Skip to content

magkatay

magkátay with stress marks

to butcher

verb mag-KA-tay AF VERB Native origin Rare

From root: katay

Conjugations

Past (Completed)

nagkatay

nag-KA-tay

butchered

Present (Incomplete)

nagkakatay

nag-ka-KA-tay

is butchering

Future (Contemplated)

magkakatay

mag-ka-KA-tay

will butcher

Usage Note

Magkatay is the actor-focus mag- form of katay, used for butchering or slaughtering an animal for food. It is central to Filipino festive culture — particularly the preparation of lechon — and whole-animal slaughter remains a communal, often ceremonial act in many provinces.

Examples

Beginner

" Marunong magkatay ng manok si Tatay. "

Natural Translation

Dad knows how to butcher a chicken.

Literal Translation

Knows to-butcher of chicken Dad.

Intermediate

" Trabaho ng lalaki ang magkatay ng baboy sa pwesto. "

Natural Translation

It is the man's job to butcher pigs at the stall.

Literal Translation

Job of man the to butcher of pig at stall.

Advanced

" Maaga pang naghanda ang mga kalalakihan sa baryo upang magkatay ng baboy para sa handaan sa pista. "

Natural Translation

The men in the village prepared early to butcher a pig for the fiesta feast.

Literal Translation

Early still prepared the men in village to-butcher of pig for the feast in fiesta.

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

Word family

katay has 1 related form built from the same root.

See all

Explore Tagalog by topic

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