# Maligalig



## rockjon

What's the translation of maligalig in English? My aunt was speaking to me in Tagalog and she used this word.  After looking at results from google searches, it seems like it means magulo or makulit but I am not sure. Thanks in advance.


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## DotterKat

Maligalig = _annoying_, _bothersome _or_ troublesome 
_


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## Alakdan

Maligalig is also used to describe a person who is fickle minded.  Or someone who starts multiple taks but is unable to finish any.


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## rockjon

Thanks, DotterKat. Does the meaning or the usage of maligalig differ from nakakainis, malaking abala, or magulo?


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## DotterKat

Let's say you have a little brother who keeps taking stuff from your  room without your permission. You might tell him:
_*Nakakainis ka*! Parati mong ginagalaw ang mga gamit ko! _
You're so annoying / You're so irritating / You're such a pest! You keep  taking my stuff!

Now let's say that same little brother is someone you have to drive  around to school, soccer practice and judo class, to the detriment of  your own social life. You might say:
_*Napakalaki mong abala! *Wala na kong oras para sa mga kaibigan  ko, parati na lang akong tsuper para sa 'yo!
_You are such a big bother / You are such a burden! I never have time  to go out with my friends because I'm always driving you around!

Then, let's say this same little brother gets a little "hyper" whenever  he eats too much sugary junk food and starts running circles around the  house and climbing the walls.
You might say:
*Masayado kang magulo! *Tignan mo nga ang mga kinalat mo sa  bahay!
You're so wild / rowdy / You're such a terror! Look at all the mess you  made!

All of the above usages point to someone being _annoying, bothersome  and troublesome._ You could use those English words in the  translation of any of the above sentences, but each Tagalog word is a  bit more descriptive in that they give you a sense of _how _the  other person is _annoying, bothersome _or _troublesome.
_*Maligalig* on the other hand is a bit different in that : 1)It  is not as commonly used as _nakakainis, malaking abala, _or _magulo_  in the sense that it sounds a bit more "formal" (think of troublesome  vs. vexatious, rowdy vs. raucous, annoying vs. exasperating)
2)Unlike the other Tagalog words you mentioned, _maligalig _can be  used not only to refer to another person being annoying, bothersome or  troublesome, but also to the  person being thus affected. It is in this  case that Alakdan is correct, _maligalig _can refer to the person  who is being troubled, bothered or burdened to the point that he or she  is unable to finish a task, come to a decision and thus outwardly have  the semblance of being fickle minded.

Finally, you would not use _maligalig_ in the context of the  Tagalog sentences I gave above. However, the mother of the two boys  might be inclined to say to the older brother:
Huwag kang *masyadong maligalig*. Mula ng mawala si papa, ikaw na  lang ang inaasahan ko. Pagpasensiyahan mo na lang ang kapatid mo dahil  bata pa siya. Alam mo ba, wala kayong pinagkaiba sa kaguluhan noong bata  ka pa!
Dont' be so bothered / troubled / annoyed. Since your father died, you  are the only one I can depend on. Be patient with your brother as he is  still so young. You know, you were just as annoying as he is when you  were younger!


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## rockjon

wow, thanks for the explanation DotterKat. it's very in-depth.  the vast majority of people here in metro-manila can't explain it like that to me.

oh, for masyadong kang magulo, could I replace the magulo with malikot or that wouldn't capture the meaning that it's messy in that particular sentence?


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## DotterKat

They are not exactly interchangeable. Think of *malikot* as *fidgety* and *magulo *as *rowdy *or* disorderly*.

Let's say you are trying to strap your naughty little brother into his car seat, but he is reluctant to stay still. You might say:
Don't be so fidgety! 
Huwag kang masyadong malikot!

Now, let's say he wriggled and fidgeted his way out of his car seat and is now creating havoc in the backseat by throwing his toys around and making a general mess with his snacks and juice box. You might scream:
Stop making a mess back there!
Huwag kang masyadong magulo, peste kang bata ka! 

You see the difference?

(An idiomatic application of malikot would be "malikot ang kamay" meaning a person who has a tendency to steal things. The English translation "fidgety hands" does not have the same meaning.  The latter simply refers to restless hands, sometimes related to nervousness but not necessarily linked to thieving tendencies.)


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## autumnsoliloquy

Hmm.. I may be wrong but since I've only ever heard my mother call me 'maligalig' in the Phils, doesn't 'maligalig' have only one clear definition? 'Whiny' or 'querulous'

querulous
–adjective
 full of complaints; complaining. 


"wag kang maligalig" - stop whining/complaining



> _maligalig _can refer to the person who is being troubled, bothered or burdened to the point that he or she is unable to finish a task, come to a decision and thus outwardly have the semblance of being fickle minded.



I'm not sure how accurate this is because I haven't really encountered the word ever used in this context.


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## DotterKat

autumnsoliloquy said:


> Hmm.. I may be wrong but since I've only ever heard my mother call me 'maligalig' in the Phils, doesn't 'maligalig' have only one clear definition? 'Whiny' or 'querulous'
> 
> querulous
> –adjective
> full of complaints; complaining.



I don't think so. Being querulous or being full of complaints could be a manifestation of a troubled mind, just as appearing to be fickle minded can be the result of the same. 
Even a cursory glance on the web or newspapers show _maligalig _being used in the essential sense that I have described, that is, the quality of being bothersome/troublesome or being bothered/troubled. 
A brief search yielded these phrases: maligalig ang mundo, maligalig ang aking PC, maligalig ang isipan, maligalig ang klase, etc. 
I would grant you though that _maligalig_ is one those words that are commonly misused, even by native speakers of Tagalog.


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## Pinoy Tsinoy

Maligalig is from "ligalig" or "worry", so it means "worrier" or full of worries.  It may also mean "anxious".


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## mataripis

maligalig is troublemaker.


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