From root: liit
Conjugations
Past (Completed)
nanliit
nan-li-IT
felt small
Present (Incomplete)
nanliliit
nan-li-li-IT
feeling small
Future (Contemplated)
manliliit
man-li-li-IT
will feel small
Usage Note
Manliit is used to describe the psychological feeling of being inferior, intimidated, or insignificant, especially when comparing oneself to others who are more successful or powerful. It is commonly used in social contexts to express a loss of self-confidence or feeling 'small' in a metaphorical sense.
Examples
" Nanliit ako sa kanila. "
Natural Translation
I felt small in front of them.
Literal Translation
Felt-small I at them.
" Nagsimula siyang manliit sa harap nila. "
Natural Translation
He started to feel small in front of them.
Literal Translation
Started he feel-small at front their.
" Tuwing nasa piling ako ng mga matagumpay na tao, hindi ko maiwasang manliit at mawalan ng tiwala sa sarili. "
Natural Translation
Whenever I'm around successful people, I can't help feeling small and losing confidence in myself.
Literal Translation
Whenever in company I of the successful people, not I can-avoid feel-small and lose of trust in self.
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
liit has 9 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.
Tagalog Root Words: Learn a Few Hundred, Understand Thousands
Tagalog root words unlock vocabulary fast: learn a few hundred and recognize thousands. Real word families, examples, and a practical study strategy.
Po and Opo in Tagalog: Where to Put Them Right
Po and opo confuse learners — but placement follows one rule. Where po goes in a sentence, why it's opo not 'oo po', and the pronoun shift to learn.
Philippines Geography for Learners: Islands & Language
Philippines geography for Tagalog learners: 7,641 islands, three island groups, and the Southern Luzon heartland where the Tagalog language was born.
Tagalog Greetings: How to Say Hello, Goodbye & Po/Opo
Master Tagalog greetings with pronunciation: kumusta, magandang umaga, po and opo polite forms, time-of-day phrases, and the mano po tradition.