Tama ang salita.

Because this is a very common Filipino sentence pattern: the predicate comes first.

In Tama ang salita, the structure is:

• tama = the predicate (correct / right)
• ang salita = the topic or noun being talked about (the word)

So the sentence literally follows a pattern closer to:

• Correct the word

  but the natural English meaning is:

• The word is correct.

This predicate-first order is very normal in Filipino, especially in simple descriptive sentences.

Ang is a marker for the noun phrase that is the topic of the sentence.

In Tama ang salita:

• ang salita = the word / the speech / the language, depending on context

A native English speaker may want to think of ang as something like the, but that is only partly true. It does not work exactly like English the. Its main job is grammatical: it marks the noun phrase that the sentence is centered on.

So here, ang tells you that salita is the thing being described as tama.

Filipino often leaves out the verb to be in simple sentences like this.

So where English says:

• The word is correct

Filipino can simply say:

• Tama ang salita

This is normal and complete. You do not need a separate word for is here.

Yes. Ang salita ay tama is also correct.

It has the same basic meaning as Tama ang salita, but the feel is a little different:

• Tama ang salita = very natural, common predicate-first pattern
• Ang salita ay tama = also correct, sometimes more formal, more explicit, or more bookish

So both are grammatical, but Tama ang salita is often the more everyday style.

Salita can mean several related things depending on context, such as:

• word
• speech
• utterance
• sometimes something related to language in a broader sense

So if you already know the intended meaning in your lesson, use that meaning. But it is good to know that salita is a flexible word and does not always mean only one isolated English word.

Without context, learners should be careful not to assume it has just one fixed translation.

By itself, salita is usually understood as singular or as a general unmarked noun.

If you want to clearly say words, you usually add mga:

• ang salita = the word
• ang mga salita = the words

So:

• Tama ang salita = The word is correct.
• Tama ang mga salita = The words are correct.

Here, tama functions as a descriptive predicate, similar to an adjective in English.

It expresses a quality:

• tama = correct / right

In other contexts, tama can have other meanings, such as to hit or a hit/strike, depending on grammar and context. But in Tama ang salita, it clearly means correct/right.

For a beginner, it is often helpful to think of ang salita as the subject-like part of the sentence, because in English it matches the thing being described: the word.

However, in Filipino grammar, many teachers prefer terms like:

• topic
• focus
• ang-marked noun phrase

So if you call it the subject in beginner-level study, that can be useful, but it is not always a perfect one-to-one match with English grammar.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• TA-ma ang sa-LI-ta

Notes:

• tama = TA-ma
• ang is pronounced roughly like ahng with an ng sound as in sing
• salita = sa-LI-ta

The stress is usually:

• TAma
• saLIta

So a smooth reading would be:

• TA-ma ahng sa-LI-ta

No. Tama has more than one meaning depending on context.

Common meanings include:

• correct / right
• to hit
• a hit / impact

For example, in a sentence like Tama ang sagot, it means correct.
But in another context, tama could refer to hitting something.

So learners should always check the sentence structure and context.

Yes, potentially.

Because salita can refer to word, speech, or an utterance, the exact English translation depends on context.

So Tama ang salita might be understood as:

• The word is correct
• The statement is correct
• What was said is correct

Your lesson may choose one translation, but in real usage, context decides the best English wording.

A common way is to use hindi:

• Hindi tama ang salita.

This means:

• The word is not correct.

You may also hear:

• Mali ang salita. = The word is wrong.

So:

• hindi tama = not correct
• mali = wrong / incorrect

Both are useful, though mali is often the more direct opposite.

Yes. This pattern is very productive.

Examples:

• Tama ang sagot. = The answer is correct.
• Tama ang sinabi niya. = What he/she said is correct.
• Tama ang pangalan. = The name is correct.

So the pattern is:

• [predicate] + ang + [noun/topic]

In your sentence:

• tama
  • ang salita

That makes it a good model sentence for building many others.