mag-obliga
mag-oblíga with stress marks
to obligate
From root: obliga
Conjugations
Past (Completed)
nag-obliga
nag-ob-LI-ga
obligated
Present (Incomplete)
nag-oobliga
nag-o-ob-LI-ga
is obligating
Future (Contemplated)
mag-oobliga
mag-o-ob-LI-ga
will obligate
Usage Note
Mag-obliga is the actor-focus infinitive of obliga, a Spanish loanword from obligar, used when the person imposing the obligation is the grammatical focus. It occupies a formal legal and ethical register, common in contract discussions, civic duty discourse, and interpersonal pressure. The object-focus counterpart obligahin foregrounds the person being obligated; the noun obligasyon means duty or obligation.
Examples
" Ayaw kong mag-obliga ng iba. "
Natural Translation
I do not want to obligate others.
Literal Translation
Don't-want I to-obligate of others.
" Bawal mag-obliga ng tao na gawin ang ayaw niya. "
Natural Translation
Obligating a person to do what they dislike is prohibited.
Literal Translation
Prohibited to obligate of person to do the dislike they.
" Hindi tama na mag-obliga ng kahit sino na pumirma sa kontrata kung hindi pa niya ito naiintindihan. "
Natural Translation
It is not right to obligate anyone to sign the contract if they do not yet understand it.
Literal Translation
Not right to to-obligate of even who to sign in contract if not yet they it understood.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
How Tagalog words workWord family
obliga has 1 related form 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.

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.

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.

Filipino Family Words and Honorifics: Ate, Kuya & Tita
Filipino family words like ate, kuya, tita, tito, lolo, and lola go far beyond family — learn how Filipinos use them with strangers, plus mano po etiquette.