These short list of pleasantries can help:
Kumusta ka? = How are you? (As discussed in the previous lesson, aside from asking the state of someone’s well-being, it can also be used to say “Hi” or “Hello.”)
Polite Form: Kumusta po kayo?
Mabuti naman ako. = “I am fine” / “I’m doing good.” (“Mabuti naman” can also mean “That’s good to hear”)
Polite Form: Mabuti naman po ako.
Ikaw? = How about you? (Usually said right after “Mabuti naman ako”)
Polite Form: Kayo po?
Ang tagal nating hindi nagkita. = We haven’t seen each other for so long. / It’s been a while.
Polite Form: Ang tagal po nating hindi nagkita.
Natutuwa akong makita ka ulit. = I’m glad to see you again / It’s nice to see you again.
Polite Form: Natutuwa po akong makita kayo ulit
Ako din! = Me too! / Same here!
Polite Form: Ako din po.
Gumaganda/Gumaguwapo ka yata. = You seem to be getting lovelier/more handsome. (You can also add an extra “ngayon” right after “yata” to say “You seem to be getting lovelier/more handsome now/lately).
Polite Form: Gumaganda/gumaguwapo po yata kayo.
Na-miss kita. = I missed you. (There is no exact Tagalog counterpart for this English sentence, so we use Taglish (a combination of Tagalog and English words) instead. Variants of this include: Miss na kita which means “I already miss you,” Nami-miss kita which means “I am missing you” or “I have been missing you” and Mami-miss kita which means “I will miss you.”
Polite Forms: Na-miss ko po kayo / Miss ko na po kayo / Nami-miss ko po kayo / Mami-miss ko po kayo
Mag-ingat ka! / Ingat ka! = Take care!
Polite Form: Mag-ingat po kayo or Ingat po kayo.
Paalam! = Goodbye! People rarely use this, though — usually opting for a simple “bye” or “babay” (bye-bye) instead.
Polite Form: Paalam po.
Ikumusta mo na lang ako sa kanila. = Just give my regards to them.
Polite Form: Ikumusta ninyo na lang po ako sa kanila.
Paki-kumusta mo na lang ako sa kanila/Paki-kumusta mo na lang sila para sa akin. = Please say hi to them for me.
Polite Form: Paki-kumusta ninyo na lang po ako sa kanila/ Paki-kumusta ninyo na lang po sila para sa akin.
Hanggang sa muli! = Until next time! (Usually used to imply that you will meet again in the future.)
Polite Form: Hanggang sa muli po!
