Day 109 of 135

Day 109: The Last Line of the Anthem

In a faculty room in Marikina, Henry (A), a veteran social studies teacher, and Lyka (B), a young student teacher, prepare the school debate team's cases for and against a proposal to change the last line of the national anthem.

How to study this lesson 3 steps
  1. Read the situation under the title. It says who is talking and how they know each other, which decides how politely they speak.
  2. Read the dialogue line by line with its translation, until every line makes sense.
  3. Spend at least 30 minutes listening to native Tagalog. It doesn't matter if you don't understand it yet.

Dialogue

Audio for this lesson is coming soon. For now, read the dialogue and its translation.

Keys: E hide English · ← → previous / next day

  1. A

    Lyka, ikaw muna ang "for": palitan ang huling linya ng Lupang Hinirang. Bigyan mo ako ng pinakamalakas mong argumento.

    Lyka, you take "for" first: change the last line of Lupang Hinirang. Give me your strongest argument.

  2. B

    Sige po, Sir. Bakit kamatayan po ang huling ipinapangako ng mga bata tuwing flag ceremony, at hindi buhay?

    All right, Sir. Why is death the last thing the children promise at every flag ceremony, and not life?

  3. A

    Maganda. Ngayon, "against" ako: hindi kamatayan ang punto, kundi ang pag-aalay. Ang "mamatay nang dahil sa iyo" ay sukdulang pag-ibig, hindi paghahangad ng kamatayan.

    Good. Now I'm "against": the point isn't death, it's giving yourself. "To die for you" is the highest kind of love, not a wish to die.

  4. B

    Kung ganoon po, ano ang ipapalit? Halimbawa po: "Ang ipaglaban ka."

    Then what would replace it? For example: "Ang ipaglaban ka," to fight for you.

  5. A

    Kantahin mo nga sa tono. Tingnan natin kung kakasya.

    Sing it to the tune. Let's see if it fits.

  6. B

    "Aming ligaya na pag may mang-aapi, ang ipaglaban kaaa..." Sir, kulang po ang pantig, parang humihikab po ako sa dulo.

    "Our joy, when oppressors come, ang ipaglaban kaaa..." Sir, there aren't enough syllables, I sound like I'm yawning at the end.

  7. A

    E 'di dagdagan natin: "Ang ipagtanggol ka hanggang huling hininga."

    Then let's add some: "Ang ipagtanggol ka hanggang huling hininga," to defend you to our last breath.

  8. B

    Sobra naman po ngayon, Sir. Mauubusan na po ng nota bago pa makarating sa "hininga."

    Now there are too many, Sir. You run out of notes before you even get to "hininga."

  9. A

    Ang totoong kalaban ng panukala, hindi ang kahulugan kundi ang himig ni Julian Felipe. Bawat bagong linya, kailangang dumaan sa tono niya.

    The proposal's real enemy isn't the meaning, it's Julian Felipe's melody. Every new line has to get past his tune.

  10. B

    May isa pa po: "Ang mabuhay nang dahil sa iyo." Pareho po ang bilang ng pantig, isang salita lang ang pinalitan.

    There's one more: "Ang mabuhay nang dahil sa iyo," to live for you. The same number of syllables, just one word changed.

  11. A

    Kasya nga. Kaya ito ang rule ko sa team: walang panukalang tatanggapin hangga't hindi pa nakakanta nang buo, sa tono.

    It fits, all right. So here's my rule for the team: no proposal gets accepted until it's been sung all the way through, in tune.

  12. B

    Ibig sabihin po, Sir, sa Lunes, kakanta muna ang mga debater bago magsalita. Sana po, walang sintunado sa magkabilang panig.

    So on Monday, Sir, the debaters sing before they speak. Let's hope nobody's off-key on either side.

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