Day 125: The Wrong Proverb for Day One
At his house in Meycauayan, Bulacan, a newly elected barangay captain (B) reads the opening of his inauguration speech to Abby (A), the young speechwriter he has hired.
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
Kap, paano po ninyo bubuksan ang talumpati ninyo sa panunumpa?
Kap, how are you going to open your inauguration speech?
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B
Pakinggan mo 'to: "Bato-bato sa langit, ang tamaan ay huwag magagalit." Alam ng lahat kung para kanino 'yan.
Listen to this: "Throw a stone at the sky, and whoever it hits shouldn't take offense." Everyone knows who that's for.
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A
Iyon nga po ang problema. Nasa harap ninyo ang kalahati ng barangay na hindi bumoto sa inyo.
That's exactly the problem. In front of you will be the half of the barangay that didn't vote for you.
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B
Buong kampanya nila akong siniraan, Abby. Ngayon lang ako makakabawi.
They trashed me the whole campaign, Abby. Now I finally get to even the score.
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A
Isang araw lang po ang ganti. Pero buong termino po ninyong kailangan ang mga kagawad nilang nanalo rin.
Getting even lasts a day. But for your whole term, you'll need their councilors who won too.
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B
E ano'ng ipapalit mo? Ayokong puro salamat lang, aantukin ang mga tao.
So what would you put in its place? I don't want a speech full of thank-yous, people will doze off.
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A
Ito po: "Matibay ang walis, palibhasa'y magkabigkis." Kayo po ang tali, at lahat sila ang tingting.
This one: "A broom is strong because its strands are bound together." You're the cord, and they're all the strands.
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B
O siya, walis ang pambungad. Itatabi ko na lang ang bato-bato para sa susunod na eleksiyon.
All right, the broom goes first. I'll save the stone for the next election.
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