Mataas ang kisame.

Filipino often allows the predicate to come first. In Mataas ang kisame, mataas (high / tall) is the predicate, and ang kisame is the topic.

So the structure is closer to:

High the ceiling.

In more natural English, that becomes The ceiling is high.

A more English-like Filipino order is also possible:

Ang kisame ay mataas.

That means the same thing, but Mataas ang kisame is very common and natural.

Ang is a very important marker in Filipino. In this sentence, it marks kisame as the topic or focused noun.

So in Mataas ang kisame:

• mataas = high
• ang kisame = the ceiling / the ceiling as the topic

In many beginner translations, ang often looks like the, but it is not exactly the same as English the. Its main job is grammatical marking, not just definiteness.

No separate word for is is needed here.

Filipino often makes sentences without an equivalent of the English verb to be in the present tense. So:

• Mataas ang kisame = The ceiling is high

There is no extra word for is because the sentence is already complete without it.

Mataas is an adjective meaning high or tall, depending on context.

Here it describes kisame (ceiling), so high is the natural translation.

You may also notice that mataas comes from the root taas, which has to do with height or elevation.

Taas is the root word. Mataas is the adjectival form meaning high / tall.

A very rough way to think about it is:

• taas = height / upwardness / to raise in some contexts
• mataas = high / tall

So if you want to describe something as high, mataas is the correct form.

Kisame means ceiling.

It refers to the overhead interior surface of a room. In this sentence, it is the thing being described as high.

Yes. Ang kisame ay mataas is correct and means the same thing.

Compare:

• Mataas ang kisame
• Ang kisame ay mataas

Both mean The ceiling is high.

The first one is a common predicate-first structure.
The second one feels a little closer to English word order because the topic comes first and is followed by ay.

Ay is a linker used in sentences where the topic is placed first.

So:

• Mataas ang kisame = predicate first
• Ang kisame ay mataas = topic first, linked by ay

It does not exactly mean is, even though it may look that way in translation. It is better to think of it as a marker that helps connect the fronted topic to the predicate.

By default, kisame here is understood as singular: the ceiling.

Filipino nouns usually do not change form for plural the way English nouns often do. If you wanted to make it clearly plural, you would usually add a plural marker such as mga:

• ang kisame = the ceiling
• ang mga kisame = the ceilings

No. Filipino adjectives do not change form to agree with the noun in gender or number.

So mataas stays mataas whether the noun is singular or plural.

For example:

• Mataas ang kisame = The ceiling is high
• Mataas ang mga kisame = The ceilings are high

The adjective stays the same.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation is:

mah-ta-AS ang kee-SAH-meh

A few helpful notes:

• mataas has a break between the vowels: ma-ta-as
• ng in ang is pronounced as the ng sound in sing
• kisame is commonly pronounced with clear vowels: ki-sa-me

As usual in Filipino, vowels are generally pronounced clearly and consistently.

Not naturally in English. Although mataas can mean high or tall, the best translation depends on the noun.

With kisame (ceiling), English normally says:

• The ceiling is high

With a person or a building, mataas might be translated as tall or high, depending on context.

So the word is flexible, but the English translation should sound natural for the thing being described.