Day 64 of 160

Day 64: Is the Ground Really Sinking?

In the newsroom of a broadsheet in Port Area, Manila, editors Linda (A) and Rebecca (B) go over a draft for the paper's Filipino-language website by Ralph (C), a young reporter, about a study saying parts of Bulacan and Metro Manila are sinking.

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

    Rebecca, tingnan mo ang headline ni Ralph: "Bulacan at Maynila, lulubog!"

    Rebecca, look at Ralph's headline: "Bulacan and Manila Will Sink!"

  2. B

    Ralph, hindi "lulubog" ang sinabi ng pag-aaral. Ilang bayan lang ang sinukat nila.

    Ralph, the study didn't say "will sink." They only took measurements in a few towns.

  3. C

    Pero lumulubog daw po talaga roon nang ilang sentimetro kada taon.

    But it says the ground there really is sinking a few centimeters a year.

  4. B

    Tila lumulubog nga ang ilang bahagi, at marahil dahil iyon sa sobrang pagbomba ng tubig.

    Some parts do seem to be sinking, probably from pumping out too much groundwater.

  5. C

    Kung puro "tila" po, sino pa ang magbabasa? Lalangawin po ang istorya.

    If it's all "seems," who's going to read it? The story will flop.

  6. A

    Mas mabuti pang langawin kaysa manakot. Baka may magbenta pa ng bahay dahil sa headline mo.

    Better a flop than a scare. Someone might even sell their house because of your headline.

  7. B

    Ito kaya: "Ilang bahagi ng Bulacan, tila lumulubog." Totoo, at walang magpa-panic.

    How about this: "Parts of Bulacan Seem to Be Sinking." It's true, and nobody panics.

  8. C

    Mas mahina po, pero mas matibay. Puwede ko po bang idagdag ang "ayon sa pag-aaral"?

    It's weaker, but it holds up better. Can I add "according to a study"?

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