I stopped trying when I bought a book entitled "The Twenty Main Verbs in Tagalog" It was an inch thick - for twenty verbs!
Like I mentioned before, If I'm honest I haven't really gotten along the language learning curve as much as I'd hoped. My wife insists on only teaching me Tagalog, but everyone here in Davao speaks Bisaya. When you visit Philippines on a holiday there's really no need to learn anything about language simply because everyone you're with takes care of that part leaving you free to make the most of every experience and get the best out of your holiday. Now that I'm living here, whenever I go off exploring I'm trying to communicate as best I can in Bisaya and it really happens that you can truly engage with people by doing that. I've found they drop all defenses and will open up. Yes, there are jokes, giggles and laughter especially about my often poor pronunciation but that's always followed with really helpful stuff and a happy relaxed atmosphere. I've always maintained that if you try communicating in the local language there's generally a positive response and it's so true here in the Philippines. Whenever I go to the local market there's always smiles, teasing and plenty of laughter. Whether real or not I feel like I making connections. The more I try to communicate in Bisaya, the more I seem to become accepted. It gives me more and more confidence whenever I'm out and about on my own. I may need to buckle-down and focus more on learning the language instead of just pleasure seeking. That's why I plan to attend some formal classes soon.
I am in a difficult position here as I could give you all a link to my friend's Tagalog learning site and short course, I have not yet taken his course but I should. He teaches how to get by based on his 8 years experience of the place, he also has a wife and children there, he's not teaching proper grammar or the likes, he is teaching as a daily working business person who has to deal with local Filipino's. I know he gained a great deal of respect from the Filipino lads and lassies who worked in the company that employed him for many years before he set out on his own path, simply from making a point of learning to commuicate. Sadly as an admin of this site I can't go around recommending my pal's services, I wish I could he is a good young British bloke who has been working over there for a long long time.
Sean mentioned in the rules :- " rusted Members can include links to other websites (that they might own) within their signatures for advertising purposes. "
Rusted Members? that's you that is! You have to learn the technique of advertising "subliminally"..Like I do!
I know that feeling as my wife is from bayugan as I can not talk tagalog or bisya so everything I have to say is always in English and when my wifes mother talk to me its in bisya but some how we manage to get comman ground to tell each other what we want so I really need to learn
I have rosetta stone but been very lazy in using it, though it seems good. One of the issues is whenever the sister or mother in law are around, they speak Bicol, which is quite different. The wife wants me to learn Bicol, but I'd prefer to learn Tagalog.
Its the pronunciation that buggers me up. It usually ends up with my girl in fits of laughter at my attempts. Another pastime in family get togethers is get the Western Man to say things n Tag. Howls of laughter guaranteed.
Rosetta Stone was one of the first language learning software companies on the scene that still exists today. Even 20 years ago it was acknowledged as one of the best.
Cerveza Negra...made by San Mig in the Philippines. Much better than a bottle of SMB or that excuse for a beer san mig lite.