- Kumusta po kayo?
- Mabuti po. Salamat po.
What made most Asian languages unique to Western languages is the use of polite articles. This is simply not about the formal and informal variations of a language. We are talking about the respect accorded to elders and persons in authority. This is why in almost all of the Filipino language instructional modules, the lessons involving the appropriate use of the words "po" and "opo" are included in the lessons. "Opo" is the respectful version of "Oo" which means "yes" in English while "po" doesn't have an English equivalent. If ever I encountered an equivalent in other languages that I reviewed, it's in Korean and that word is "yo" a polite article added usually at the end of the sentence when talking to the elderly or persons in authority. In Nihonggo (the official language of Japan), compared to Tagalog it is a lot more complicated knowing the levels of hierarchy to consider when picking a grammatical variation. So we can go ahead and start switching some expressions into polite versions. Since "opo" is the self-explanatory part, we'd go forward with the "po" variations. "Pasintabi po" is the more generic expression compared to "Makikiraan po" which can be translated as "May I pass?" "Makikiraan po" is more often heard in flea markets like Divisoria where crowds are pressed against one another and you really need to speak a little louder just so the crowd would be informed that you will pass. "Pasintabi po" on the other hand is an expression you usually hear on the bus, on the jeep or vehicles used for public transportation where you run the risk of getting cramped like sardines. "Kumusta" can also be written or spoken as "Kumusta ka?" when referring to a single person who's a close friend or of the same age. When referring to someone who's older or someone of higher authority, you say "Kumusta po?" instead of "Kumusta ka?" Another variation would be "Kumusta po kayo?" when addressing a single elderly or person of authority or more than one person. "Kumusta po?" or "Kumusta po kayo?" are interchangeable depending where you find it comfortable. "Mabuti naman po" can also be written or spoken as "Mabuti po" when asked with "Kumusta po?" The root word of "mabuti" is "buti" which means "good/fine". It really happens in conversations that you are polite and the person you are talking to ends up being polite too. "Naman" is sometimes a filler and sometimes a word used to emphasize that you are fine. Another variation to "Mabuti po" is "Maayos po" since the root word of "maayos" is "ayos" which means "okay".. "Salamat po" is the polite version of "Salamat" which in English means "Thanks". Another variation would be "Maraming salamat po" which means "Thank you very much". Individuals that are overflowing with gratitude usually say "Maraming-maraming salamat po" that gets them repeating the word "Marami" and adding the suffix "-ng" at the end of the first word since "Marami" ends with a vowel, making the sentence overflowing with thanksgiving. Just add "po" at the end of the expression and it's good to go. Now that we covered the polite variations of Tagalog pleasantries, we can have these expressions assembled into a mini-conversation: Just a little favor before we finish our lesson for today - subscribe to my newsletter that I just updated for the sake of individuals interested with learning Tagalog. Rest assured that only Tagalog lessons reach your inbox. Otherwise follow me on Twitter @jingdalagan to keep yourself updated with my latest blog posts helping you learn Tagalog. Thanks.
