Day 82 of 135

Day 82: Two Dads at the Christmas Pageant

In the packed covered court of an elementary school in Cainta, Rizal, Jojo (A) and Ramil (B), old friends whose sons are in the same class, wait for the Christmas pageant to start: Jojo's son plays a tree, and Ramil's the back half of a carabao.

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

    Pare, nakita mo na ang anak ko? Puno siya, at hindi basta puno: narra, ang pambansang puno.

    Pare, have you seen my son yet? He's a tree, and not just any tree: a narra, the national tree.

  2. B

    Puno lang pala? Akala ko may linya. Ang anak ko, kalabaw, ang pambansang hayop.

    Just a tree, huh? I thought he had lines. My son's a carabao, the national animal.

  3. A

    Kalahating kalabaw, pare, at 'yung likod pa. Ang ulo, siyempre, anak ng principal.

    Half a carabao, pare, and the back half at that. The head, naturally, is the principal's son.

  4. B

    Nasa likod nga, pero siya ang nagdadala ng kalabaw. Sa likod ng bawat dakilang kalabaw, may batang nakayuko.

    Sure, he's at the back, but he's the one carrying the carabao. Behind every great carabao, there's a boy bent double.

  5. A

    Ang anak ko naman, puno ng talento. Buong eksena siyang nakatayo, hindi natitinag.

    Well, my son is a tree full of talent. He stands through the whole scene without budging.

  6. B

    Talento ang tumayo nang hindi gumagalaw? E 'di pinakamahusay na aktor ang poste ng Meralco.

    Standing still is talent now? Then the finest actor around is a Meralco power pole.

  7. A

    Huwag mong maliitin ang puno. May ugat 'yan, may sanga, at siya ang lilim ng sabsaban.

    Don't sell the tree short. It has roots, it has branches, and it shades the manger.

  8. B

    Lilim? Gabi ang eksena, pare, at nasa loob ng kuwadra. Ang anak mo, nagbibigay ng lilim sa dilim.

    Shade? The scene is at night, pare, inside a stable. Your son is providing shade in the dark.

  9. A

    At least kita ang mukha ng anak ko. Sa anak mo, buntot lang ang makikita ng mga lola.

    At least you can see my son's face. With yours, all the grandmas will get to see is the tail.

  10. B

    Bumubukas na ang kurtina! Pare, ang matatag mong puno, kumakaway sa iyo. ...Ay, pati ang buntot ng kalabaw ko.

    The curtain's opening! Pare, your unshakable tree is waving at you. ...Oh, and so is my carabao's tail.

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