Textbooks

Basic Tagalog by Paraluman S. Aspillera (Tuttle Publishing)

Pictured: Third Edition, published 2021

This book is an essential for absolute beginners. It will teach you all the necessary grammar in a simple and understandable format and provides plenty of practice exercises too. This also teaches limited vocabulary, so you may wish to supplement this with vocabulary resources too.

I’d Like To Speak Filipino 1 (Gusto Kong Mag-Filipino) by Victoria P. Carlos

Pictured: Revised Edition, published 2007

I have only ever seen this book in the Philippines so it might be quite difficult to come across but this is an excellent little companion to get you off the ground quickly. The book teaches conversational Filipino and covers the basics in an interesting and relatable manner.

I’d Like To Speak Filipino 2 (Gusto Kong Mag-Filipino) by Victoria P. Carlos

Pictured: Revised Edition, published 2003

Once again, this might be a little difficult to come across outside of the Philippines, but this is a step-up from the first book and starts to tackle some slightly more practical grammar structures. It follows the same basic format as the first but is easy to digest and creates interesting scenarios.

Elementary Tagalog by Jiedson R. Domigpe & Nenita P. Domingo (Tuttle Publishing)

Pictured: First Edition, published 2015

This book is a real heavyweight – physically and intellectually. This hefty book goes into huge depth around various grammar points and teaches a huge range of vocabulary necessary for day-to-day life. If you’re looking for an all-rounder, this is the book, but be warned, it is quite wordy so could feel a little more complicated than the Basic version.

Elementary Tagalog  WORKBOOK by Jiedson R. Domigpe & Nenita P. Domingo (Tuttle Publishing)

Pictured: First Edition, published 2015

The accompaniment workbook to the textbook above is what makes this series a winner. Although the textbook is a little on the detailed side, this workbook offers plenty of opportunity to explore the language and figure out the grammar structures alone. This is an excellent workbook – highly recommend.

Intermediate Tagalog by Joi Barrios (Tuttle Publishing)

Pictured: First Edition, published 2014

In my opinion, this book is pitched a little higher than Intermediate. The beginning chapters feel like a natural progression from the Elementary book but then it leapfrogs into some quite complex grammar and complicated scenarios. This book is extremely dense – it packs a lot in for its small size so is not the easiest read, but it covers all the necessary grammar points. You may need to supplement this with lots of your own research though, especially in terms of advanced vocabulary.

I’d Like To Speak Filipino 3 (Gusto Kong Mag-Filipino) by Victoria P. Carlos

Pictured: Revised Edition, published 2003

Out of all of the books in this series, this is the one that opened doors for me. This starts to look at different focus verbs and, rather than giving complex explanations, introduces the grammar in conversational context. This is a great accompaniment to your resource list, but again, I have only seen this in the Philippines so far.

I’d Like To Speak Filipino 4 (Gusto Kong Mag-Filipino) by Victoria P. Carlos

Pictured: Revised Edition, published 2003

This upper intermediate book takes a slight format change and focuses more on studying conversations. This book tackles some personal topics and looks at comprehension, grammar and translation. This book requires students to find the answers for themselves as there are no explanations for grammar, so this is definitely one of the most self-directed books out of all of the series.