Tagalog has full of ambiguity. I suggest that you learn by speaking with the natives or watch local shows in Tagalog like me rather than reading a lot. Even the books here teach archaic grammar rules and vocabularies only to promote the "pure" language. However, it still depends on your goal. If your goal is to be conversationally fluent, practice speaking. If you want to read good Tagalog novels, practice reading. If you want both, then immerse yourself in the culture.

The affixes might be a bit confusing. From the example given above, "nakakain" is in the past but "kumain" is also in the past tense. Sometimes, they can be used in the same context but for some words, the meaning can be completely different. I'll think of more examples to explain it better.

If you wanna speak colloquially then it's not so difficult. I must admit Tagalog is quite tricky, but let me give you an idea. To conjugate the verbs we add suffixes and normally we repeat some syllables: "kain" = to eat Ako ay kumakain. = I am eating. Nakakain (na) ako... = I have eaten (already)... Kakain ako... = I will eat...

I suggest not to read books about sentence structure etc. You will be able to learn tagalog quickly by familiarizing tagalog phrases instead. --It's my way in learning other languages. It's the same with learning Filipino.

I must agree with them. Tagalog verbs a bit tricky. A lot of us is happy to help you with your lessons through conversation. :)