Skip to content

amigo

amígo with stress marks

male friend

noun a-MI-go Spanish origin Less Common

Usage Note

Amigo, from Spanish amigo, has been adopted so thoroughly into Filipino speech that it appears in greetings, song titles, and everyday banter. It refers to a male friend and is used alongside the native kaibigan. The term is sometimes used as a casual form of address even between strangers. Amiga is the feminine counterpart.

Examples

Beginner

" Matagal ko nang amigo si Ben. "

Natural Translation

Ben has long been my friend.

Literal Translation

Long my already male-friend Ben.

Intermediate

" Ang amigo ko ay mabait. "

Natural Translation

My male friend is kind.

Literal Translation

The male friend my is kind.

Advanced

" Tinawag niya akong amigo kahit noong araw na iyon lamang kami unang nagkita sa kapihan. "

Natural Translation

He called me his friend even though that day was only the first time we met at the coffee shop.

Literal Translation

Called he me male-friend even that day that only we first met at coffee-shop.

Free · iOS & Android

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 work

Explore Tagalog by topic

Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.