What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a combination of kumusta (how are you/hello) and paalam (goodbye), joined by at (and).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The full phrase kumusta at paalam is formal and literary. For more common interactions, you can use kumusta or the even more casual musta for hello and paalam for goodbye. In very casual speech, many people simply use the English "bye" or "see you". To show respect and politeness in any greeting, you can add the particle po.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word kumusta is a shortened form of the Spanish cómo está and functions both as a greeting and a question about one's well-being.
How do you pronounce it?
/kumusˈta ʔat paˈʔalam/
When do people say it?
When seeking formal greetings, you might use Magandang araw po (Have a good day) during the daytime or Magandang gabi po (Good evening) during the nighttime. Another versatile term is Mabuhay, which means "Long live" and can be used as both a greeting and a farewell.
Did you know?
Examples in context
- Magandang gabi po! Paalam na po.Good evening! I have to go now.
Example conversation
Maria is teaching Ricardo basic Tagalog phrases.
- MariaRicardo, alam mo ba ang kumusta at paalam?Ricardo, do you know hello and goodbye?
- RicardoHindi ko pa alam, Maria.I don't know them yet, Maria.
- MariaMadali lang itong tandaan.These are easy to remember.
- RicardoSige, mag-aaral ako ngayon.Okay, I will study now.
