nagaalaga

Nagaalaga is a Tagalog verb form used to express the act of taking care of someone or something. It derives from the root alaga, meaning to care for, to nurse, or to raise. In standard Filipino orthography, the present-focused form is nag-aalaga, written with a hyphen; nagaalaga is a common informal or variant spelling, especially in casual writing, where hyphens are omitted. The meaning generally covers caregiving activities toward people (such as children or elderly relatives) or animals, as well as tasks like nursing, feeding, or supervising.

Usage of nagaalaga typically involves a subject performing the action of taking care of a designated recipient. Examples include: Nagaalaga ako ng aso. (I am taking care of a dog.) Nagaalaga siya ng kanyang kapatid. (She is taking care of her sibling.) Nagaalaga ang ina ng kanyang sanggol. (The mother is looking after her baby.)

Grammar notes and related forms: Tagalog verb morphology uses affixes to indicate aspect and focus. Nagaalaga is related to nag-aalaga, the standard form that explicitly marks the verb as a present or ongoing action in many contexts. Spelling variants (nagaalaga vs. nag-aalaga) reflect orthographic choices rather than distinct meanings.

See also: alaga; alagaan; nag-aalaga; Tagalog language; Filipino verbs.