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In similar fashion that I would often espouse in my articles at DuLaBoo for a need to learn the conversational aspect of another language, I decided to try using a video simulation that would help in exposing Tagalog in a conversational manner. So for the first lesson that I have decided to use a video clip with transcript, I would be using a clip in tradition of Throwback Thursday: Balakubak Balakubak is a skit from the defunct gag show "Nuts Entertainment" that used to air on the Kapuso network, GMA. Balakubak is an acronym coined by one of the hosts, Joey de Leon, which means "Balita at Kuwentong Bakla" (Loose Translation: News and Stories So Gay). Prior to writing this blog entry, I even transcribed the interview for the sake of using it for teaching Tagalog. And you know that Tagalog lessons are a lot easier to digest when there is a little gossip inserted in between. We're not in the classroom so take advantage of that little loophole in learning Tagalog. I will be putting some time marks and mark the quips that entertainment talent manager, Alfie Lorenzo, made to guide you with the things said in the video while learning segment in Filipino culture as you learn Tagalog sentences. [Alfie] Maglalagay ka kung saan-saan, di ba? Pa-publish mo, ganun, di ba? Sabi ko, ngayon umaani na ako ng tagumpay eh. Namumunga na itong ano ko, di ba? Citrus (laughter) di ba? [You put articles everywhere. You publish them.. I said now I am reaping my success. My "citrus tree" has borne fruit.] [0:12] [Alfie] Sabi niya, "Bakit Judy Ann na lang? Di ka na nagma-manage ng iba?" Ang sagot ko naman, alam mo naman, suplada ako di ba? When you have the best, why worry about the rest? Milyones na di ba? ["Why manage only Judy Ann? Why not manage someone else anymore?" I said and you know how much of a snob am i "When you have the best, why worry about the rest?" I'm already earning millions.] [0:27] Pagusapan natin si Judy Ann, siyempre ikaw nakakaalam ng mga sikreto niya. Talaga bang sila ni Ryan ikakasal na? [Let's talk about Judy Ann. Of course, you know all of her secrets. Are they of Ryan really getting married?] [0:37] [Alfie] Ah wala. Diyan ko naman hinahangaan yung dalawa. Hindi yung nagkainlaban sila, they don't just jump into the pool. [No plans. It's where I admire them. Not because they fell in love, they don't just jump into the pool.] [0:45] Di ba uso ngayon ang lipatan? Si Judy Ann ba eh lilipat dito sa GMA balang araw? [Switching networks is the trend, right? Is Judy Ann transferring to GMA soon?] [0:54] [Alfie] Matagal nang may alok ang banker kaya lang to my- {There is an offer from the banker but to my-] [1:00] Parang casino pa rin, may banker? {This is so casino. There is a banker?] [1:02] [Alfie] Umover dun eh ... Dodoblehin namin. Okay ... Deal. Di ba? [They exceeded the offer. They said they're going to double the offer. Okay. Deal, right?] Wow [1:10] Alam mo natutuwa ako kasi kahit madalas siya sa ibang bansa napapanood pa rin niya tayo kaya katulad noong, alam niya yung bangka eh [You know, I am glad since even if he is often in other countries, he still watches us, that's why he knew the banca.] Ay! Gusto niya magbangka.Kaya eto na, babangkain na natin. [He wanted to do banca. So here we'll go banca on him.] Okay [1:22] Alfie, sasagot ka lang ha? [Alfie, all you got to do is answer okay?] [Alfie] Sige nga [Go ahead] Kunwari nasa bangka kayong tatlo. [Let's pretend that there are 3 of you in a banca.] Nino? Tumaob yung bangka [The banca flipped over.] Oh Tapos yung dalawa mong kasama di marunong lumangoy. [Then both of your companions don't know how to swim.] So sino una mong isi-save? [Who would you save first?] Si Lolit Solis o si Douglas Quijano? [Lolit Solis or Douglas Quijano?] [1:41] [Alfie] Ang sarili ko [Myself.] Hindi nga. Bukod nga sa yo. Ikaw lang ang marunong lumangoy eh. [No. Other than yourself. You're the only person on the banca that can swim.] [1:48] [Alfie] Parang ano yata, meron bang dapat pagpilian? Meron bang dapat pagpilian, ganun? Baka si Douglas na lang kasi helpless yun talaga eh. Si Lolit, can do yun o di ba? Puede siyang bumili ng sarili niyang salbabida. [It seems like ... do I really have a choice? Do I really have a choice? Maybe Douglas because he's really a helpless person. Lolit can survive on her own. She can buy her own floating device.] [2:06] Hmm, ganun ulit. Tumaob