Hiligaynon language

Hiligaynon
Ilonggo
Hiniligaynon, Inilonggo
Pronunciation	/hɪlɪˈɡaɪnən/
Native to	Philippines
Region	Western Visayas, Negros Island Region, Soccsksargen, southwestern portion of Masbate, coastal Palawan, some parts of southern Mindoro, some parts of Romblon and a few parts of Northern Mindanao
Ethnicity	Hiligaynon
Native speakers	7.8 million (2010)[1][needs update] 9.1 million total speakers[2] 4th most spoken native language in the Philippines[3]
Language family	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Philippine Greater Central Philippine Central Philippine Bisayan Central Bisayan Hiligaynon
Dialects	Standard Hiligaynon (Iloilo province dialect); Urban Hiligaynon (Metro Iloilo dialect); Guimarasnon Hiligaynon; Bacolodnon Hiligaynon (Metro Bacolod dialect); Negrense Hiligaynon (Negros Occidental dialect); Mindanao Hiligaynon
Writing system	Latin (Hiligaynon alphabet) Hiligaynon Braille Historically Baybayin (c. 13th–19th centuries)
Official status
Recognised minority language in	Philippines
Regulated by	Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino
Language codes
ISO 639-2	hil
ISO 639-3	hil
Glottolog	hili1240
Areas where Hiligaynon is spoken in the Philippines
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.

Hiligaynon, also often referred to as Ilonggo or Binisayâ/Bisayâ nga Hiniligaynon/Inilonggo, is an Austronesian regional language spoken in the Philippines by about 9.1 million people, predominantly in Western Visayas, Negros Island Region, and Soccsksargen, most of whom belong to the Hiligaynon people.^[4] It is the second-most widely spoken language in the Visayas and belongs to the Bisayan languages, and it is more distantly related to other Philippine languages.

It also has one of the largest native language-speaking populations of the Philippines, despite it not being taught and studied formally in schools and universities until 2012.^[5] Hiligaynon is given the ISO 639-2 three-letter code hil, but has no ISO 639-1 two-letter code.

Hiligaynon is mainly concentrated in the regions of Western Visayas (Iloilo, Capiz, and Guimaras), Negros Island Region (Negros Occidental), and Soccsksargen (South Cotabato including General Santos, Sultan Kudarat, and North Cotabato). It is spoken in other neighboring provinces, such as Antique and Aklan in Western Visayas, Negros Oriental in Negros Island Region, Masbate in Bicol Region, and southern parts of Mindoro, Romblon and Palawan in Mimaropa.

It is spoken as a second language by Kinaray-a speakers in Antique, Aklanon/Malaynon speakers in Aklan, Capiznon speakers in Capiz, Cebuano speakers in Negros Oriental,^[6] and spoken and understood by native speakers of Maguindanaon, Cebuano, Ilocano, Blaan, Tboli and other settler and indigenous languages in Soccsksargen in Mindanao.^[7] There are approximately 9,300,000 people in and out of the Philippines who are native speakers of Hiligaynon and an additional 5,000,000 capable of speaking it with a substantial degree of proficiency.^[8]

Aside from Hiligaynon, the language is also referred to as Ilonggo, also spelled Ilongo, as it originated in Iloilo. Many speakers outside Iloilo argue, that this is an incorrect usage of the word Ilonggo. In precise usage, these people opine that Ilonggo should be used only in relation to the ethnolinguistic group of native inhabitants of Iloilo and the culture associated with native Hiligaynon speakers in that place, including their language. The disagreement over the usage of Ilonggo to refer to the language extends to Philippine language specialists and native laypeople.^[9]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2020)

Historical evidence from observations of early Spanish explorers in the Archipelago shows that the nomenclature used to refer to this language had its origin among the people of the coasts or people of the Ilawod ("los [naturales] de la playa") in Iloilo, Panay, whom Spanish explorer Miguel de Loarca called Yligueynes^[10] (or the more popular term Hiligaynon, also referred to by the Karay-a people as Siná).

