Day 44 of 160

Day 44: What the Soil Test Says

On his vegetable farm in Pililla, Rizal, Dexter (A), who has used the same heavy dose of fertilizer for twenty years, listens as his nephew Jericho (B), a young soil scientist, shows him the results of a soil test.

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

    O, ano'ng lumabas sa soil test? Kulang na naman ba sa abono?

    So, what did the soil test show? Short on fertilizer again?

  2. B

    Kabaligtaran po, Tito. Sobra na po ang abono, kaya umaasim na ang lupa.

    The opposite, Tito. There's too much fertilizer, so the soil is turning acidic.

  3. A

    Hindi ba't mas maraming abono, mas maraming ani? Dalawampung taon ko nang ginagawa 'yan.

    Doesn't more fertilizer mean a bigger harvest? I've been doing it for twenty years.

  4. B

    E bakit po hindi na tumataas ang ani? Ilang sako po ba kada tanim?

    Then why isn't your harvest going up anymore? How many sacks do you use per crop?

  5. A

    Sampu, dalawang beses sa isang taon. Paano kung bawasan ko, tapos manilaw ang dahon ng talong?

    Ten, twice a year. What if I cut back, and the eggplant leaves turn yellow?

  6. B

    Hindi po maninilaw. Lima lang po ang kailangan ng lupa ninyo.

    They won't turn yellow. Your soil only needs five.

  7. A

    Lima? Mil kinyentos lang ang isang sako; magkano ba ang matitipid ko, pambili ng kape?

    Five? A sack is only fifteen hundred. How much would I save, enough for a cup of coffee?

  8. B

    Sa presyo ngayon, labinlimang libo po taon-taon, o tatlong daang libo sa dalawampung taon.

    At today's prices, fifteen thousand a year, or three hundred thousand over twenty years.

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