sagala
sagálà with stress marks
chosen "queens" in a festival procession
Usage Note
Sagala are the young women selected to represent a community in religious or civic processions, particularly during town fiestas and the Santacruzan pageant held in May. Being chosen as a sagala is considered an honor and reflects the family's standing in the community.
Examples
" Sagala ang ate ko ngayon. "
Natural Translation
My older sister is a festival queen this year.
Literal Translation
Festival-queen the older-sister my now.
" Maganda ang sagala sa pista. "
Natural Translation
The festival queen at the fiesta is beautiful.
Literal Translation
Beautiful the festival-queen at fiesta.
" Pinili siyang maging sagala sa Santacruzan, kaya buong buwan silang naghanda ng bestida at bulaklak. "
Natural Translation
She was chosen to be a festival queen in the Santacruzan, so for a whole month they prepared a gown and flowers.
Literal Translation
Chosen she to-become festival-queen at Santacruzan, so whole month they prepared of gown and flowers.
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 workRelated Words
Explore Tagalog by topic
Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.
Tagalog Pronouns Explained: Complete Chart with Examples
Every Tagalog pronoun explained with clear charts: ang/ng/sa forms, tayo vs kami, ikaw vs ka, politeness markers, and the mistakes beginners make.
Tagalog Verb Focus System Explained (It's Not Active vs. Passive)
The Tagalog verb focus system isn't active vs. passive. Learn actor focus, object focus, and more with clear examples that finally make it click.
Tagalog Time Expressions: Past, Present & Future Guide
Tagalog has no tenses — it uses aspect. Learn time words, days of the week, clock time, and the aspect system, with vocabulary tables and cultural notes.
Tagalog Verb Conjugation: Aspects Made Simple
Tagalog verb conjugation uses aspects, not tenses. Learn the three aspects with -um- and mag- verbs, one reduplication rule, and clear example tables.