The term “wdym” is a Tagalog acronym that stands for “What do you mean?” It is used as a question to ask someone what they meant when they said something that was not clear. The phrase can also be used as a response to clarify what someone else has said. The more common term for this phrase is “anong ibig mong sabihin?” or “ano ba iyon?”
The acronym “wdym” is also used in other languages such as English. One common use of the term outside of Tagalog, however, is to express disbelief or sarcasm. Sometimes it can be used for this purpose in Tagalog as well. For example:
- Salamat po wdym – Thank you so much
- Ito ang wdym mo: – Here is what you meant
- Ano ba iyon? Wala ka pa rin dun. – What’s that? You’re still not there.
However, the use of “wdym” as sarcasm or disbelief can also take on different forms such as inserting it into a sentence in a way that changes the meaning of what was said. One example would be:
- Pasok ka na lang, ika’y wala ng kasama. – Come inside, [I] don’t have anyone to go with.
- Pasok mo na lang, ika’y wala ng kasama. – You should go inside, [you’re] all alone anyway.
Another common use of the term wdy m outside of Tagalog is in the phrase “what do you mean by that?”. This usage can also be found in Tagalog but it is not as common. Instead, questions are asked about what was meant by a certain term or action such as:
- Sino ba yan? – Who is that? (What do you mean by that?)
- Parang ang hirap makita ng konti. – It seems hard to see a little bit. (What do you mean by “see”?)
- Ngumiti ka ba? – Are you smiling? (What do you mean by “smiling”?)
However, these types of questions can be asked without using the term “wdym”. Instead, the question is posed as a statement and then an explanation follows. For example:
- Sino ba yan? Parang ang hirap makita ng konti. – Who is that? It seems hard to see a little bit.
- Ngumiti ka ba? Ngumiti na nga diba. – Are you smiling? You’re already smiling, aren’t you?
So as can be seen from the examples above, “wdym” is not only used as an acronym but can also be used as a rhetorical question sometimes to express disbelief or sarcasm, and the term itself has several meanings.
