adobo
adóbo with stress marks
Filipino braised meat dish
Usage Note
Adobo is considered the unofficial national dish of the Philippines, traditionally made by braising meat in vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic. It is frequently used as a verb (e.g., 'mag-adobo') to describe the process of cooking this dish or meal preparation in daily conversation.
Examples
" Gusto kong kumain ng adobo. "
Natural Translation
I want to eat adobo.
Literal Translation
Want I to eat of adobo.
" Ang adobo ay sikat na pagkain. "
Natural Translation
Adobo is a popular dish.
Literal Translation
The adobo is popular food.
" Tuwing kaarawan ko, nag-aadobo ang aking lola gamit ang lumang resipeng minana niya pa sa kaniyang ina. "
Natural Translation
Every birthday of mine, my grandmother cooks adobo using the old recipe she inherited from her own mother.
Literal Translation
Every birthday my, cooks-adobo the my grandmother using the old recipe inherited she still from her mother.
Take Tagalog with you
The full course, a 12,500-word dictionary, and flashcards that make every word stick — free to start on iOS and Android.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
How Tagalog words workDerived Words
Actor Focus Verbs
Object Focus Verbs
Related Words
Explore Tagalog by topic
Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.
Filipino Food: 12 Essential Dishes (With Tagalog Names)
Filipino food, from adobo to halo-halo: learn the Tagalog names, pronunciations, and ingredients behind 12 dishes you'll want to try on your first trip.
Ng vs Nang in Tagalog: The Spelling Rule
Ng vs nang sound identical but spell differently. Use ng to mark nouns (of, the object), and nang for how, when, repetition, and counting time.
Tagalog Affixes Explained: A Beginner's Guide to Word Building
Tagalog affixes turn one root word into dozens of meanings. Learn prefixes, infixes, suffixes, and circumfixes with clear examples for beginners.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Tagalog?
Survival Tagalog takes ~3-4 weeks and comfortable conversation 6-12 months. FSI's 1,100 hours is the professional bar, not the talking-to-family bar.