Skip to content

mawala

to disappear

verb ma-wa-LA AF VERB Common
Illustration of the root word "wala" (zero; none; absent; nothing; free from)
Illustration from root: wala

From root: wala

Conjugations

Past (Completed)

nawala

na-wa-LA

disappeared

Present (Incomplete)

nawawala

na-wa-wa-LA

disappearing

Future (Contemplated)

mawawala

ma-wa-wa-LA

will disappear

Usage Note

Mawala is used when an object or person goes missing, gets lost, or vanishes, often implying an unintentional or accidental occurrence. It is also frequently used in emotional or existential contexts, such as losing one's way or euphemistically referring to the passing of a loved one.

Examples

Beginner

" Nawala ang pusa namin. "

Natural Translation

Our cat disappeared.

Literal Translation

Disappeared the cat our.

Intermediate

" Ayaw kong mawala ang aking susi. "

Natural Translation

I don't want my keys to disappear.

Literal Translation

Don't want I disappear the my keys.

Advanced

" Nang may nag-iwang bukas ng pinto, bigla na lang nawala ang asong ilang araw naming hinanap. "

Natural Translation

When someone left the door open, the dog we searched for over several days suddenly just disappeared.

Literal Translation

When there-was someone left open of door, suddenly only disappeared the dog that several days our searched-for.

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

Word family

wala has 10 related forms built from the same root.

See all

Explore Tagalog by topic

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