Learn Hardcore Filipino: Tuloy ka lang, kaibigan; naghihintay ang pamilya sa kusina. - Just come in, friend; the family is waiting in the kitchen.

Tuloy literally means “to continue/proceed.” As a set doorway invitation, Tuloy! or Tuloy ka lang means “Come in, go right ahead,” with lang softening it to “just go ahead/don’t hesitate.” Without lang, Tuloy ka is still fine but a bit more neutral.

Why ka and not kayo? How do I make this polite?

ka is the informal singular “you.” Use kayo for plural or respectful singular. To be polite, say Tuloy po kayo (with the polite particle po). For an elder/stranger, Tuloy po kayo is the default.

What is kaibigan doing here, and why the comma?

kaibigan (“friend”) is a form of address (vocative). In writing, a direct address is set off with a comma: Tuloy ka lang, kaibigan. You don’t use ang/si with vocatives. It’s gender‑neutral and friendly/formal; very casual speech might use pare, pre, tol, etc.

Why does it say Naghihintay ang pamilya sa kusina (verb first)? Can I start with the subject?

Tagalog commonly puts the verb first. Naghihintay is the predicate; ang pamilya is the subject/pivot; sa kusina marks location. You can also say:

Ang pamilya ay naghihintay sa kusina. (more formal/topic-fronted)
Sa kusina naghihintay ang pamilya. (emphasizes the location) Meaning stays the same; only emphasis/register shifts.

How is naghihintay formed, and what tense/aspect is it?

Root: hintay (“wait”). Actor-focus with mag-/nag-:

Present/progressive: naghihintay = nag-
- reduplicated first syllable (hi-) + root (hintay)
Future: maghihintay
Completed: naghintay Synonym: nag-aantay (from antay). Spelling note: we hyphenate nag-aantay because the vowel-initial root follows the prefix.

Does naghihintay need an object? How do I say “waiting for someone/something”?

It doesn’t require an object: Naghihintay ang pamilya (“The family is waiting”). To specify what they’re waiting for:

Actor-focus with a sa-phrase: Naghihintay ang pamilya sa bisita. (“…for the guest”)
Patient-focus if you want the waited-for item as the subject: Hinihintay ng pamilya ang bisita. Use ng with time amounts: Naghihintay sila ng isang oras.

Should it be sa kusina or nasa kusina?

With an action happening at a place, use sa: Naghihintay ang pamilya sa kusina.
To state pure location, use nasa: Nasa kusina ang pamilya.

Is the semicolon after kaibigan necessary? Could I use a period or at?

A semicolon cleanly links two related independent clauses. You can also write:

Tuloy ka lang, kaibigan. Naghihintay ang pamilya sa kusina.
Tuloy ka lang, kaibigan, at naghihintay ang pamilya sa kusina. All are acceptable; it’s stylistic.

Why is it Tuloy ka lang, not Tuloy lang ka?

Short pronouns like ka are clitics that usually come right after the first word of the predicate, and particles like lang follow them. Typical order: predicate + pronoun clitics + other particles. Hence Tuloy ka lang, Umupo ka muna, not Tuloy lang ka.

What does ang do in ang pamilya? Is it just “the”?

ang marks the subject/pivot noun phrase (often definite). It often corresponds to English “the” for subjects, but it’s a grammatical marker more than an article. For names, use si (Si Ana). For plural common nouns, ang mga (ang mga pamilya = the families).

If I mean “our family is waiting,” how do I say that?

Add a possessor:

Exclusive “our” (not including the listener): Naghihintay ang pamilya namin sa kusina.
Inclusive “our” (including the listener): Naghihintay ang pamilya natin sa kusina.

Can I say Pasok ka instead of Tuloy ka lang? Any nuance difference?

Yes:

Pasok ka (lang). Literally “Come in (enter),” very common at doorways.
Pumasok ka (na). Also “Come in,” slightly more formal/complete; na adds “now/already.”
Tuloy po kayo. Polite default. Tuloy feels like “go right on/come in,” while pasok/pumasok focus on the act of entering.

What’s the nuance of lang, and how is it different from lamang or na lang?

lang = “just/only/simply,” very common and casual. Tuloy ka lang sounds warm and encouraging.
lamang = more formal/literary counterpart. Tuloy ka lamang sounds formal.
na lang often adds a “might as well/just (as a choice)” sense: Tuloy ka na lang = “You might as well come in.”

Can I move sa kusina to the front?

Yes, to emphasize the place: Sa kusina naghihintay ang pamilya. Same meaning, different emphasis.

How would I say the whole sentence politely to an elder or stranger?

For example: Tuloy po kayo; naghihintay po ang pamilya sa kusina. The polite particle po typically follows the first word of the predicate.

What is the structure of kaibigan?

It comes from ibig (“to love/like”) with the circumfix ka-…-an, which often forms relational nouns. Literally “a person with whom there is affection” → “friend.”