naglalangis
naglalangís with stress marks
bribing people in authority
From root: langis
Usage Note
Naglalangis derives from langis (oil) and evokes the idea of greasing someone's palm. The term describes corrupt influence-peddling or bribery directed at officials or bosses, and is used critically and informally in conversations about corruption.
Examples
" Naglalangis siya sa amo. "
Natural Translation
He is buttering up the boss.
Literal Translation
Sucking-up he to boss.
" Naglalangis siya sa kanyang amo para makakuha ng promosyon. "
Natural Translation
He/She is sucking up to his/her boss to get a promotion.
Literal Translation
Sucking-up he/she to his/her boss to to-get of promotion.
" Sa halip na magtrabaho nang mabuti, naglalangis siya sa mga nakatataas para mauna sa promosyon. "
Natural Translation
Instead of working well, he curries favor with his superiors so he can get ahead in promotion.
Literal Translation
In place of to-work well, sucking-up he to plural higher-up in-order to-go-ahead in promotion.
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 workWord family
langis has 2 related forms 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.
Magkano: How to Ask "How Much" in Tagalog
Magkano means how much in Tagalog. Learn to ask a price, tell it apart from ilan and gaano, sound polite with po, and haggle at the palengke.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Tagalog?
Survival Tagalog takes ~3-4 weeks and comfortable conversation 6-12 months. FSI's 1,100 hours is the professional bar, not the talking-to-family bar.
Spaced Repetition for Tagalog: How Flashcards Make Words Stick
Cramming Tagalog vocabulary fails. See how spaced repetition — the science behind smart flashcards — makes words stick for the long term.
Ng vs Nang in Tagalog: The Spelling Rule
Ng vs nang sound identical but spell differently. Use ng to mark nouns (of, the object), and nang for how, when, repetition, and counting time.