The term Hiligaynon came from the root word ilig ('to go downstream'), referring to a flowing river in Iloilo. In contrast, the Kinaray-a has been used by what the Spanish colonizers called Arayas, which may be a Spanish misconception of the Hiligaynon words Iraya or taga-Iraya, or the current and more popular version Karay-a ('highlanders' – people of Iraya/highlands).^[11]

Similar to many languages in the Philippines, very little research on dialectology has been done on Hiligaynon. Standard Hiligaynon, is the dialect that is used in the province of Iloilo, primarily in the northern and eastern portions of the province. It has a more traditional and extensive vocabulary, whereas the Urban Hiligaynon dialect spoken in Metro Iloilo has a more simplified or modern vocabulary.

For example, the term for 'to wander,' 'to walk,' or 'to stroll' in Urban Hiligaynon is lágaw, which is also widely used by most of the Hiligaynon speakers, whereas in Standard Hiligaynon, dayán is more commonly used, which has rarely or never been used by other dialects of the language. Another example, amó iní, ('this is it') in Standard Hiligaynon can be simplified in Urban Hiligaynon and become 'mó'ní.

Some of the other widely recognized dialects of the language, aside from Standard Hiligaynon and Urban Hiligaynon, are Bacolodnon Hiligaynon (Metro Bacolod dialect), Negrense Hiligaynon (provincial Negros Occidental dialect that is composed of three sub-variants: Northern, Central and Southern Negrense Hiligaynon), Guimaras Hiligaynon, and Mindanao Hiligaynon (which incorporated some Cebuano and other languages due to the mass influx of migrants from Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor and Cebuano-speaking parts of Mindanao reside in the Soccsksargen area).^[12]

Some native speakers also consider Kinaray-a (also known as Hiniraya or Antiqueño) and Capiznon dialects of Hiligaynon. However, linguists have classified Kinaray-a as a Western Bisayan language, while Capiznon is a Central Bisayan language closely related to Hiligaynon.^[13][14]

Main consonant phonemes

	Labial		Dental/ Alveolar		Palatal		Velar		Glottal
Nasal	m		n				ŋ
Stop	p	b	t	d			k	ɡ	ʔ
Fricative			s						h
Flap			ɾ
Approximant	w		l		j

Consonants [d] and [ɾ] were once allophones but cannot interchange as in other Philippine languages: patawaron ('to forgive') [from patawad, 'forgiveness'] but not patawadon, and tagadiín ('from where') [from diín, 'where'] but not tagariín.

There are four main vowels: /a/, /i ~ ɛ/, /o ~ ʊ/, and /u/. [i] and [ɛ] (both spelled i) are allophones, with [i] in the beginning and middle and sometimes final syllables and [ɛ] in final syllables. The vowels [ʊ] and [o] are also allophones, with [ʊ] always being used when it is the beginning of a syllable, and [o] always used when it ends a syllable.

Hiligaynon is written using the Latin script. Until the second half of the 20th century, Hiligaynon was widely written largely following Spanish orthographic conventions. Nowadays there is no officially recognized standard orthography for the language and different writers may follow different conventions. It is common for the newer generation, however, to write the language based on the current orthographic rules of Filipino.

A noticeable feature of the Spanish-influenced orthography absent in those writing following Filipino's orthography is the use of "c" and "qu" in representing /k/ (now replaced with "k" in all instances) and the absence of the letter "w" ("u" was formerly used in certain instances).

The core alphabet consists of 20 letters used for expressing consonants and vowels in Hiligaynon, each of which comes in an uppercase and lowercase variety.

