kunwari
kunwárì with stress marks
pretend; pretense
Usage Note
Kunwari means to feign or pretend that something is the case when it isn't. It is common in children's imaginative play and equally common in describing insincere or deceptive adult behavior, making it a versatile word across registers.
Examples
" Kunwari kang tulog. "
Natural Translation
Pretend you are asleep.
Literal Translation
Pretend you asleep.
" Kunwari siyang natutulog pero nakikinig pala. "
Natural Translation
He/She was pretending to be asleep but was actually listening.
Literal Translation
Pretending he/she-was sleeping but listening actually.
" Kunwari pa siyang masaya, pero alam ng lahat na sugatan ang kanyang loob. "
Natural Translation
She still pretends to be happy, but everyone knows that she is hurting inside.
Literal Translation
Pretend still she happy, but knows of all that wounded the her inside.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
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