yung bangka. Kanino mo ibibigay yung nagiisang lifevest? Kay Ryan o kay Piolo? [Okay let's do that again. The banca flipped over. To whom would you give the only lifevest? To Ryan or to Piolo?] [2:16] [Alfie] Siyempre sa Papa* ko ano? [Of course to my Papa right?] Sino yun? [Who is that?] [Alfie] Piolo (laughter) [2:25] Alam naman natin na isa sa mga best friend mo si Lolit. Nung nangyari itong insidenteng ito*- [We all know that one of your best friends is Lolit. When this incident happened-] Hindi pinapagalitan pa niyan si Lolit minsan eh [No, he even scolds Lolit sometimes] Paano mo siyang kinausap? [How did you talk to her?] [2:35] [Alfie] Ang sabi ko relax ka lang. Yang mga kako, ano yan eh, parang wala akong nakikitang ano dun eh, sabi ko, mali [I said relax. Truth be told, it's like, I don't see much there. I don't see anything wrong there.] Wala naman ata siyang sinabi talaga- [She didn't really say anything-] [Alfie] Wala kasi ano binase lang dun sa ano, di naman kasi nag-headline sa ano niya eh [Nothing since they just based those on the headline on her article] [2:51] Dun sa mga hindi pa naga-out na mga artista, yung mga alam mo na, may bahid ng pagkaberde ang dugo* [To the celebrities that have not come out, those who might have shades of green on their blood-] [2:58] Kung ikaw nagma-manage sa kanila, halimbawa [If you are their manager] [3:00] [Alfie] Mga kapatid, magsilabas na kayo sa closet! Mainit diyan! [Sisters, get out of the closet! It's hot in there!] O kita mo? Sabi sa inyo eh. Iba si Alfie [See? I told you Alfie is unique] Bigyan mo nga kami ng initials [Give us some initials] (laughter) [Alfie] Hindi kasi ano naman. Kasi yung kanya-kanyang trip* lang naman yan eh. [No, here's the thing. It's everyone's choice.] Pero sa tingin mo marami pang alam mo na ayaw? [But do you think there are still a lot who won't?] [Alfie] Ang dami naman! [A lot!] San mas marami? Dito (GMA) o doon (ABS)? [Which network has more closet gays? Here (GMA) or there (ABS)?] [3:26] [Alfie] Doon! [There!] Ang tawa ni Wendell! [Boy, did Wendell laugh so hard!] [Alfie] Oo doon! [Yes, there.] One is to? [Alfie] Hindi, yun nga eh. Kanya-kanyang trip yun eh kasi si Rustom, akala niya nun maga-out siya, mas sisikat siya. Wala rin namang nangyari. Kasi nga nowadays, 3-6 months lang ang artista, sabi ko nga di ba? Napilit ba nilang umamin si [name deleted] o di ba? [Name deleted] napilit ba nilang umamin na siya si Rhoda? [No that's the point. It's everyone's choice because Rustom thought that once he comes out, he'd be more famous. But nothing happened. Because nowadays, the celebrity shelf life is only 3 to 6 months as I said before, right? Did they force (name deleted) to come out? Did they get Rhoda to come out?] [4:03] [Alfie] Pinagdududahan po nila akong bakla talaga yun. Bakla talaga yun. [They are suspicious that he's really gay. He's really gay.] Bubulungan ba natin si Alfie? Maganda siguro [Shall we whisper questions to Alife? Maybe it's nice] Bulungan natin [Let's whisper] Okay [Alfie] Tapos na ba? [Done?] Nilalakas eh [You're too loud] [Alfie] Parang it's not worth it Wag mong ilalakas yung sagot [Don't say the answer out loud] Kelangan reaction lang [Just a reaction will do] Hmm O sige [Okay] [Wicked whispers] [Alfie] Oo naniniwala ako. Bakla nga yun [Yes I believe he's gay.] HINDEH!!!!! [NOOOOOO!!!!!] Wala pa nga eh [Nothing's asked yet] [Alfie] Oh ... O sige [4:50] [Alfie] Oh anong itatanong? Nahulaan ko ba? [What are you going to ask? Did I guess it right?] Oo, parang sinagot mo eh. Pambihira ka eh. [Yes, you answered it. You're one of a kind.] Pati pandinig ang lakas pa ano? [Even his hearing is so sharp right?] [5:00] [Alfie] Pinagdududahan po nila akong bakla talaga yun. Bakla talaga yun [They are suspicious to me that he's really gay. He's really gay.] [5:05] First time nangyari ito [This is the first time that it happened] [5:10] [Alfie] Ang dami ng mga ebidinsiya. Alam mo, bago mag-out si Rustom, gusto na raw niya mag-out siya. Pero sabi nung ano, nung bading na kaibigan na dati niyang jowa* na nasa San Francisco, "Manghinayang ka sa kinikita mo ano? Saka na lang. Mabuko ka nila e di tumakbo ka na lang. Madami ka nang datung" Sabi. O yun, ga-listen naman. Sino ba yun? [There's a lot of evidence. You know, before Rustom came out, HE (the actor being allegedly whispered) wanted to come out. But his friend that used to be his lover that lives in San Francisco