tumabak
tumabák with stress marks
to strike with a bolo
From root: tabak
Conjugations
Past (Completed)
tumabak
tu-ma-BAK
hacked with a bolo
Present (Incomplete)
tumatabak
tu-ma-ta-BAK
is hacking with a bolo
Future (Contemplated)
tatabak
ta-ta-BAK
will hack with a bolo
Usage Note
Tumabak is the actor-focus form of tabak, centering the person wielding the large single-edged blade. The tabak is a traditional Filipino bladed tool and weapon associated with rural labor and martial heritage; the object-focus counterpart tabakin foregrounds the thing being cut rather than the one doing the cutting.
Examples
" Marunong siyang tumabak ng tubo. "
Natural Translation
He knows how to strike sugarcane with a bolo.
Literal Translation
Knows he to-strike-with-bolo of sugarcane.
" Delikadong tumabak nang walang pag-iingat. "
Natural Translation
It is dangerous to strike with a bolo without taking care.
Literal Translation
Dangerous to-strike-with-bolo without care.
" Sa probinsya, marami pa ring magsasaka ang sanay tumabak ng makakapal na sanga upang linisin ang kanilang taniman. "
Natural Translation
In the province, many farmers are still skilled at hacking thick branches with a bolo to clear their fields.
Literal Translation
In province, many still farmers skilled to-strike-with-bolo of thick branches to clear their farm.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
How Tagalog words workWord family
tabak 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.

Tagalog Greetings: How to Say Hello, Goodbye & Po/Opo
Master Tagalog greetings with pronunciation: kumusta, magandang umaga, po and opo polite forms, time-of-day phrases, and the mano po tradition.

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.

Filipino Food: 12 Essential Dishes (With Tagalog Names)
Filipino food, from adobo to halo-halo: learn the Tagalog names, pronunciations, and ingredients behind 12 dishes you'll want to try on your first trip.

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.