The Filipino School of New York & New Jersey is opening enrollment for a five-week Beginner 1 Filipino language course designed to help adult learners speak Filipino from day one and build a solid foundation in the national language.
The online program runs Thursdays from July 9 to August 6, with classes meeting once a week from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The course features authentic situational exercises that introduce students to everyday Filipino, including basic grammar rules, verbs and commonly used vocabulary for travel, family gatherings and social interactions.
Organizers say the class is ideal for those planning a trip to the Philippines or anyone wanting to brush up on their Filipino in a structured, supportive environment. Open to Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike, the course also integrates discussions on Philippine history, culture and business practices to give learners broader context for the language.
Students will learn to understand and use familiar everyday expressions, introduce themselves and others, and ask and answer simple questions about where they live, people they know and things they possess. By the end of the session, participants are expected to hold basic conversations and interact with Filipino speakers at a beginner level.
The class will be taught by Noel Pangilinan, who teaches Filipino, Philippine history and literature at the University of Mount Saint Vincent. Pangilinan has also taught Filipino language, Filipino American literature and journalism at Rutgers University, CUNY–Hunter College and Seton Hall University. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in Philippine Studies from the University of the Philippines, where he previously taught journalism and Philippine Studies.
Tuition for the five-week course is $300 per person, plus a $25 registration fee to cover administrative costs, for a total of $325. Enrollment is limited to 12 students and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Payment options include check, Venmo and Google Pay, with organizers advising students not to select the “goods or services” option in Venmo to avoid additional fees.
Required reading includes “Tagalog for Beginners” by Joi Barrios, which must be purchased before classes begin. Additional reference materials and handouts will be provided by the instructor.
The Filipino School of New York & New Jersey, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2008, promotes the learning of Philippine languages, arts, history and cultural traditions for children and adults.
Founder and school director Venessa Manzano has been widely recognized for her work in preserving Filipino heritage in the diaspora. In 2011, she was honored at Carnegie Hall in New York as one of the pioneer awardees of The Outstanding Filipino Americans (TOFA), underscoring the school’s role as a community-built institution now offering programs like the Beginner 1 Filipino course to new generations of learners.
