Usage Note
Balî describes something that is broken or snapped — most commonly used for bones, sticks, or rigid objects. The grave accent on the final vowel marks a glottal stop, distinguishing it from other bali- words; the verb form mabali is commonly used in injury descriptions.
Examples
" Bali ang lapis ko. "
Natural Translation
My pencil is broken.
Literal Translation
Broken the pencil my.
" Balî ang sanga ng puno. "
Natural Translation
The tree branch is broken.
Literal Translation
Broken the branch of tree.
" Natuklasan ng doktor na bali pala ang buto sa braso ng bata matapos itong mahulog sa hagdan. "
Natural Translation
The doctor discovered that the bone in the child's arm was actually fractured after the child fell down the stairs.
Literal Translation
Discovered the doctor that broken indeed the bone in arm of child after this fell on stairs.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
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