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maralita

maralíta with stress marks

poor; destitute

adjective noun ma-ra-LI-ta Spanish origin Less Common

Usage Note

Maralita is borrowed from Spanish and describes people living in extreme poverty; as a noun, ang maralita refers collectively to the urban or rural poor. The word frequently appears in social justice, political, and religious discourse about inequality in the Philippines.

Examples

Beginner

" Maralita ang pamilya namin. "

Natural Translation

Our family is poor.

Literal Translation

Poor the family our.

Intermediate

" Tumulong ang gobyerno sa mga pamilyang maralita sa lungsod. "

Natural Translation

The government helped the poor families in the city.

Literal Translation

Helped the government to-the [mga] family [ng] poor in-the city.

Advanced

" Kahit maralita ang kanilang pamumuhay, hindi sila tumitigil sa pangangarap para sa magandang kinabukasan ng mga anak. "

Natural Translation

Even though their way of life is poor, they never stop dreaming of a good future for their children.

Literal Translation

Even poor the their way-of-life, not they stop in dreaming for the beautiful future of the children.

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