Skip to content

ilegal

ilégal with stress marks

illegal

adjective i-LE-gal English origin Less Common

Usage Note

Ilegal is borrowed from English and Spanish and is now fully integrated into Tagalog across all registers — news reports, legal documents, and casual conversation alike. It commonly appears in phrases like 'ilegal na droga' and 'ilegal na pangingisda'.

Examples

Beginner

" Ilegal ang ginawa niya. "

Natural Translation

What he did is illegal.

Literal Translation

Illegal the did he.

Intermediate

" Ilegal ang pagputol ng mga puno sa protected area. "

Natural Translation

Cutting trees in a protected area is illegal.

Literal Translation

Illegal the cutting of-the trees in protected area.

Advanced

" Ilegal ang pangingisda sa lugar na ito, kaya pinagmumultahan ng mga awtoridad ang sinumang mahuli. "

Natural Translation

Fishing in this area is illegal, so the authorities fine anyone who gets caught.

Literal Translation

Illegal the fishing in place that this, so fine of the authorities the whoever caught.

Free · iOS & Android

Take Tagalog with you

The full course, a 12,500-word dictionary, and flashcards that make every word stick — free to start on iOS and Android.

Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.

How Tagalog words work

Explore Tagalog by topic

Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.