Filipino speakers often arrive in Australia with a significant advantage: English has been a medium of instruction in the Philippines since primary school. Vocabulary, reading, and written grammar are often already strong.
But Philippine English is its own variety — shaped by Tagalog, Cebuano, and other Filipino languages — and some of its features don’t transfer to Australian or International English. These aren’t signs of weak English. They’re patterns from a different but valid variety of the language that need adjusting for a new context.
This article covers the most common patterns to be aware of.
1. “Open” and “Close” for Appliances
This is one of the most distinctive features of Philippine English — and one of the first things Australians notice.
Common usage in Philippine English: “Can you open the aircon?” / “Please close the lights before you leave.” Standard Australian English: “Can you turn on the aircon?” / “Please turn off the lights before you leave.”
| Philippine English | Australian English |
|---|---|
| Open the lights | Turn on the lights |
| Close the lights | Turn off the lights |
| Open the TV | Turn on the TV |
| Close the fan | Turn off the fan |
| Open the aircon | Turn on the air conditioning |
Why it happens: In Filipino (Tagalog), buksan (open) is used for both opening a door and switching on a device, and isara (close) for both closing and switching off. The pattern translates directly into English.
How to fix it: Replace open/close with turn on/turn off for all electrical appliances. This is one of the easiest habits to change because this rule is simple and consistent.
2. Filipinisms: Expressions That Don’t Travel
Filipinisms are words and phrases that are perfectly clear in the Philippines but are either unknown or mean something different outside it. Using them in Australia can cause genuine confusion.
| Filipino English expression | What you mean | What to say instead |
|---|---|---|
| ”For a while.” | Please hold / Just a moment | ”Just a moment.” / “One moment, please." |
| "I’ll go down here.” | I’ll get off here (from a vehicle) | “I’ll get off here.” / “This is my stop." |
| "Comfort room” / “CR” | Bathroom / toilet | ”Bathroom” / “toilet” / “restroom" |
| "Salvage” | To extrajudicially kill | Do not use — in English, salvage means to save or rescue |
| ”Carnap” | To steal a car | ”Car theft” / “the car was stolen" |
| "Ref” | Refrigerator / fridge | ”Fridge" |
| "Blotter” | Police report | ”Police report" |
| "Colorum” | Unlicensed / unofficial | ”Unlicensed” / “unregistered" |
| "Dirty kitchen” | Outdoor or utility kitchen | ”Laundry kitchen” / describe it directly |
The salvage one is worth special attention. In English, to salvage something means to rescue or recover it — the opposite of its Philippine usage. Using it in the Philippine sense will confuse or alarm an Australian listener.
3. Redundant Pronouns
Filipino (Tagalog) is a topic-prominent language — the topic of a sentence is often restated or fronted for clarity. This sometimes produces redundant pronouns in English.
Common error: “My manager, she is very strict.” Correct: “My manager is very strict.”
Common error: “The report, I already finished it.” More natural: “I already finished the report.”
Why it happens: In Tagalog, restating the topic with a pronoun is natural and adds clarity. Ang manager ko, mahigpit siya (My manager, she is strict) is a standard construction.
How to fix it: In English, choose either the noun or the pronoun — not both. “My manager is strict” or “She is strict” — not “My manager, she is strict.”
4. Tense: Aspect vs Tense
Tagalog doesn’t mark tense the way English does. Instead, it uses an aspect system that shows whether an action is completed, ongoing, or not yet started. There is no strict past or future verb form — context and time words carry that meaning.
Common error: “I submit the report yesterday.” Correct: “I submitted the report yesterday.”
Common error: “She is working here since 2022.” Correct: “She has been working here since 2022.”
Why it happens: Tagalog aspect markers indicate whether an action is complete or ongoing, not when it happened in relation to now. Moving to an English tense system requires tracking time explicitly in the verb.
How to fix it: When a past time word is present (yesterday, last week, in 2023), the English verb must change to past tense. When an action started in the past and is still true now, use present perfect: “She has worked here since 2022” / “I have lived in Melbourne for two years.”
5. “Borrow” and “Lend” Confusion
This is a frequent and very specific error in Philippine English.
Common error: “Can I borrow your pen to you?” / “Can you borrow me your pen?” Correct: “Can I borrow your pen?” / “Can you lend me your pen?”
The distinction: borrow = to receive something temporarily (you are the receiver). Lend = to give something temporarily (you are the giver).
- “Can I borrow your charger?” — you are asking to receive it.
- “Can you lend me your charger?” — you are asking them to give it.
Why it happens: In Filipino, hiramin covers both directions — both “to borrow from” and “to lend to” someone depending on context.
How to fix it: Remember: borrow = take (temporarily), lend = give (temporarily). A simple check: if you are the one getting the object, use borrow. If you are the one giving it, use lend.
6. “Po” Politeness and Formal Register
In Filipino culture, po and opo are particles added to speech to show respect. This produces a strong tendency toward polite, formal language — which is generally a strength in professional settings. But in Australia, overly formal language in casual situations can sound stiff or distant, and very formal written English can read as old-fashioned.
Too formal for Australian casual context: “I am humbly requesting your kind assistance with this matter at your earliest convenience.” More natural: “Could you help me with this when you get a chance?”
Too formal in a spoken workplace: “I respectfully disagree with the aforementioned statement.” More natural: “I see it a bit differently, actually.”
Why it happens: The po system builds deep politeness habits. Filipinos often default to formal English when unsure of the right register, which can overshoot in Australian casual or semi-formal contexts.
How to fix it: In most Australian workplaces, polite but direct language works better than elaborate formal phrasing. Use modal verbs for politeness (could, would, might) rather than formal vocabulary. “Could you send that through?” is professional and warm. “I humbly request the forwarding of said document” is not how Australians communicate at work.
7. Question Formation Without Inversion
Philippine English sometimes forms questions using statement word order with rising intonation rather than auxiliary inversion — especially in informal speech.
Common error: “You already submitted?” More natural: “Have you already submitted?” / “Did you submit already?”
Common error: “She’s coming tomorrow?” More natural in formal/professional contexts: “Is she coming tomorrow?”
In casual spoken English, rising intonation on a statement (“You’re coming tomorrow?”) is used for confirmation checks and isn’t wrong. But in professional writing and formal speech, full question inversion is expected.
How to fix it: In any written question or formal spoken context, use the auxiliary before the subject: “Have you…?” / “Did she…?” / “Are they…?” Save intonation-only questions for casual conversation where they’re natural.
The Bottom Line
Filipino speakers usually don’t need to rebuild their English from the ground up — the foundation is already there. The adjustments are more about switching from Philippine English patterns to Australian English conventions in specific situations.
The open/close habit and Filipinisms are the most immediately noticeable to Australian listeners and worth fixing first. Tense, register, and question inversion are the patterns most likely to affect how you’re perceived in professional contexts.
Think of it less as correcting mistakes and more as adding a new register — one that lets you move between Philippine English when required and Australian standard English with a broader audience.