Skip to content

plema

pléma with stress marks

phlegm

noun PLE-ma Spanish origin Less Common
Illustration of "plema" (phlegm)

Usage Note

Plema is the standard term for phlegm and is frequently used when describing symptoms of a cough or cold. It is most commonly heard in the phrase 'may plema' to indicate that someone has chest congestion or a productive cough.

Examples

Beginner

" May plema ang bata. "

Natural Translation

The child has phlegm.

Literal Translation

Have phlegm the child.

Intermediate

" Ang hirap ilabas ng plema. "

Natural Translation

It is hard to cough up phlegm.

Literal Translation

The hard to-bring-out of phlegm.

Advanced

" Ayon sa doktor, ang makapal na plema ay tanda na hindi pa tuluyang gumagaling ang baga niya. "

Natural Translation

According to the doctor, the thick phlegm is a sign that her lungs have not fully recovered yet.

Literal Translation

According to-the doctor, the thick phlegm is sign that not yet fully recovering the lungs her.

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

Derived Words

Object Focus Verbs

Explore Tagalog by topic

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