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Filipino, or Tagalog, ma-verbs are actor-focus verbs that describe physical or emotional states and certain actions.
The applet below shows how the ma-verb rule applies to the root word "gutom" (hungry).
As with other Filipino verbs, the verb that starts with "na" prefix is in perfect aspct. The repetition of the first syllable of the root means that the verb is in progressive aspect, and when that starts with "ma", the verb is in prospective aspect.
There are exceptions to that rule, and when the root is an English word such as "late", a hyphen must come between the prefix and the root ("ma-late"). In case of "late", the progressive form is "nali-late" perhaps being affected by the English pronounciation of the word "late".
The following Java applet shows a listing of roots of ma-verbs. Select one of those in the drop-down list, the infinitive, perfect, progressive, and prospective form will appear below.
One thing to note about ma-verbs is that some verb such as "maligo" can be regarded as a ma-verb whose root is "ligo" (bathing), or an m-verb whose root is "paligo" (washing of the body) and the grammatical classification of the verb may vary according to authors.