The 1st to 10th letters

Symbol	A a			B b	K k	D d	E e	G g	H h	I i		L l	M m
Name	a			ba	ka	da	e	ga	ha	i		la	ma
Pronunciation	[a/ə]	[aw]	[aj]	[b]	[k]	[d]	[ɛ/e]	[ɡ]	[h]	[ɪ/i]	[ɪo]	[l]	[m]
in context	a	aw/ao	ay	b	k	d	e	g	h	i	iw/io	l	m

The 11th to 20th letters

Symbol	N n	Ng ng	O o		P p	R r	S s		T t	U u		W w	Y y
Name	na	nga	o		pa	ra	sa		ta	u		wa	ya
Pronunciation	[n]	[ŋ]	[ɔ/o]	[oj]	[p]	[r]	[s]	[ʃʲ]	[t]	[ʊ/u]	[w]	[w]	[j]
in context	n	ng	o	oy	p	r	s	sy	t	u	ua	w	y

The apostrophe ⟨'⟩ and hyphen ⟨-⟩ also appear in Hiligaynon writing, and might be considered separate letters.

The hyphen, in particular, is used medially to indicate the glottal stop san-o 'when' gab-e 'evening; night'. It is also used in reduplicated words: adlaw-adlaw 'daily, every day', from adlaw 'day, sun'. This marking is not used in reduplicated words whose base is not also used independently, as in pispis 'bird'.

Hyphens are also used in words with successive sounds of /g/ and /ŋ/, to separate the letters with the digraph NG. Like in the word gin-gaan 'was given'; without the hyphen, it would be read as gingaan /gi.ŋaʔan/ as opposed to /gin.gaʔan/.

In addition, some English letters^[which?] may be used in borrowed words.

Hiligaynon has three types of case markers: absolutive, ergative, and oblique. These types in turn are divided into personal, that have to do with names of people, and impersonal, that deal with everything else, and further into singular and plural types, though the plural impersonal case markers are just the singular impersonal case markers + mga (a contracted spelling for /maŋa/), a particle used to denote plurality in Hiligaynon.^[15]

	Absolutive	Ergative	Oblique
singular impersonal	ang	sang, sing*	sa
plural impersonal	ang mga	sang mga, sing mga*	sa mga
singular personal	si	ni	kay
plural personal**	sanday	nanday	kanday

(*)The articles sing and sing mga means the following noun is indefinite, while sang tells of a definite noun, like the use of a in English as opposed to the; however, it is not as common in modern speech, being replaced by sang. It appears in conservative translations of the Bible into Hiligaynon and in traditional or formal speech.
(**)The plural personal case markers are not used very often and not even by all speakers. Again, this is an example of a case marker that has fallen largely into disuse, but is still occasionally used when speaking a more traditional form of Hiligaynon, using fewer Spanish loan words.^{[clarification needed]}

The case markers do not determine which noun is the subject and which is the object; rather, the affix of the verb determines this, though the ang-marked noun is always the topic.

Example

Ang lalaki nagkaon sang tinapay.	≈	Ang tinapay ginkaon sang lalaki.
'The man ate the bread'		'The bread was eaten by the man' (literal)

	Absolutive	Ergative₁ (Postposed)	Ergative₂ (Preposed)	Oblique
1st person singular	ako, ko	nakon, ko	akon	sa akon
2nd person singular	ikaw, ka	nimo, mo	imo	sa imo
3rd person singular	siya	niya	iya	sa iya
1st person plural inclusive	kita	naton, ta	aton	sa aton
1st person plural exclusive	kami	namon	amon	sa amon
2nd person plural	kamo	ninyo	inyo	sa inyo
3rd person plural	sila	nila	ila	sa ila

	Absolutive	Ergative/Oblique	Locative	Existential
Nearest to speaker ('this, here')	iní	siní	dirí	(y)ári
Near to addressee or closely removed from speaker and addressee ('that, there')	inâ	sinâ	dirâ	(y)arà
Remote ('yon, yonder')	ató	sadtó	didtó	(y)á(d)to

In addition to this, there are two verbal deictics, karí, meaning 'to come to the speaker', and kadto, meaning 'to go yonder'.

Hiligaynon lacks the marker of sentence inversion ay of Tagalog/Filipino or hay of Akeanon. Instead sentences in SV form (Filipino: Di karaniwang anyo) are written without any marker or copula.

Examples:

Si Sara ay maganda (Tagalog)

Si Sara matahum / Gwapa si Sara (Hiligaynon) = 'Sara is beautiful.'

