From root: dahil
Usage Note
Dahil-dahilan suggests that a person is making multiple or petty excuses, often to evade responsibility.
Examples
" Puro dahil-dahilan ka na lang. "
Natural Translation
You're always just making excuses.
Literal Translation
Pure various-excuses you already only.
" Puro dahil-dahilan ang narinig ko. "
Natural Translation
All I heard were various excuses.
Literal Translation
Pure various-excuses the heard I.
" Sa halip na aminin ang kanyang pagkakamali, puro dahil-dahilan ang inilalabas niya para maitakwil ang sariling pananagutan. "
Natural Translation
Instead of admitting his mistake, he keeps coming up with various excuses just to dodge his own responsibility.
Literal Translation
At instead that to-admit the his mistake, pure various-excuses the brings-out he to be-rejected the own responsibility.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
How Tagalog words workWord family
dahil has 4 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.

Filipino Family Words and Honorifics: Ate, Kuya & Tita
Filipino family words like ate, kuya, tita, tito, lolo, and lola go far beyond family — learn how Filipinos use them with strangers, plus mano po etiquette.

Philippine Christmas Traditions: World's Longest Holiday
Philippine Christmas traditions run four months — from Ber-month carols to Simbang Gabi dawn masses, Noche Buena feasts, and parol lanterns lighting every street.

Po and Opo in Tagalog: Where to Put Them Right
Po and opo confuse learners — but placement follows one rule. Where po goes in a sentence, why it's opo not 'oo po', and the pronoun shift to learn.

Filipino Food: 12 Essential Dishes (With Tagalog Names)
Filipino food, from adobo to halo-halo: learn the Tagalog names, pronunciations, and ingredients behind 12 dishes you'll want to try on your first trip.