Skip to content

silay

sílay with stress marks

a brief glimpse or appearance

noun verb SI-lay Native origin Less Common

Usage Note

Silay refers to a fleeting glance or a brief moment of visibility, often used in literary Tagalog to evoke an image that appears and vanishes quickly. It conveys an air of longing or wistfulness when something beautiful or precious is seen only for an instant.

Examples

Beginner

" May silay ng araw. "

Natural Translation

There is a glimpse of the sun.

Literal Translation

There-is glimpse of sun.

Intermediate

" Nakita niya ang isang silay ng pag-asa. "

Natural Translation

He/she saw a brief glimpse of hope.

Literal Translation

Saw he/she the one brief glimpse of hope.

Advanced

" Sa gitna ng makakapal na ulap, may isang silay ng liwanag na nagbigay sa amin ng panibagong pag-asa. "

Natural Translation

In the midst of the thick clouds, there was a brief glimpse of light that gave us renewed hope.

Literal Translation

In the-middle of thick clouds, there-is one glimpse of light that gave to us of renewed hope.

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

Actor Focus Verbs

Explore Tagalog by topic

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