'Sara is beautiful' (English)

There is no direct translation for the English copula to be in Hiligaynon. However, the prefixes mangin- and nangin- may be used to mean will be and became, respectively.

Example: Manamì mangín manggaránon.
'It is nice to become rich.'

The Spanish copula estar ('to be') has also become a part of the Hiligaynon lexicon. Its meaning and pronunciation have changed compared to its Spanish meaning, however. In Hiligaynon it is pronounced as istar and means 'to live (in)/location' (Compare with the Hiligaynon word puyô).

Example: Nagaistar ako sa tabuk suba.
'I live in tabuk suba'. Tabuk suba translates to 'other side of the river' and is also a barangay in Jaro, Iloilo.

To indicate the existence of an object, the word may is used.

Example:

When an adjective modifies a noun, the linker nga links the two.

Example:

Ido nga itom
'black dog'

Sometimes, if the linker is preceded by a word that ends in a vowel, glottal stop or the letter N, it becomes acceptable to contract it into -ng, as in Filipino. This is often used to make the words sound more poetic or to reduce the number of syllables. Sometimes the meaning may change as in maayo nga aga, '(the) good morning', and maayong aga, the greeting for 'good morning'.

The linker ka is used if a number modifies a noun.

Example:

Anum ka ido
'six dogs'

The interrogative pronouns of Hiligaynon are as follows: diin, san-o, sin-o, nga-a, kamusta, ano, and pila

Diin means 'where'.
Example: Diin ka na subong?
'Where are you now?'

A derivation of diin, tagadiin, is used to inquire the birthplace or hometown of the listener.
Example: Tagadiin ka?
'Where are you from?'

San-o means 'when'
Example: San-o inâ?
'When is that?'

Sin-o means 'who'
Example: Sin-o imo abyan?
'Who is your friend?'

Nga-a means 'why'
Example: Nga-a indi ka magkadto?
'Why won't you go?'

Kamusta means 'how', as in "How are you?"
Example: Kamusta ang tindahan?
'How is the store?'

Ano means 'what'
Example: Ano ang imo ginabasa?
'What are you reading?'

A derivative of ano, paano, means 'how', as in "How do I do that?"
Example: Paano ko makapulî?
'How can I get home?'

A derivative of paano is paanoano, an archaic phrase which can be compared with kamusta.
Example: Paanoano ikaw?
'How art thou?'

Pila means 'how much/how many'
Example: Pila ang gaupod sa imo?
'How many are with you?'

A derivative of pila, ikapila, asks the numerical order of the person, as in, "What place were you born in your family?"(first-born, second-born, etc.) This word is notoriously difficult to translate into English, as English has no equivalent.
Example: Ikapila ka sa inyo pamilya?
'What place were you born into your family?'

A derivative of pila, tagpila, asks the monetary value of something, as in, "How much is this beef?"
Example: Tagpila ini nga karne sang baka?
'How much is this beef?'

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2022)

As it is essential for sentence structure and meaning, focus is a key concept in Hiligaynon and other Philippine languages. In English, in order to emphasize a part of a sentence, variation in intonation is usually employed – the voice is stronger or louder on the part emphasized. For example:

1. The man is stealing rice from the market for his sister.
2. The man is stealing rice from the market for his sister.
3. The man is stealing rice from the market for his sister.
4. The man is stealing rice from the market for his sister.

Furthermore, active and passive grammatical constructions can be used in English to place focus on the actor or object as the subject:

The man stole the rice. vs. The rice was stolen by the man.

In contrast, sentence focus in Philippine languages is built into the construction by grammatical elements. Focus is marked by verbal affixes and a special particle prior to the noun in focus. Consider the following Hiligaynon translations of the above sentences:

1. Nagakawat ang lalaki sang bugas sa tinda para sa iya utod.
2. Ginakawat sang lalaki ang bugas sa tinda para sa iya utod.
3. Ginakawatan sang lalaki sang bugas ang tinda para sa iya utod.
4. Ginakawatan sang lalaki sang bugas sa tinda para sa iya utod.

