Skip to content

tabil

tabíl with stress marks

chatterbox; talkative

noun adjective ta-BIL Native origin Less Common

Usage Note

Tabil describes someone who talks incessantly and cannot seem to stop, or the quality of being overly chatty. It is generally used in a good-natured, teasing way — a tabil person is not necessarily malicious, just unable to hold their tongue. The word can describe both the trait (adjective) and the person who embodies it (noun). It is commonly applied to lively children and sociable adults.

Examples

Beginner

" Tabil talaga ang bata. "

Natural Translation

The child is really a chatterbox.

Literal Translation

Chatterbox really the child.

Intermediate

" Siya ay kilalang tabil sa klase. "

Natural Translation

He/she is known as a chatterbox in class.

Literal Translation

He/she is known chatterbox in class.

Advanced

" Kahit gaano kapagod ang araw, hindi mapigilan ang tabil ng kapatid kong walang sawang kumukuwento. "

Natural Translation

No matter how tiring the day is, there is no stopping my sibling's chattering as she tells story after story.

Literal Translation

Even however tiring the day, not can-be-stopped the chatter of sibling my without tiring telling-stories.

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.