@wlf_warren It depends. I mean, as a Xennial Filipino, I came from an era wherein we still used levels of honorifics or respect other than "po" and "opo".
For example: "salamat" (thank you).
"Salamat po ng marami" - very respectful and very formal.
"Maraming salamat po" - respectful and less formal
"Salamat ng marami" - usually used if you see the other person as an equal yet more formal.
"Maraming salamat" - same as previous but less formal.
"Salamat" - neutral; usually used for those younger than you, your friends, or lower in hierarchy.
If you add "age" it becomes:
"Salamat po ng marami sa inyo" - very respectful, very formal, usually for used when someone is higher in rank, social status, or a stranger.
So, if you came from this era, Korean honorifics and respectful sentences and words will come easier. But for those who grew up in the West where "thank you" simply means "thank you", it will indeed be very hard.
Re: male and female pronunciation and choice of words. In a way, it is similar to Japanese and in hierarchical words. Similarly, if you are a Filipino from the Xennial generation or earlier, it should be easier. Tagalog did have gender-specific words, but alas, that's an era not even me encountered. My grandparents used to use those words (or probably Kapampangan since they're originally from Pampanga and Bataan).
It really depends. Personally, if one understands Filipino then study Japanese first before you jump to Korean, and before attempting Mandarin or Cantonese. Of course, that's just my own advise based on my experience.
My younger brother had a similar path, Japanese, then Korean, then Mandarin, then Cantonese. My cousins either Mandarin or Cantonese first or Japanese first, before they started Korean and other languages.
Oh. Having came from a family of linguists has nothing to do with learning languages. It's all on your personal effort. Don't get discouraged. Find what works for you. Filipino and Japanese are syllabic so it's easier for me, my brother, and some of our cousins to "branch out" to Japanese first.
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