Birthday ng Anak ko Sa Sabado

ALING MARY:	'Birthday' ng anak ko sa Sabado. Magpapansit lang ako ng kaunti. Puwede ba kayong mag-anak?
ALING BELLA:	Mag-iilang taon na ba si Trina?
ALING MARY:	Magdadalawa na ang aking bunso.
ALING BELLA:	Kasing-edad pala ni Nadette ko.
ALING MARY:	Sige na naman, pumunta na kayo sa amin. Katuwaan lang. Walang masyadong handa.
ALING BELLA:	O sige, matagal na rin tayong hindi nagkikita-kita.
ALING MARY:	Pupunta rin sina Kumareng Tessie. Kumpleto ang tropa.
(Sa bahay ni Aling Mary)
ALING BELLA:	'Happy Birthday', Trina! Naku, ang 'cute' ng 'birthday girl'.
ALING MARY:	Padala ng Tita Rosie niya 'yong 'jump suit' mula sa States.
ALING BELLA:	O, Nadette, ibigay mo kay Trina ang regalo mo. Bigyan mo siya ng 'birthday kiss'.
ALING MARY:	Nag-abala ka pa, Kumare. Sabihin mo 'thank you', anak. O sige, pasok kayo sa loob at nang makainom muna kayo. Maingay dito sa labas. Nag-aagawan sa lobo ang mga bata.
(Pagkakain)
ALING BELLA:	Laging masarap ang handa mo , Kumare.
ALING MARY:	Simple lang.
ALING BELLA:	Ikaw ba ang nagluto ng lahat niyan?
ALING MARY:	Hindi, 'imported' ang aking 'cook'. 'Yong pinsan kong 'teacher' ng 'Home Economics'.
ALING BELLA:	Talaga ikaw, laging 'class'.

WORDS
magpapansit	will cook pansit (noodle)
mag-anak	family
kasing-edad	of the same age (from Spanish, edad)
handa	food served at a party
EXPRESSIONS
ang tropa	the troupe, group
mag-iilang taon na (si Trina)?	how old will (Trina) be?
katuwaan lang	just for fun, no big deal
pagkakataon na	it's a (good) opportunity
nag-aagawan sa lobo	grabbing balloons (that are being distributed)

KAARAWAN (Birthdays)

Birthday parties are common in the Philippines. Unlike in some Western countries where the celebrator is the one given a birthday bash or treat, in the Philippines, the celebrator throws a party as a form of thanksgiving for blessings received the past year. Families and friends are invited. There are also birthday parties for children, and often the first birthday of a child is celebrated as a big event in the family.

Pansit, or Chinese noodle, is traditionally served in birthday parties in the Philippines. It is cooked with meat and vegetables. Noodles are also served during anniversaries and other happy occasions. The belief is that when you serve pansit, it ensures long life for celebrators.

Apart from pansit, a birthday cake is also served, along with other Filipino food like adobo, fried chicken, rice cake or puto, soft drinks, etc. For dessert, there are sweets like leche flan, fruit salad, or fresh fruits.

Maligayang bati sa iyong kaarawan is the Tagalog greeting for 'Happy Birthday', which can be shortened to Maligayang bati. Kaarawan is the Tagalog term for 'birthday'.

When one attends a birthday party, it is a tradition to give a gift to the celebrator. In the Philippines, gifts are not opened in front of the giver but are set aside to be opened only after the guests have left and the party is over. The receiver of the gift usually thanks the giver a day or two after the party.

- Noel M. Morada

ILAN

Ilan, which is a question word that means 'how many?', can be verbalized when prefixed with mag- . However, it only occurs in the contemplated form.

Example:

Mag-iilang taon na ba si Trina?
(How old will Trina be?)

The response is also a mag- verb in the contemplated form with a numeral as a base.

Example:

Magdadalawang taon na siya.
(She will be turning two soon.)