From root: baba
Usage Note
Mababa is used to describe physical height, low grades, or inexpensive prices. For example, mababa ang presyo means the price is low.
Examples
" Mababa ang mesa. "
Natural Translation
The table is low.
Literal Translation
Low the table.
" Mababa lang ang upuan na ito. "
Natural Translation
This chair is quite low.
Literal Translation
Low only the chair that.
" Mababa ang grado niya sa pagsusulit dahil hindi siya nag-aral nang husto noong nakaraang linggo. "
Natural Translation
His grade on the exam was low because he did not study hard last week.
Literal Translation
Low the grade his in-the exam because not he studied very-much last week.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
How Tagalog words workWord family
baba has 7 related forms built from the same root.
Related Words
Explore Tagalog by topic
Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.

Seasons in the Philippines: A Tagalog Guide
The Philippines has two seasons, not four. Learn tag-araw, tag-ulan, and taglamig, the generative tag- prefix, and the weather vocabulary to match.

Days of the Week and Months in Tagalog
The days of the week and months in Tagalog are Spanish loanwords. Learn all 7 days and 12 months with pronunciation, plus how to say dates and 'every Monday.'

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.

Mano Po and Filipino Etiquette: A Visitor's Guide
Mano po presses an elder's hand to your forehead as a blessing. Learn who to mano, how to lip-point, and the etiquette that wins over a Filipino family.