Day 68 of 135

Day 68: Love Letters Typed for Hire

On the sidewalk at Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila, documentary filmmaker Bing (A) interviews Mang Ulding (B), who typed love letters for hire there from the 1960s to the 1980s.

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

    Mang Ulding, rolling na po. Paano po kayo nagsimulang magmakinilya rito sa tapat ng Post Office?

    Mang Ulding, we're rolling. How did you start typing here across from the Post Office?

  2. B

    Noong sisenta'y dos, iha. May hiram akong Underwood at mesang natitiklop, at piso ang isang liham.

    In sixty-two, iha. I had a borrowed Underwood and a folding table, and a letter cost one peso.

  3. A

    Totoo po bang halos pare-pareho ang simula ng mga liham pag-ibig ninyo?

    Is it true your love letters almost all began the same way?

  4. B

    Oo. "Sa pagdating ng liham kong ito, nawa'y datnan ka sa mabuting kalagayan, sampu ng iyong mga mahal sa buhay."

    Yes. "Upon the arrival of this letter, may it find you in good health, together with all your loved ones."

  5. A

    Bakit po laging ganoon? Hindi po ba nakakasawang basahin?

    Why always like that? Didn't it get tiresome to read?

  6. B

    Iha, tatlong linggo ang biyahe ng sulat noon. Kaya ang unang hiling mo, sana, buhay pa siya at malusog pagbukas niya ng sobre.

    Iha, a letter took three weeks to arrive back then. So your first wish was that she'd still be alive and well when she opened the envelope.

  7. A

    Ang lalim po pala. E paano naman po ang pagtatapos?

    That's deep. And how did they end?

  8. B

    "Hanggang dito na lamang, irog, at hihintayin ko ang iyong tugon, gaya ng tigang na lupang naghihintay sa ulan." Panligaw 'yan.

    "I shall end here, my beloved, and await your reply as parched earth awaits the rain." That one's for courting.

  9. A

    Panligaw po? May iba pa po bang klase?

    For courting? There were other kinds?

  10. B

    May panghingi ng tawad, mas mahal nang kaunti, mas maraming pahina at luha. O, ikaw, may gusto ka bang sulatan? Libre.

    There were apologies, a little pricier, more pages and more tears. Now, you, is there someone you'd like to write to? It's free.

  11. A

    Naku... sige po. Para po sa nanay ko sa Iloilo, na sa Viber ko lang kinukumusta.

    Oh... all right. For my mother in Iloilo, whom I only ever check on through Viber.

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