The Tagalog prefix mag- is used to verbalize nouns. You can translate it as ‘do’ in most cases, but the meaning depends on the context. This is very useful because you can put it in front of English nouns. Filipinos do this all the time! That’s why when you hear them speaking Tagalog, there seems to be a lot of English words sprinkled in.
Mag-tennis tayo.
Let’s ‘do’ tennis.
(Let’s play tennis.)
Let’s ‘do’ shopping.
(Let’s go shopping.)
Mag-hamburger tayo.
Let’s ‘do’ hamburgers.
Let’s eat hamburgers.
Mag-McDo tayo.
Let’s ‘do’ McDonalds.
Let’s go and eat at McDonald’s.
Mag-Pizza Hut tayo.
Let’s ‘do’ Pizza Hut.
Let’s go and eat at Pizza Hut.
Mag-Wendy’s tayo.
Let’s ‘do’ Wendy’s.
Let’s go and eat at Wendy’s.
Mag-ice cream tayo.
Let’s ‘do’ ice cream.
Let’s go have ice cream.
Mag-tsinelas tayo.
Let’s ‘do’ slippers.
Let’s wear slippers.
Mag-T-shirt na lang tayo.
Let’s just ‘do’ T-shirts.
Let’s just wear T-shirts.
Of course you can use mag in front of Tagalog nouns too. For example, the Tagalog noun for the word ‘study’ is aral and the Tagalog verb for ‘to study’ is mag-aral.
to study
Gusto kong mag-aral.
I want to study.
mag-Tagalog
to use Tagalog
(to speak or to write)
Marunong ka bang mag-Tagalog?
Do you know how to speak Tagalog?
mag-Inggles
to use English
Mag-Inggles na lang tayo.
Let’s just use English.
mag-sabon
to use soap
Mag-sabon ka ng kamay.
Use soap on your hands.
mag-shampoo
to shampoo
Mag-sha-shampoo ka ba?
Will you be using shampoo?
The past tense is nag-.
addition, “mag-anak” means “family” in tagalog, but also means “to have child”, so it is right that it is depends on the context