(lalaki 'man'; kawat 'to steal'; bugas 'rice'; tinda 'market'; utod 'sibling'; kamot 'hand')^[16]

Trigger, Mode and Aspect Affixes for Hiligaynon^[17]

TRIGGER		ASPECT	MODE
			Neutral	Purposive	Durative	Causative	Distributive	Cooperative	Dubitative
Agent	Goal	Unreal	-on	pag—on	paga—on	pa—on	pang—on	pakig—on	iga—on
		Real	gin-	gin-	gina-	ginpa-	ginpang-	ginpakig-	ø
	Referent	Unreal	-an	pag—an	paga—an	pa—an	pang—an	pakig—an	iga—an
		Real	gin—an	gin—an	gina—an	ginpa—an	ginpang—an	ginpakig—an	ø
	Accessory	Unreal	i-	ipag-	ipaga-	ipa-	ipang-	ipakig-	iga-
		Real	gin-	gin-	gina-	ginpa-	ginpang-	ginpakig-	ø
	Actor	Unreal	-um-	mag-	maga-	ø	mang-	makig-	ø
		Real	-um-	nag-	naga-	ø	nang-	nakig-	ø
Patient	Actor	Unreal	maka-	makapag-	makapaga-	makapa-	makapang-	mapapakig-	ø
		Real	naka-	nakapag-	nakapaga-	nakapa-	nakapang-	napapakig-	ø
	Goal	Unreal	ma-	mapag-	mapaga-	mapa-	mapang-	mapakig-	ø
		Real	na-	napag-	napaga-	napa-	napang-	napakig-	ø

Hiligaynon, like other Philippine languages, employs reduplication, the repetition of a root or stem of a word or part of a word for grammatical or semantic purposes. Reduplication in Hiligaynon tends to be limited to roots instead of affixes, as the only inflectional or derivational morpheme that seems to reduplicate is -pa-. Root reduplication suggests 'non-perfectiveness' or 'non-telicity'. Used with nouns, reduplication of roots indicate particulars which are not fully actualized members of their class.^[18] Note the following examples.

Reduplication of verbal roots suggests a process lacking a focus or decisive goal. The following examples describe events which have no apparent end, in the sense of lacking purpose or completion. A lack of seriousness may also be implied. Similarly, reduplication can suggest a background process in the midst of a foreground activity, as shown in (5).^[19]

When used with adjectival roots, non-telicity may suggest a gradualness of the quality, such as the comparison in (6). In comparative constructions the final syllables of each occurrence of the reduplicated root are accented. If the stress of the second occurrence is shifted to the first syllable, then the reduplicated root suggests a superlative degree, as in (7). Superlatives can also be created through prefixation of pinaka- to the root, as in pinaka-dakô.^[20]

While non-telicity can suggest augmentation, as shown in (7), it can also indicate diminishment as in shown in (9), in contrast with (8) (note the stress contrast). In (8b), maàyoáyo, accented in the superlative pattern, suggests a trajectory of improvement that has not been fully achieved. In (9b), maàyoayó suggests a trajectory of decline when accented in the comparative pattern. The reduplicated áyo implies sub-optimal situations in both cases; full goodness/wellness is not achieved.^[21]

Hiligaynon has a large number of words derived from Spanish including nouns (e.g., santo from santo, 'saint'), adjectives (e.g., berde from verde, 'green'), prepositions (e.g., antes from antes, 'before'), and conjunctions (e.g., pero from pero, 'but').

Nouns denoting material items and abstract concepts invented or introduced during the early modern era include barko (barco, 'ship'), sapatos (zapatos, 'shoes'), kutsilyo (cuchillo, 'knife'), kutsara (cuchara, 'spoon'), tenedor ('fork'), plato ('plate'), kamiseta (camiseta, 'shirt'), and kambiyo (cambio, 'change', as in money). Spanish verbs are incorporated into Hiligaynon in their infinitive forms: edukar, kantar, mandar, pasar. The same holds true for other languages such as Cebuano. In contrast, incorporations of Spanish verbs into Tagalog for the most part resemble, though are not necessarily derived from, the vos forms in the imperative: eduká, kantá, mandá, pasá. Notable exceptions include andar, pasyal (from pasear) and sugal (from jugar).

