Day 66 of 160

Day 66: Maharlika Was Not a King

At a museum in Makati, Michelle (A), a curator, reads the script of a video game set in the Philippines before the Spanish came, written by Niel (B), a young game developer.

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

    Niel, problema agad ang unang eksena mo: "Si Haring Maharlika ng Tondo."

    Niel, your very first scene is already a problem: "King Maharlika of Tondo."

  2. B

    Bakit po? Hindi po ba royalty ang ibig sabihin ng maharlika?

    Why? Doesn't maharlika mean royalty?

  3. A

    Ayon sa mga tala, hindi hari ang maharlika kundi mandirigmang malaya. Naglilingkod sila sa datu tuwing may digmaan.

    According to the records, a maharlika wasn't a king but a free warrior. They served the datu whenever there was a war.

  4. B

    E sino po ang pinakamataas? Kailangan ko po ng boss sa huling level.

    Then who was at the top? I need a boss for the final level.

  5. A

    Ang datu ang namumuno sa barangay, at ang lakan naman sa ilang datu, gaya ni Lakandula.

    A datu led a barangay, and a lakan led several datus, like Lakandula.

  6. B

    So lakan po ang final boss, at maharlika ang bida. Mas astig pa po!

    So a lakan is the final boss, and a maharlika is the hero. Even cooler!

  7. A

    Isa pa: alisin mo ang korona niya. Putong ang suot nila noon.

    One more thing: take off his crown. Back then they wore a putong, a head cloth.

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