Skip to content

nakipag-

social performance with others

affix na-ki-PAG Grammatical origin Common

Usage Note

Nakipag- combines the associative naki- with the actor-focus marker pag- to mark mutual or reciprocal social actions in the completed aspect. It appears in words like nakipag-usap and nakipagkaibigan, and reflects the Filipino value of active engagement and communal participation.

Examples

Beginner

" Nakipaglaro ako sa kanila. "

Natural Translation

I joined them in playing.

Literal Translation

Joined-playing I with them.

Intermediate

" Nakipag-usap ako sa guro. "

Natural Translation

I engaged in a conversation with the teacher.

Literal Translation

Engaged-conversation I to teacher.

Advanced

" Noong bata pa ako, madali akong nakipagkaibigan sa mga bagong kapitbahay namin sa subdivision. "

Natural Translation

When I was still a child, I easily made friends with our new neighbors in the subdivision.

Literal Translation

When child still I, easy I-that befriended with the new neighbors our in subdivision.

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

Explore Tagalog by topic

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