gulay
/ˈɡulaj/
The Tagalog word for "vegetable" is gulay.
gulay refers to a plant that is raised for its edible parts.
Meaning: a plant raised for some edible part of it (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the plural form, such as "vegetables", place the marker mga before the word to create mga gulay. While gulay can be used in both singular and plural contexts, mga gulay is used when you want to specifically indicate a plural amount or a variety of vegetables.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈɡulaj/
Did you know?
- The word gulay can also be used to describe a person's physical state, specifically in the phrase parang gulay ang katawan, which means one's body feels 'as weak as a vegetable' due to illness.
- The word gulay may have roots in the Tamil word kuḻai, which means 'tender leaf' or 'shoot'.
- The word gulay shares a common ancestor with the word gule in Kapampangan and gulay in Central Bikol, showing its deep roots across the Philippines.
Examples in context
- Kakain si Tom ng kahit na anong gulay maliban sa repolyo.Tom will eat any vegetable other than cabbage.This sentence shows how to use gulay when expressing a preference or exclusion.Tatoeba #11655136 by qwertzu, translation #10637312 by CK
- Ako ay kumakain ng maraming gulay para sa aking kalusugan.I am eating a lot of vegetables for my health.
- Bumili kami ng sariwang gulay sa palengke kanina.We bought fresh vegetables at the market earlier.
- Masustansya ang bawat gulay sa palengke.Every vegetable in the market is nutritious.
- Gumawa si Nanay ng masarap na gulay.Mom made a delicious vegetable dish.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mark and Angela are shopping for groceries in a local market.
- MarkMarami ka bang gustong gulay, Angela?Do you want a lot of vegetables, Angela?
- AngelaGusto ko ng sariwang gulay para sa hapunan.I want fresh vegetables for dinner.
- MarkBibili ba tayo ng maraming gulay dito?Are we going to buy many vegetables here?
- AngelaOo, Mark, piliin natin ang pinakamaganda.Yes, Mark, let's choose the best ones.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “vegetable” translations and entries gulay, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gulay, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
