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damá

touch; feel

verb noun da-MA Native origin Common

Also means

Dáma (with acute on the first syllable) refers to the board game checkers or a lady-in-waiting — a separate word with a different stress pattern.

Usage Note

Damá is both physical touch and emotional feeling. 'Maramdaman' (to feel/sense) is a common derived form used for sensing pain, emotion, or atmosphere. The word is deeply embedded in Filipino emotional vocabulary — 'naramdaman ko ang pagmamahal niya' (I felt his love) is a typical construction.

Examples

Beginner

" Damá ko ang lamig. "

Natural Translation

I feel the cold.

Literal Translation

Feel I the cold.

Intermediate

" Damá ko ang init ng ulan. "

Natural Translation

I feel the heat of the rain.

Literal Translation

Feel I the heat of rain.

Advanced

" Sa tono ng kanyang boses, dama kong may malaking problema siyang itinatago sa amin. "

Natural Translation

From the tone of her voice, I could feel that she was hiding a big problem from us.

Literal Translation

At tone of her voice, feel my that has big problem she hiding to us.

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