Mataas ang bundok.

Because Filipino often puts the predicate first.

In Mataas ang bundok, the word mataas is the predicate, and ang bundok is the topic of the sentence. So the structure is closer to:

High is the mountain.

That sounds unusual in English, but it is a very normal pattern in Filipino.

A more English-like order is also possible:

Ang bundok ay mataas.

This means the same thing, but Mataas ang bundok is very natural and common.

Ang is a marker that points to the noun phrase being talked about as the topic of the sentence.

In Mataas ang bundok, ang bundok is the thing being described.

A native English speaker might want to translate ang as the, but that is not always correct. Sometimes it can feel like the, but its real job is grammatical, not just definiteness.

So here:

• mataas = high / tall
• ang bundok = the mountain / the mountain being talked about

No. Filipino often leaves out the verb to be in simple descriptive sentences.

So:

Mataas ang bundok.
literally works like High the mountain.

But in natural English, we translate it as:

The mountain is high.

This is completely normal in Filipino. You do not need a separate word for is here.

Because mataas is not directly modifying bundok here. It is acting as the predicate of the whole sentence.

Compare these:

• Mataas ang bundok. = The mountain is high.
• mataas na bundok = a high mountain

In mataas na bundok, the adjective directly describes the noun, so you need the linker na.

In Mataas ang bundok, the sentence is structured as a full statement, so no linker is used between mataas and bundok.

Bundok is the noun meaning mountain.

In this sentence, bundok is part of the phrase ang bundok, which is the topic being described.

So the sentence is saying something about the mountain:

Mataas → the description
ang bundok → the thing being described

It can mean either tall or high, depending on what is being described.

For example:

• mataas na tao = a tall person
• mataas na gusali = a tall building
• mataas na bundok = a high mountain

With bundok, English usually prefers high:

Mataas ang bundok. = The mountain is high.

But the core idea is height.

Grammatically, yes, because mataas covers the idea of vertical height. But in natural English, high sounds better for mountains.

So the usual translation is:

The mountain is high.

English tends to use:

• tall for people, trees, buildings
• high for mountains, walls, prices, temperatures, etc.

Filipino mataas can cover both ideas.

The meaning is basically the same.

• Mataas ang bundok.
• Ang bundok ay mataas.

Both mean The mountain is high.

The difference is mainly in structure and style:

• Mataas ang bundok is a very common predicate-first pattern.
• Ang bundok ay mataas uses ay and puts the topic first.

Learners often notice ay because it feels closer to English word order, but everyday Filipino often uses the predicate-first version without ay.

It can depend on context.

Ang bundok often feels like the mountain or the mountain being referred to, but Filipino articles do not match English articles exactly.

So depending on context, it might be understood as:

• the mountain
• that mountain
• sometimes a generic mountain in a broader sense

In beginner translations, the mountain is the most natural choice.

You would make bundok plural with mga:

Mataas ang mga bundok.

That means:

The mountains are high.

Important point:

• bundok = mountain
• mga bundok = mountains

The adjective mataas does not change for plural.

The pattern is:

Predicate + ang + topic

So in this sentence:

• Mataas = predicate adjective
• ang bundok = topic noun phrase

This pattern is extremely common in Filipino, especially for simple descriptive sentences.

Other examples with the same pattern:

• Maganda ang bahay. = The house is beautiful.
• Malamig ang tubig. = The water is cold.
• Mabait ang bata. = The child is kind.

So Mataas ang bundok is a very useful model sentence for learning Filipino structure.