now told him "Feel bad about the lost income. Come out some other time. If ever they get you busted, just run. By that time you have a lot of money" That's what he was told. He listened. Wait was HE the one you're asking about?] Yun ba yun? [Alfie] Sino nga ba yun? Siya ba yun talaga? [Who was it anyway? Was it really HIM?] [5:43] Baka iba yung tinatanong ko [I might be asking of someone else] Baka iba yung tinatanong niya [He might be asking of someone else] Alam mo, dapat ibalik talaga natin si Tito Alfie pa sa isa pang episode [You know, we really should bring back Tito Alfie for one more episode] Sa isang taon [Next year] [5:52] [Alfie] Kasi siyempre mahihirapan kayong magisip ng itatanong nyo [Because of course, you'd be having a hard time thinking of what to ask me] Alfie, thank you'ng thank you talaga kasi kulang pa oras natin [Alfie, really really thank you since we ran out of time] [Alfie] Ano ba? Tapos na ba? [What? It's over?] Oo [Yes] Oo dadalawin pa natin si Lolit [Yes, because we still have to visit Lolit] [Alfie] Ay Dios ko! Kararating ko lang ah [Oh God, I just arrived] Oo [Yes] Oy anong message mo kay Lolit? [Any message for Lolit?] [6:11] [Alfie] Alam mo Lolit hangang-hanga ako sa ginagawa mo. Nung nagi-scam ka, ang premyo mo ... StarTalk. More than 12 years na yan di ba? O kita mo ngayon andyan na naman si Mayor ... tutulungan ka na naman ni Mayor [name deleted]. Magko-contribute na naman yang mga mayors, mga senador, si Bong, si Jinggoy ... hay, ang ending niyan eh pabalik-balik ka na lang ng Spain [You know, Lolit, I admire you a lot for what you do. When you had that filmfest scam, your reward is the talk show, StarTalk. It's more than 12 years now. See. Mayor is now helping you. You will receive contributions again from mayors, senators, Bong, Jinggoy .. in the end you'd just go back and forth to Spain.] [6:48] Message naman sa mga nagdemanda kay Lolit [Parting words to those who sued Lolit] [Alfie] Sa mga nagdemanda kay Lolit, condolence. You don't bite the hand that feeds you. Nasa showbiz kayo. Dumating kayo, inabutan nyo lang kami. Magbigay-galang kayo. [To those who sued Lolit, condolence. You don't bite the hand that feeds you. You're in showbiz. You came over and you already found us here. Respect us.] Ay! Malalim [Oh! That was deep] I have a feeling that you had a lot of fun reading the text. I had a lot of fun too. So I marked some Tagalog slang terms for better learning too with asterisks to further explain what do they mean in the Tagalog context:
Also pay attention to how many times the Tagalog word "Talaga" is mentioned. It's not really that often mentioned in Tagalog unless some pointers needed some emphasis. Whenever I write in English, sometimes my being Filipino tends to come out due to constant mention of the word "Really" which is what "Talaga" meant anyway. There are even instances when this word has a tendency to look like one of those filler words when trying to speak in Tagalog. I never considered it as a bad thing. Knowing that some of you ended up liking some lessons shared here on my blog, don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter to keep yourself updated with the latest Tagalog lessons on your inbox just on the right side of this page. Like, share, tweet this article for everyone to enjoy and post comments too so that I would get to know your feedback. I'd be seeing you on the next lesson. Thanks.
Truth be told, I realized my proficiency in English as pretty advanced when I was a freshman in high school. I didn't memorize words and phrases although I can do that too. It's just that whether in English or Tagalog, I just discovered a pattern in stringing together words in order to form a sentence. Usually the key to learning a new language helps with learning the vocabulary words first and learning how to organize them into complete sentences later. If you find word play fun, sentence construction comes next naturally. Learning Tagalog sentence construction just made the word play even more fun since some patterns are also seen in English like flipping over the sentence, removing some words and still carry the same thought. Don't worry. Removing some articles/particles/words won't make it mean less. The subject verb agreement was already mentioned on my previous blog entry highlighting the appropriate usage of "mga". But we will stick to the basic sentences that can easily be flipped over.
