Usage Note
Desgrasya, from Spanish desgracia (misfortune), covers both physical accidents and moral disgrace in Tagalog. The word is commonly used in everyday speech when referring to road accidents or mishaps, and it reflects a fatalistic tone often expressed in Filipino culture when describing unfortunate events.
Examples
" May desgrasya sa kalye. "
Natural Translation
There was an accident on the street.
Literal Translation
Has accident on-the street.
" Nagkaroon ng desgrasya sa kalsada kahapon. "
Natural Translation
There was an accident on the road yesterday.
Literal Translation
Happened-of accident on-the road yesterday.
" Mag-ingat ka sa daan dahil maraming nadidisgrasya tuwing umuulan nang malakas sa gabi. "
Natural Translation
Be careful on the road because many get into accidents whenever it rains hard at night.
Literal Translation
Be-careful you on road because many get-accidents whenever rains hard at night.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
How Tagalog words workRelated Words
- AWOL absence without leave
- Amboy short for American boy
- Ati ethnolinguistic group in Panay
- Balbalan ethnolinguistic group (Kalinga)
- Hiligaynon ethnolinguistic group/language
- Ilokana female native of the Ilocos region; Ilokana woman
- Ilokano Ethnolinguistic group in Ilocos
- Ilonggo Language/People of Western Visayas
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