Skip to content

tangay

tangáy with stress marks

to carry away; snatch away

verb tan-GAY Native origin Less Common

Usage Note

Tangay describes a swift, forceful removal — often used when the wind, water, or a person carries something off without warning. It can be used literally (a wave sweeping something away) or figuratively (being swept up by emotion or circumstance).

Examples

Beginner

" Tinangay ng hangin ang papel. "

Natural Translation

The wind carried the paper away.

Literal Translation

Carried-away by-the wind the paper.

Intermediate

" Mabilis ang tangay ng aso sa buto. "

Natural Translation

The dog's snatching of the bone was fast.

Literal Translation

Fast the snatching of dog to bone.

Advanced

" Halos tangayin ng malakas na alon ang mga bata kaya mabuti na lamang at agad silang nailigtas ng tagapagligtas. "

Natural Translation

The strong waves nearly swept the children away, so it's a good thing the lifeguard rescued them right away.

Literal Translation

Almost carry-away by-the strong wave the children so good only that immediately they were-rescued by-the lifeguard.

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

Object Focus Verbs

Explore Tagalog by topic

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