 correct = Bayani Level
3 correct = Illustrado Level
2 correct = Maharlika Level
1 correct = Mamamayan Level
0 correct = Maralita Level
Wanna know what these words mean? Click on ’em. They’ll bring you to the page which explains Talk Tagalog’s difficulty levels.
Browse and enjoy. You can thank me later.