garalgal
garálgal with stress marks
inaudible/grating sound
Usage Note
Garalgal is an expressive, onomatopoeic word describing a rough, grating, or garbled sound — such as a hoarse voice, static noise, or the rumble of gravel. The reduplication in its form reinforces the sense of repeated or sustained noise, and it is used colloquially to describe unclear, raspy, or irritating sounds.
Examples
" May garalgal ang radyo. "
Natural Translation
The radio has a grating noise.
Literal Translation
Has grating-sound the radio.
" Bakit may garalgal ang makina? "
Natural Translation
Why does the machine have a grating sound?
Literal Translation
Why there-is grating-sound the machine?
" Hindi ko maintindihan ang sinasabi niya dahil garalgal ang boses sa telepono. "
Natural Translation
I couldn't understand what he was saying because his voice was garbled on the phone.
Literal Translation
Not I can-understand the being-said his because grating the voice on telephone.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
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