When was the first time you came across the word? If someone says this to you, don’t panic. You have just been greeted and you can simply say ‘Hi’ to the person.
Your choice of response is up to you, as long as you are greeting the person back. You could say ‘Good morning’ or ‘Afternoon’.
This word, however, is not only a greeting word. It has another basic meaning among the Filipinos. We will discuss the meanings of this word, how it is used in conversations, and how you can respond to it, depending on how the word has been said to you.
Mahubay Meaning
Mabuhay is a Filipino word which translates to ‘Long live’ in Spanish. Below are the different ways in which Mahubay can be used;
- To wish a person long life
- To say congratulations; Cheers.
- To get a person’s attention.
- To welcome a person to a place.
- To say goodbye.
A Filipino word is used in the five ways listed above. It can be used in its literal meaning which is to wish a person a long life. It can be said during a celebratory moment.
In this case, it would mean the same as the English word, ‘Cheers’. It can be used to get a person’s attention, just like ‘Hi’ and ‘Hello’. It can be used to welcome a person. It may also be said when departing from a person.
20 Ways To Respond To “Mabuhay”
- Hello
- You are welcome.
- Long life, brother.
- Mabuhay.
- Aloha
- Ciao!
- Have a great day.
- See you later, man.
- Cheers
- Wish you the same.
- Thank you.
- Good day
- Long live the king!
- Bye.
- How have you been?
- Hurray
- Good luck.
- See you around
- Greetings
- Break a leg
Hello
We all know ‘Hello’ and use it everyday. We say it to people we see physically, use it during phone calls, and even type it in text messages.
It is a word used to get a person’s attention. In this case, It is not being used to get attention. Rather, it is used to confirm that a person who has tried to get your attention now has it.
When a person says Mabuhay to get your attention, you can say ‘Hello’ to show that you acknowledge the person too.
You are welcome.
When a person walks into your home or a place you are already in, he or she can greet you saying ‘Mabuhay’. In this context, it has been used in place of ‘Hello’.
Instead of responding with ‘Hello’, you can respond saying ‘You are welcome’. This response is more suitable than Hello if you both are there for the same purpose
Long life, brother.
When a person wishes you good luck, you can respond by wishing him or her good luck back. The same applies in this case. Since a person has wished you long life, you can wish the person a long life in response.
‘Mabuhay’ literally means ‘Long live’ so this will feel like saying ‘Mabuhay’ as a response to ‘Mabuhay’ which is not incorrect.
Mabuhay.
‘Mabuhay’ can be a good response to ‘Mabuhay’ for several reasons. The word can replace ‘Hello’ and we all know ‘Hello’ can respond to ‘Hello’. We have all said ‘Hello’ in response to ‘Hello’. In the same way, ‘Mabuhay’ can be a response to itself.
‘Mabuhay’ may also be used to mean ‘Cheers’ when you are celebrating. Since ‘Cheers’ can also respond to itself, ‘Mabuhay’ can do the same. This is the second reason.
The third scenario is when ‘Mabuhay’ has been used to wish a person long life, you can wish the person a long life too. You can choose to say that in English or you can just say ‘Mabuhay’.
Aloha
Aloha is an Hawaiian word but it doesn’t end in Hawaii which is why many of us may have heard it in use once or twice.
The word is a greeting word for welcoming people and for parting with people. When a person says ‘Mabuhay’ in welcoming you, you can respond with Aloha.
When ‘Mabuhay’ is said to you while parting, ‘Aloha’ will also respond perfectly to it.
Ciao!
Ciao is existent in about three languages but may be used virtually everywhere around the world. This word is similar to ‘Aloha’. It can be used for greeting people whether during arrival or departure.
When you are greeted with ‘Mabuhay’, irrespective of whether you are parting ways or just meeting, you can simply respond by saying Ciao! If ‘Mabuhay’ has been used to simply get your attention also, you can say Ciao in response.
Have a great day.
This sentence is what you say when you are parting ways with a person. When a person says Goodbye, there is no special response except saying a parting word. The same applies to ‘Mabuhay’ since the two words mean the same.
When a person says ‘Mabuhay’ while walking away, you can say ‘Have a great day’ and go your way.
See you later, man.
This is another parting word you can say when a person says ‘Goodbye’ or ‘Mabuhay’ to you. Just as this can serve as a response when someone says ‘Mabuhay’, a person can say ‘Mabuhay’ as a response to this phrase.
Cheers
‘Cheers’ is a greeting word just like some of the responses suggested earlier. However, it is mostly used when people are celebrating something. We can say this in place of ‘Thank you’. People can also say this when they are having a nice conversation with one another.
‘Mabuhay’ can be used in moments of celebration too. In this case, you can say Cheers in response. Cheers can also be your way of saying thank you when a person wishes you long life by saying ‘Mabuhay’.
Wish you the same.
One of the best ways to respond to good wishes is to show appreciation for them and wish the person back.
Asides from gaining attention and greeting people, ‘Mabuhay’ can be used to wish a person long life. You can respond to this by wishing the person the same. You can also just say ‘Mabuhay’ back to the person.
Thank you.
As mentioned earlier, showing appreciation may just be the best way to respond to good wishes.
Mabuhay is used to wish a person long life. When a person says this to you, he or she has said a prayer of long life for you, you can respond by saying ‘Thank you’.
Good day
This is another nice response which you can use for both starting a conversation and ending a conversation. It functions as both a greeting expression and a parting expression. In addition, it is very formal. Instead of saying ‘Morning’ or ‘afternoon’, you can say this at any time of day.
‘Mabuhay’ also comes at any time of day so you can always say ‘Good day’ back unless the word has been used to mean something else.
Long live the king!
Mabuhay means ‘Long live’, as mentioned earlier. You can get this wish of long life from your friends and you can respond by saying ‘Long live the king!’
This can also be your response in a moment of celebration.
Bye.
When ‘Mabuhay’ is said during departure, you don’t need a special response that fits for this word alone. Parting expressions do not need to be responded to in special ways unless they come in form of questions or requests.
You can respond by simply saying ‘Bye’ which is a parting expression on its own.
How have you been?
This question is used for greeting people so you can say this in response to all greeting expressions, including ‘Mabuhay’.
However, you only say this when starting conversations or during arrival. When ‘Mabuhay’ is used as a parting word, then this question would be incorrect, unexpected, and probably left unanswered.
Hurray
This is an exclamation often used during celebrations. When a person says ‘Mabuhay’, there may be a celebration going on or just a happy moment. In response to ‘Mabuhay’ in that context, you can say ‘Hurray!’
Good luck.
‘Good luck’ works in two ways and it may just be the perfect response for ‘Mabuhay’ when the word is used during departure. ‘Good luck’ can be used to wish a person luck. It can also be used to say goodbye.
‘Mabuhay’ says goodbye and equally wishes a person long life. ‘Good luck’ will be the perfect response, answering the parting expression and giving good wishes back.
See you around
‘See you around’ is what you say when you are parting with a friend. You can respond to ‘Mabuhay’ with this if the word is used to say goodbye to you
Greetings
Saying ‘greetings’ is another way of welcoming a person or greeting people when you arrive at a place. While you can be greeted with ‘Mabuhay’, you can also respond by saying ‘Greetings’
Break a leg
This idiom is used to wish a person success, despite how negative it literally seems. This response also works in two ways. You should only say this when you are parting with someone.
When a person says ‘Mabuhay’ while you are departing, you can interpret it as both ‘Goodbye’ and ‘Long life’, then you can respond with a good wish. Good wishes work fine as parting words.