Just like other Philippine languages that are influenced by Spanish, Hiligaynon uses 2 systems of numbers, one from its Austronesian roots and one derived from Spanish.

Number	Hiligaynon-Native	Hiligaynon-Spanish
1	isá	uno
2	duhá	dos
3	tátlo	tres
4	ápat	kuwatro
5	limá	singku
6	ánum	sais
7	pitó	syete
8	waló	otso
9	siyám	nwebe/nuybi
10	pulò/napulò	dyis
100	gatós	siyen/syento
1,000	líbo	mil
10,000	laksâ/isáng libo	dyis mil
1,000,000	hámbad/ramák	milyon
First	tig-una/panguná	primera
Second	ikaduhá	segunda
Third	ikatlo/ikatátlo	tersera
Fourth	ikap-at/ikaápat
Fifth	ikalimá
Sixth	ikán-um/ikaánum
Seventh	ikapitó
Eighth	ikawaló
Ninth	ikasiyám
Tenth	ikapulò

The names of the days of the week are derived from their Spanish equivalents.

Day	Native Names	Meaning	Castilian Derived
Sunday	Tigburukad	root word: bukad, 'open'; 'Starting Day'	Domingo
Monday	Dumasaon	root word: dason 'next'; 'Next Day'	Lunes
Tuesday	Dukot-dukot	literal meaning 'Busy Day'; 'Busiest Day'	Martes
Wednesday	Baylo-baylo	root word: baylo, 'exchange'; 'Barter' or 'Market Day'	Miyerkoles
Thursday	Danghos	literal meaning: 'rush'; 'Rushing of the Work Day'	Huwebes
Friday	Hingot-hingot	literal meaning: 'Completing of the Work Day'	Biyernes
Saturday	Ligid-ligid	root word: ligid, 'lay-down to rest'; 'Rest Day'	Sábado

Month	Native Name	Castilian Derived
January	Ulalong	Enero
February	Dagang Kahoy	Pebrero
March	Dagang Bulan	Marso
April	Kiling	Abril
May	Himabuyan	Mayo
June	Kabay	Hunyo
July	Hidapdapan	Hulyo
August	Lubad-lubad	Agosto
September	Kangurulsol	Setiyembre
October	Bagyo-bagyo	Oktubre
November	Panglot Diyutay	Nobiyembre
December	Panglot Dako	Disiyembre

English	Hiligaynon
Yes.	Húo.
No.	Indî.
Thank you.	Salamat.
Thank you very much!	Salamat gid. / Madamò gid nga salamat!
I'm sorry.	Patawaron mo ako. / Pasayloha 'ko. / Pasensyahon mo ako. / Pasensya na.
Help me!	Buligi (a)ko! / Tabangi (a)ko!
Delicious!	Namit!
Take care (Also used to signify goodbye)	Halong.
Are you angry/scared?	Akig/hadlok ka?
Do you feel happy/sad?	Nalipay/Nasubo-an ka?
I don't know/I didn't know	Ambot / Wala ko kabalo / Wala ko nabal-an
I don't care	Wa-ay ko labot!
That's wonderful/marvelous!	Námì-námì ba! / Nami ah!
I like this/that!	Nanámìan ko sini/sina!
I love you.	Palangga ta ka. / Ginahigugma ko ikaw.

English	Hiligaynon
Hello!	Kumusta/Maayong adlaw (lit. 'good day')
Good morning.	Maayong aga.
Good noon.	Maayong ugto/Maayong udto
Good afternoon.	Maayong hapon.
Good evening.	Maayong gab-i.
How are you?	Kamusta ka?/Kamusta ikaw?/Musta na? (informal)
I'm fine.	Maayo man.
I am fine, how about you?	Maayo man, ikaw ya?
How old are you?	Pila na ang edad (ni)mo? / Ano ang edad mo? / Pila ka tuig ka na?
I am 24 years old.	Beinte kwatro anyos na (a)ko./ Duha ka pulo kag apat ka tuig na (a)ko.
My name is...	Ang ngalan ko...
I am Erman.	Ako si Erman. / Si Erman ako.
What is your name?	Ano imo ngalan? / Ano ngalan (ni)mo?
Until next time.	Asta sa liwat.