If you haven't noticed the differences yet, let me point out to you. When translated to English, "kami" and "tayo" both mean "we". But "kami" is often used when you exclude the person you are talking to from the equation = "Us excluding you". When using "tayo" (emphasis on the first syllable), it means we including the person you are talking to.= "Us including you" When we flipped the sentence "Ikaw ay nagpaplansta" to "Nagpaplantsa ka", the pronoun "ikaw" becomes "ka". The word "ka" only becomes applicable in Tagalog sentence construction if the verb is ahead of the subject pronoun. Please bear in mind that you don't start a sentence in Tagalog with the word "ka" EVER. If you want the pronoun to be ahead of the verb in the sentence, use "ikaw". .Another pointer that you need to remember is the Tagalog equivalents of the pronoun "you". The singular form of "you" is "ikaw" (when written ahead of the verb) and "ka" (if written after the verb). The plural form of "you" is "kayo" whether you put it ahead of the verb or after the verb. Once you get a grasp of this method of sentence construction, learning how to string together words with the help of other figures of speech come naturally. This format of sentence construction is not exclusive to verbs although using "ay" is similar to using irregular verbs for the sake of sentence construction. The sentences that can easily be flipped come easy when using adjectives too.
Learning Tagalog is easy with the help of sentence patterns that often serve as guides for sentence construction tips. As long as you can identify sentence patterns and know the rules of subject-verb agreement, you are good to go to learning conversational Tagalog. In this vein, please stay tuned for our next lesson where we will discuss adjectives in singular and plural form. Don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter to keep yourself updated with the Tagalog lessons offered in this blog. Maraming salamat po.
Unlike in most western languages, Tagalog grammar does not add suffixes to switch their nouns into plural versions of themselves like "-s" and "-es". It usually boils down to adding an article before the noun itself: "mga". "Ang" is an article usually seen at the beginning of the sentences which is often the Tagalog equivalent of "The".
"Mga" is pronounced as /mng-ah/. It's one of the exceptions usually seen in the Tagalog language where words with "ng" are commonly seen. instead of the combo "mg". It's the only word in Tagalog so far that uses this consonant combo with a different pronunciation. The word "mga" is not always seen with "ang" since some nouns are not always the subject of the sentence. If they are the object in the subject-verb-object formula of sentence construction,
Sometimes the use of "mga" can be used in sentences that not only identifies the direct object and the indirect object.
Learning Tagalog is easy granted that you have a concept of sentence construction, subject-verb-agreement and the objects to be pertained in a sentence. In fact, when speaking in Tagalog, sentence construction can be 2-pronged. It doesn't have anything to do with being formal or informal but being understood. Be ready for your next lesson as we will discuss the polite version of speaking in Tagalog: "po" and "opo" A common misstep that non-native speakers of Tagalog encounter is how to construct sentences without making the sentences sound like caveman-speak. If there is such a thing as English caveman-speak, such conundrum exists in practicing Tagalog too. If you have attempted trying to construct complete sentences when including adjectives into the sentences that you are trying to assemble, chances are some friends that spoke the language as a native would try to correct you. While some of them meant well while trying to correct you, others would impose this "I am better than you" type of personality just to exude their superiority over you. (As if they have never committed a mistake ever in their life) Please don't let them get you disillusioned. Isn't that what I am here for? For today, we will be discussing the word "na" and the suffixes "-ng" and "-g"
Most of the time, these word connectors are used when Tagalog adjectives are used in a sentence. But since Tagalog conversations often end up getting some words connected with one another as if following a syntax formula in speaking the language, these terms end up getting used just the same that some non-native speakers might find getting used to when talking about things that require you to describe them. So whether it is a verb, adjective, adverb or noun even. In this vein, let us try constructing some of them and use them in a sentence
Speaking Tagalog and some local Filipino dialects too often involved a wide range of prefixes, suffixes and articles. Learning which terms suited the sentences best helps a lot in getting some of the Tagalog phrases right as you try to widen your vocabulary and harness your sentence construction skills. Glad to be of help. See you on the next lesson. Hello. This is Jing with a concept that I would like to test here on my Weebly account since as they say, some of the concepts that get done online or offline are concepts that are born out of frustration. Frustration with what, you ask? Well to those who didn't know it yet, I write language tutorial reviews for DuLaBoo.com. Even if Tagalog is not included among the languages that I write about, sometimes I can't help but check the Tagalog sections of the websites that I review. Well,, what