Day 87 of 160

Day 87: Old Words, New Words

At the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Dan (B), a young reporter, interviews Cherry (A), a linguist on the panel that picks the Filipino word of the year.

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

    Para sa amin, ang mga salitang ito ay sumasalamin sa diwa at karanasan ng sambayanan.

    For us, these words reflect the spirit and experience of the whole nation.

  2. B

    Ma'am, para po sa mga mambabasa namin, ano po ang ibig sabihin ng "sumasalamin"?

    Ma'am, for our readers, what does "sumasalamin" mean?

  3. A

    Ay, pasensiya na. Ibig sabihin, ipinapakita ng mga salita kung ano ang pinagdaanan nating lahat.

    Oh, sorry. It means the words show what we've all been through.

  4. B

    Puro bagong salita po ba ang mga nominado ngayong taon?

    Are this year's nominees all new words?

  5. A

    May "hugot," may "ayuda," at may ilang galing sa mga meme. Mahaba pa ang talaan namin.

    There's "hugot," there's "ayuda," and a few from memes. Our list is still long.

  6. B

    "Talaan" po, ibig sabihin listahan? At ang "hugot," bago naman po talaga 'yan, 'di po ba?

    "Talaan," meaning list? And "hugot" really is new, isn't it?

  7. A

    Diyan ka nagkakamali. Daan-daang taon na ang "hugot," gaya ng paghugot ng itak sa kaluban.

    That's where you're wrong. "Hugot" is centuries old, as in drawing a bolo from its sheath.

  8. B

    Kaluban po? Isusulat ko na lang pong "lalagyan," baka magtanong pa ang editor ko.

    "Kaluban"? I'll just write "case," or my editor might ask too.

  9. A

    May headline ka na: ang bagong salita, luma pala.

    Well, there's your headline: the new word was old all along.

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