Day 78: Carols in the Dark
During a Christmas choir concert in the packed atrium of a mall in Pasay, the power fails, and Leah (A), the mall's operations manager, turns to Pinky (B), the conductor of the choir on stage, as the crowd starts pushing toward the dark exits.
How to study this lesson 3 steps
- Read the situation under the title. It says who is talking and how they know each other, which decides how politely they speak.
- Read the dialogue line by line with its translation, until every line makes sense.
- 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
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A
Pinky, huwag kang sisigaw. Bumigay ang generator, sampung minuto pa bago bumalik ang ilaw, at nagtutulakan na sila.
Pinky, don't shout. The generator failed, the lights won't be back for ten minutes, and they're already pushing.
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B
Nakita ko, may batang muntik nang madapa. Bigyan mo ako ng mic na may baterya, kakantahan ko sila.
I saw it, a child almost tripped. Give me a mic with a battery, I'll sing to them.
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A
May wireless sa booth, naka-UPS ang sound system. Pero hindi sapat na kumalma sila; kailangan nilang lumabas nang hanay-hanay, hindi sabay-sabay.
There's a wireless one in the booth, and the sound system's on a UPS. But it's not enough for them to calm down; they have to leave row by row, not all at once.
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B
E 'di isasama natin sa kanta ang bilin. "Ang Pasko ay Sumapit," alam 'yan pati ng mga lola.
Then we'll put the instructions in the song. "Ang Pasko ay Sumapit," even the grandmothers know that one.
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A
Babaguhin mo ang lyrics, ngayon, sa dilim?
You're going to change the lyrics, now, in the dark?
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B
Pakinggan mo: "Ilaw man ay nawala, puso'y huwag mabahala; sa kanan po ang daan, dahan-dahan, walang tulakan." Sukat na sukat, may tugma pa.
Listen: "Though the lights have gone away, let your heart not be dismayed; the way out is on the right, go slow, no pushing tonight." A perfect fit for the meter, and it rhymes too.
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A
Ang galing. Pero ang nasa kanan ang uunahin, malapit sila sa exit. Ang nasa kaliwa, maghihintay.
Brilliant. But the people on the right go first, they're nearest the exit. The ones on the left will wait.
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B
Kaya ng tugma 'yan: "Sa kaliwa'y maghintay, kumanta tayo nang sabay." Maghintay, sabay, tugmang-tugma.
The rhyme can handle that: "Left side, please wait, let's all sing together." Maghintay, sabay, a perfect rhyme.
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A
Marshals, flashlight sa kanang exit, isang hanay bawat taludtod. Pinky, kapag itinaas ko ang ilaw, susunod na hanay.
Marshals, flashlights at the right exit, one row per line of the song. Pinky, when I raise my light, it's the next row.
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B
Kapag ibinaba mo, uulitin ko ang chorus, mabagal. At kung sumintunado ako, huwag mong ikukuwento sa mga bata.
When you lower it, I'll repeat the chorus, slowly. And if I go off-key, don't you tell the kids.
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A
Ngayong gabi, kahit sintunado ka, ikaw ang pinakamagandang boses sa buong Pasay. Sige, sa bilang ko.
Tonight, even off-key, you're the most beautiful voice in all of Pasay. Okay, on my count.
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B
Mga kaibigan, sabay-sabay tayo, mahina lang, parang hele: "Ilaw man ay nawala, puso'y huwag mabahala..."
Friends, all together now, softly, like a lullaby: "Though the lights have gone away, let your heart not be dismayed..."
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