From root: tao
Conjugations
Past (Completed)
nagtao
nag-ta-O
manned or guarded a place
Present (Incomplete)
nagtatao
nag-ta-ta-O
manning or guarding a place
Future (Contemplated)
magtatao
mag-ta-ta-O
will man or guard a place
Usage Note
Magtao is used when assigning a person to monitor, guard, or occupy a specific station or post like a booth or entrance. It focuses on the act of ensuring a physical human presence is maintained at a location for security or service purposes.
Examples
" Sino ang magtatao sa pinto? "
Natural Translation
Who will guard the door?
Literal Translation
Who the will-guard at door?
" Kailangan magtao ng guwardiya dito. "
Natural Translation
We need to have a guard here.
Literal Translation
Need to man a guard here.
" Nagtao ang mga boluntaryo sa bawat entrada upang masiguro na ligtas ang lahat ng pumapasok sa palabas. "
Natural Translation
The volunteers manned every entrance to make sure everyone entering the show was safe.
Literal Translation
Manned the volunteers at every entrance to make-sure that safe the all of entering at show.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
How Tagalog words workWord family
tao has 8 related forms 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 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.

Filipino Family Words and Honorifics: Ate, Kuya & Tita
Filipino family words like ate, kuya, tita, tito, lolo, and lola go far beyond family — learn how Filipinos use them with strangers, plus mano po etiquette.

May vs Mayroon vs Meron: Have & There Is
May vs mayroon in Tagalog finally made simple: one rule decides which to use, plus how meron and wala fit the same have and there-is family.

Is Tagalog Hard to Learn? An Honest Answer
Tagalog takes around 1,100 hours to reach professional proficiency. Here is what is easy, what is hard, and what to expect at 3, 6, and 12 months.