From root: apat
Conjugations
Past (Completed)
nag-apat
nag-A-pat
made four
Present (Incomplete)
nag-aapat
nag-A-a-pat
making four
Future (Contemplated)
mag-aapat
mag-A-a-pat
will make four
Usage Note
Mag-apat is used when describing the act of forming a group of four or ensuring that a set of items reaches the number four. It is commonly heard in casual settings like games or when organizing people into small clusters.
Examples
" Mag-apat tayo sa grupo. "
Natural Translation
Let's make four in the group.
Literal Translation
Make-four we in the group.
" Mahirap mag-apat kung kulang ang tao. "
Natural Translation
It is hard to make four if people are lacking.
Literal Translation
Hard make-four if lack the person.
" Para mabuo ang laro, kailangan munang mag-apat ang mga manlalaro bago sila puwedeng magsimulang magbahay-bahayan. "
Natural Translation
To complete the game, the players first need to make four before they can begin playing house.
Literal Translation
In-order complete the game, need first make-four the [plural] player before they can begin play-house.
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 workWord family
apat has 8 related forms built from the same root.
Explore Tagalog by topic
Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.
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 Numbers 1-100: Counting, Time & Money Explained
Learn Tagalog numbers 1-100 and beyond. Master both native and Spanish-derived counting systems, plus telling time, reading prices, and ordinals.
Tagalog Word Order: Sentence Structure Made Simple
Why Tagalog puts the verb first, and how ang, ng, and sa markers work. A clear guide to VSO word order, forming questions, and negation.
Languages of the Philippines: Tagalog, Cebuano, and More
Languages of the Philippines: one national language (Filipino) plus 180+ regional languages. Here's who speaks what, where, and why it matters to you.