iling
shaking of the head in denial/disapproval
Usage Note
Iling is the culturally specific gesture and the word for it: a slow side-to-side shake of the head indicating 'no', disagreement, or mild disapproval. It is the natural counterpart to 'tango' (nodding yes), and 'umiling' is the verb form.
Examples
" Umiling siya nang mahina. "
Natural Translation
He/She shook his/her head weakly.
Literal Translation
Shook-head he/she weakly.
" Umiling siya nang tanungin kung gusto niya ang alok. "
Natural Translation
He/She shook his/her head when asked if he/she liked the offer.
Literal Translation
Shook-head he/she when asked if like he/she the offer.
" Sa halip na sumagot, isang malungkot na iling lamang ang ibinigay niya bago tuluyang umalis. "
Natural Translation
Instead of answering, she only gave a sad shake of the head before finally leaving.
Literal Translation
In place that answer, one sad shake-of-head only the gave she before completely left.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
How Tagalog words workActor Focus Verbs
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