English	Hiligaynon
What is this/that?	Ano (i)ni/(i)nâ?
This is a sheet of paper.	Isa ni ka panid sang papel. / Isa ka panid ka papel ini.
That is a book.	Libro (i)nâ.
What will you do?/What are you going to do?	Ano ang himu-on (ni)mo? / Ano ang buhaton (ni)mo? / Maano ka?
What are you doing?	Ano ang ginahimo (ni)mo? / Gaano ka?
My female friend	Ang akon babaye nga abyan/miga
My male friend	Ang akon lalake nga abyan/migo
My girlfriend/boyfriend	Ang akon nubya/nubyo

English	Hiligaynon
Where are you now?	Diin ka (na) subong?
Where shall we go?	Diin (ki)ta makadto?
Where are we going?	Diin (ki)ta pakadto?
Where are you going?	(Sa) diin ka makadto?
We shall go to Iloilo.	Makadto (ki)ta sa Iloilo.
We're going to Bacolod.	Makadto kami sa Bacolod.
I am going home.	Mapa-uli na ko (sa balay). / (Ma)puli na ko.
Where do you live?	Diin ka naga-istar? / Diin ka naga-puyô?
Where did you come from? (Where have you just been?)	Diin ka (nag)-halin?
Have you been here long?	Dugay ka na di(ri)?
(To the) left.	(Sa) wala.
(To the) right.	(Sa) tuo.
What time is it?	Ano('ng) takna na? / Ano('ng) oras na?
It's ten o'clock.	Alas diyes na.
What time is it now?	Ano ang oras subong? / Ano oras na?

Time	Name	Meaning
06:00 AM	Butlak Adlaw	Daybreak
10:00 AM	Tig-ilitlog or Tig-iritlog	Time for chickens to lay eggs
12:00 noon	Udto Adlaw or Ugto Adlaw	Noon time or midday
02:00 PM	Huyog Adlaw	Early afternoon
04:00 PM	Tigbarahog	Time for feeding the swine
06:00 PM	Sirom	Twilight
08:00 PM	Tingpanyapon or Tig-inyapon	Supper time
10:00 PM	Tigbaranig	Time to lay the banig or sleeping mat
11:00 PM	Unang Pamalò	First cockerel's crow
12:00 midnight	Tungang Gab-i	Midnight
02:00 AM	Ikaduhang Pamalò	Second cockerel's crow
04:00 AM	Ikatatlong Pamalò	Third cockerel's crow
05:00 AM	Tigbulugtaw or Tigburugtaw	Waking up time

English	Hiligaynon
May/Can I buy?	Pwede ko ma(g)-bakal?
How much is this/that?	Tag-pilá iní/inâ?
I'll buy the...	Baklon ko ang...
Is this expensive?	Mahal bala (i)ni?
Is that cheap?	Barato bala (i)na?

Amay namon, nga yara ka sa mga langit
Pagdayawon ang imo ngalan
Umabot sa amon ang imo ginharian
Matuman ang imo boot
Diri sa duta siling sang sa langit
Hatagan mo kami niyan sing kan-on namon
Sa matag-adlaw
Kag patawaron mo kami sa mga sala namon
Siling nga ginapatawad namon ang nakasala sa amon
Kag dili mo kami ipagpadaog sa mga panulay
Hinunuo luwason mo kami sa kalaot
Amen.

Literal translation as per photo:

1. Believe in God and worship only him
2. Do not use the name of God without purpose
3. Honor the day of the Lord
4. Honor your father and mother
5. Do not kill
6. Do not pretend to be married against virginity (don't commit adultery)
7. Do not steal
8. Do not lie
9. Do not have desire for the wife of your fellow man
10. Do not covet the riches of your fellow man

Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Ang Kalibutánon nga Pahayag sang mga Kinamaatárung sang Katáwhan)

Ang tanán nga táwo ginbún-ag nga hílway kag may pag-alalangay sa dungóg kag kinamatárong. Silá ginhatágan sing pagpamat-ud kag balatyágon kag nagakadápat nga magbinuligáy sa kahulugan sang pag-inuturáy.

