Learn Hardcore Filipino: Minsan alas otso kami umaalis, pero tapos pa rin kami bago tanghali. - Sometimes we leave at eight o'clock, but we are still finished before noon.

Tagalog generally puts the predicate first. Here, the time expression alas otso is fronted as the predicate: “At eight o’clock, we leave.” Within the clause, both umaalis kami and kami umaalis are heard.

Umaalis kami is the neutral, most common order.
Kami umaalis is colloquial and can put a bit of emphasis on kami (“we” as opposed to someone else). All together, Minsan alas otso kami umaalis sounds natural and conversational.

What does kami tell me about “we”? Why not tayo?

Kami is “we” excluding the listener (we, not including you). Tayo is “we” including the listener. Because the sentence describes a routine of some group that doesn’t include the person being spoken to, kami is correct.

What aspect is umaalis and what would the other forms be?

Root: alis (“to leave”). This is an -um- (actor-focus) verb.

Completed (perfective): umalis = left
Incomplete/ongoing or habitual (imperfective): umaalis = is leaving / leaves (habitually)
Contemplated (future): aalis = will leave With Minsan (“sometimes”), the habitual reading of umaalis fits best.

Could I say Minsan, umaalis kami ng alas otso instead? Is that better?

Yes, that is perfectly natural: Minsan, umaalis kami ng alas otso. Using ng before the time is common, and placing the verb first (umaalis kami) is the default order. Your original sentence is fine, just a bit more colloquial in structure.

Why alas otso? Do I need a preposition like sa or ng?

Clock times are commonly expressed with alas + number (from Spanish), and they can appear bare after adverbs or as fronted time phrases: alas otso. You will also hear:

sa alas otso (“at eight o’clock”) — acceptable, often with future or scheduled actions.
ng alas otso — very common as a time complement after the verb. All three are widely used. Your sentence uses the bare time as a fronted predicate, which is idiomatic.

Is otso the only correct form, or can I say ocho?

In contemporary Filipino/Tagalog, otso is standard. ocho is the older Spanish form and may be heard, but otso is the usual Filipino form: alas otso.

Do I need to specify ng umaga (“in the morning”) after alas otso?

Not strictly. You can add it for clarity: alas otso ng umaga or alas otso ng gabi. In this sentence, bago tanghali already implies a morning context, so it’s understandable without ng umaga.

What exactly does pero contribute here? Could I use kahit (na) instead?

Pero means “but/however” and contrasts the late departure with still finishing early. You could use kahit (na) (“even though/although”) to fold the contrast into one clause:

Kahit minsan alas otso kami umaalis, tapos pa rin kami bago tanghali. Both are natural; pero keeps the structure simpler and very conversational.

What does pa rin mean, and why rin and not din?

Pa rin means “still/nevertheless” (continuation or persistence despite something). The form rin/din alternates by sound:

Use rin after a vowel or after w/y.
Use din after most consonants. Since tapos ends in a vowel sound, pa rin is the expected choice. Meaning-wise, pa rin here is “still/anyway,” not “again.”

Is tapos pa rin kami the best way to say “we still finish”? What about natatapos or tapos na?

Tapos pa rin kami is common colloquial speech. Tapos functions as a stative predicate “finished/done,” so it means “we still end up finished.”
A more explicitly verbal option is natatapos pa rin kami (“we still get finished/are still able to finish,” habitual/ongoing).
Tapos na kami means “we are already finished,” which doesn’t express the contrast by itself unless you add context or pa rin plus a time adverbial. Any of these are acceptable; for learner clarity, natatapos pa rin kami bago (mag)tanghali is very clear and idiomatic.

Should it be bago tanghali or bago magtanghali? What’s the difference?

Both are correct:

bago tanghali = “before noon” (elliptical, very common in speech).
bago magtanghali literally “before it becomes noon,” also very idiomatic and often preferred in careful speech. You can also say bago ang tanghali, which is grammatical but less common in casual conversation.

Where should pa rin go? Why not tapos kami pa rin?

Clitics like pa and rin/din typically attach right after the first element of the predicate. Here, the predicate head is tapos, so the natural order is tapos pa rin kami. Tapos kami pa rin sounds off because it splits the clitic from the predicate head.

Is a comma after Minsan required?

Optional. A comma after an initial adverb like Minsan is common in writing: Minsan, … In casual writing and speech, it’s often omitted. Either way is fine.

Can you give a couple of equally natural rewrites of the whole sentence?

Minsan, umaalis kami ng alas otso, pero natatapos pa rin kami bago magtanghali.
Minsan alas otso kami umaalis, pero tapos pa rin kami bago mag-alas dose.
Paminsan-minsan, umaalis kami nang alas otso, pero tapos pa rin kami bago tanghali. All convey the same idea with slightly different style choices.

Does Minsan have alternatives, and can I move it around?

Yes. Alternatives: Paminsan-minsan (“once in a while”), Kung minsan (“sometimes”). Placement is flexible:

Minsan, umaalis kami…
Umaalis kami minsan… Fronting it is common to set the time/frequency as the topic of the sentence.