Skip to content

sastre

sástre with stress marks

tailor

noun SAS-tre Spanish origin Rare

Usage Note

Sastre, from the Spanish 'sastre', is the traditional Tagalog word for a tailor — someone who cuts and sews custom-fitted clothing. Before ready-to-wear fashion became widespread, sastre shops were central to every Philippine town. Many Filipinos still commission barong Tagalog and formal wear from a sastre for weddings and special occasions.

Examples

Beginner

" Mahusay na sastre si Lolo. "

Natural Translation

Grandpa is a skilled tailor.

Literal Translation

Skilled link tailor the Grandpa.

Intermediate

" Pumunta siya sa sastre. "

Natural Translation

He/She went to the tailor.

Literal Translation

Went he/she to tailor.

Advanced

" Bago ang kasal, nagpatahi muna kami ng barong Tagalog sa sastre na pinagkakatiwalaan ng aming pamilya. "

Natural Translation

Before the wedding, we first had a barong Tagalog made by the tailor our family trusts.

Literal Translation

Before the wedding, had-sewn first we of barong Tagalog at tailor that trusted by our family.

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.