Every person is born free and equal with honor and rights. They are given reason and conscience and they must always trust each other for the spirit of brotherhood.

• Peter Solis Nery (born 1969) – prolific writer, poet, playwright, novelist, editor, "Hari sang Binalaybay", and champion of the Hiligaynon language. Born in Dumangas.
• Antonio Ledesma Jayme (1854–1937) – lawyer, revolutionary, provincial governor and assemblyman. Born in Jaro, lived in Bacolod.
• Graciano López Jaena (1856–1896) – journalist, orator, and revolutionary from Iloilo, well known for his written works, La Solidaridad and Fray Botod. Born in Jaro.
• Flavio Zaragoza y Cano (1892–1994) – lawyer, journalist and the "Prince of Visayan poets". Born in Janipaan, Cabatuan.^[22]
• Conrado Saquian Norada (born 1921) – lawyer, intelligence officer and governor of Iloilo from 1969 to 1986. Co-founder and editor of Yuhum magazine. Born in Miag-ao.^[23]
• Ramon Muzones (1913–1992) – prolific writer and lawyer, recipient of the National Artist of the Philippines for Literature award. Born in Miag-ao.^[24]
• Magdalena Jalandoni (1891–1978) – prolific writer, novelist and feminist. Born in Jaro.^[25]
• Angel Magahum Sr. (1876–1931) – writer, editor and composer. Composed the classic Iloilo ang Banwa Ko, the unofficial song of Iloilo. Born in Molo.^[26]
• Valente Cristobal (1875–1945) – noted Hiligaynon playwright. Born in Polo (now Valenzuela City), Bulacan.^[27]
• Elizabeth Batiduan Navarro – Hiligaynon drama writer for radio programs of Bombo Radyo Philippines.
• Genevieve L. Asenjo – Filipino poet, novelist, translator and literary scholar in Kinaray-a, Hiligaynon and Filipino. Her first novel, Lumbay ng Dila, (C&E/DLSU, 2010) received a citation for the Juan C. Laya Prize for Excellence in Fiction in a Philippine Language in the National Book Award.

• Cebuano language
• Hiligaynon people
• Languages of the Philippines
• Kinaray-a language
• Capiznon language

• Omniglot on Hiligaynon writing
• Ilonggo Community & Discussion Board

Dictionaries

• Hiligaynon Dictionary
• Hiligaynon to English Dictionary Archived May 29, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
• English to Hiligaynon Dictionary Archived March 26, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
• Bansa.org Hiligaynon Dictionary Archived July 16, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
• Kaufmann's 1934 Hiligaynon dictionary on-line
• Diccionario de la lengua Bisaya Hiligueina y Haraya de la Isla de Panay (by Alonso de Méntrida, published in 1841)

Learning resources

• Some information about learning Ilonggo
• Hiligaynon Lessons (by Cecile L. Motus. 1971)
• Hiligaynon Reference Grammar (by Elmer Wolfenden 1971)

Writing system (Baybayin)

• Baybayin – The Ancient Script of the Philippines
• The evolution of the native Hiligaynon alphabet
• The evolution of the native Hiligaynon alphabet: Genocide
• The importance of the Hiligaynon 32-letter alphabet

Primary texts

• Online E-book of Ang panilit sa pagcasal ñga si D.ª Angela Dionicia: sa mercader ñga contragusto in Hiligaynon, published in Mandurriao, Iloilo (perhaps in the early 20th century)

Secondary Literature

• Language and Desire in Hiligaynon (by Corazón D. Villareal. 2006)
• Missionary Linguistics: selected papers from the First International Conference on Missionary Linguistics, Oslo, March 13–16th, 2003 (ed. by Otto Zwartjes and Even Hovdhaugen)