Skip to content

mag-aswang

to act as a ghoul

verb mag-as-WANG AF VERB Rare

From root: aswang

Conjugations

Past (Completed)

nag-aswang

nag-as-WANG

acted as a ghoul

Present (Incomplete)

nag-a-aswang

nag-a-as-WANG

acting as a ghoul

Future (Contemplated)

mag-a-aswang

mag-a-as-WANG

will act as a ghoul

Usage Note

Mag-aswang is used to describe the act of transforming into or behaving like a mythical ghoul, particularly within the context of Filipino folklore and horror stories. It can also be used figuratively to refer to someone who stays awake or wanders around suspiciously late at night.

Examples

Beginner

" Mahilig siyang mag-aswang sa gabi. "

Natural Translation

He likes to act like a ghoul at night.

Literal Translation

Fond he act-as-ghoul at night.

Intermediate

" Sinubukan niyang mag-aswang sa palabas. "

Natural Translation

He tried to act as a ghoul in the show.

Literal Translation

Tried he act-as-a-ghoul in show.

Advanced

" Tuwing kabilugan ng buwan, sinasabi ng mga matatanda na may mga taong nag-aaswang at gumagala sa madilim na bukid. "

Natural Translation

Whenever there is a full moon, the elders say there are people who turn into ghouls and roam the dark fields.

Literal Translation

Every roundness of moon, say the elders that there-are people acting-as-ghouls and roaming at dark field.

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

Word family

aswang has 5 related forms built from the same root.

See all

Explore Tagalog by topic

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