gumaya
gumáya with stress marks
to imitate
From root: gaya
Conjugations
Past (Completed)
gumaya
gu-MA-ya
imitated
Present (Incomplete)
gumagaya
gu-ma-GA-ya
is imitating
Future (Contemplated)
gagaya
ga-GA-ya
will imitate
Usage Note
Gumaya is the actor-focus form of gaya, used when the person doing the imitating is the grammatical subject. It can be neutral — learning by copying a style or technique — or carry mild negative connotation of mockery or plagiarism depending on tone. Its object-focus partner is gayahin.
Examples
" Gumaya ang bata sa guro. "
Natural Translation
The child imitated the teacher.
Literal Translation
Imitated the child to teacher.
" Mahirap gumaya sa boses ng ibon. "
Natural Translation
It is hard to imitate a bird's voice.
Literal Translation
Hard to imitate to voice of bird.
" Sa halip na gumaya sa istilo ng iba, mas mabuting hanapin mo ang sarili mong tinig bilang manunulat. "
Natural Translation
Instead of imitating the style of others, it is better for you to find your own voice as a writer.
Literal Translation
In place of imitate at style of others, more good to-find you the own your voice as writer.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
How Tagalog words workWord family
gaya has 1 related form 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.

Tagalog Word Order: Sentence Structure Made Simple
Why Tagalog puts the verb first, and how ang, ng, and sa markers work. A clear guide to VSO word order, forming questions, and negation.

Tagalog Verb Conjugation: Aspects Made Simple
Tagalog verb conjugation uses aspects, not tenses. Learn the three aspects with -um- and mag- verbs, one reduplication rule, and clear example tables.

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.

Days of the Week and Months in Tagalog
The days of the week and months in Tagalog are Spanish loanwords. Learn all 7 days and 12 months with pronunciation, plus how to say dates and 'every Monday.'