happened? Some of these websites teach Tagalog vocabulary which is fine since I personally belief that learning a new language starts with learning new words first and learning how to assemble these words into complete sentences later. Some teach words and sentences that are either too long or not often as used as they thought. Some even teach expressions that are almost obsolete. And yes FilipinoClass101, you're one of the programs that I am referring to. I guess that's the reason why I almost never wrote about you Do we have to jump immediately into teaching sentences and expressions that might otherwise be too long or too complicated only to discover later how some of these are not used as often as they are expected anymore? Of course not. We have to put into consideration the conversational aspects of learning a new language. The more contemporary the lessons used, the better. Why am I saying this? I guess that's part of the frustration that I felt upon realizing that while some Tagalog language tutorial videos are available on YouTube for everyone to view, not all of them are as updated as I expected. I already mentioned about how some expressions are either too outdated or complicated when it can be simplified. I am not a teacher by profession but I admit being motivated enough to think about teaching my native tongue in the point of view of a contemporary speaker and the ability to be understood as I speak my language. And I admit that Filipino grammar is one of my fave subjects when I was a student myself apart from English and the sciences. That might explain best why I ended up with a degree with Bachelor of Arts major in Political Science. Still since I enjoy reading blogs that are either in English or Filipino, sometimes the uncontrollable urge to go grammar police on some of them is unavoidable. In an era and society where the ability to speak English is the worst cover-up for the fact that not much matter can be found between the ears, some folks have forgotten the art of speaking in Tagalog. Worse, some of them refuse to speak in Tagalog. And for me the only acceptable alibi when speaking in broken English is that you are practicing your English language proficiency. Otherwise, I would view you as a shallow vermin this side of the Earth with nothing but the illusion of grandeur and pomp brought about by the capability to speak English. This is why when faced with the challenge as a Filipino to teach non-native speakers the art of speaking Tagalog (or your native language or dialect in the Philippines), some of us either fail or end up pulling pranks on the poor half-breeds and foreigners by teaching them sick, perverted Tagalog alongside the profanity. Unless your default student is game about it (very rare), do it. What pushed me to teach Tagalog as a second language online? Apart from having nationalist tendencies (never a bad thing), I realized how Google Translate failed most folks when it comes to some languages that have a certain demand to be learned. If some of these foreigners and half-breeds realized how they got duped into speaking the not-so-wholesome side of Tagalog, they would not be spared from further embarrassment by using Google Translate. I recommend Google Translate for learning vocabulary words, not complete sentences. As to the rest of the basics of learning Tagalog, to set your expectations as early as now, I will not immediately jump into sentences for the meantime since I would like to point out some of the nuances that constantly plague speaking Tagalog like the suffixes "ng" and "g" as well as the preposition "na" plus conflicts that arise when you can't decide between "may" and "mayroon". As a kid, I remember having classmates constantly struggle with these words and more perhaps because here in Capas, Tarlac, the real mother tongue is Kapampangan. But that didn't deter me from learning Tagalog even more. While my mom is Kapampangan, my dad is Tagalog from Paete, Laguna. Living in a multilingual household exposed me to how languages work and how some words occasionally mixed up because of how we talk to one another. It took years for my Tagalog accent to be removed every time I speak Kapampangan and it helped that I didn't give up that much. I think it also helped that I am talkative whether in Tagalog or English (and eventually in Kapampangan too) in order to totally harness all languages. While I haven't tested much the demand for learning Tagalog online yet, I see this as my way of helping Tagalog thrive online as well as helping other cultures discover how speaking Tagalog can help in communicating better here in the Philippines. No one is ever too rich or too "elite" to learn the language. We just need to get some things done accordingly: I see myself teaching Tagalog with English as my medium of instruction.. This is my way of exposing Tagalog to everyone interested to learn by talking in the language that they understand best. English may not be your mother tongue but sure enough, some folks understand English enough to understand the medium that I have chosen to use in speaking Tagalog. Are you ready? Brace yourselves for an interesting insight into learning Tagalog. In the next blog entry, you will discover the appropriate usage of "na" and its sister suffixes "ng" and "g". |
Jing DalaganI've been blogging for as long as I could remember. But I made it a career as of late as a home-based writer. It is something I find comfort in doing. Archives
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