Forgiveness or Discount?
‘Wag kang humingi ng tawad sa tindera, wala kang kasalanan sa kanya.
Literal English Translation: Don’t ask forgiveness from the seller, you did not do anything wrong.
My old friend told me this line (above) one time when we were in the market buying some seafood. He seemed to be correcting me with the way I transact with a seller. A typical scenario in the Philippine wet market goes like this:
Fish Vendor: Suki (loyal or frequent customer)! Bili na ng isda, murang mura lang! (Buy fish for a low price!)
Customer: Bigyan mo/Pahingi ako ng tawad ate. (Give me discount Ma’am)
Fish Vendor: Wala ng tawad Sir kasis sagad na presyo nyan. (No more discount Sir, it’s the lowest price.
“Tawad” really means Sorry or Forgiveness in the English language. But this word is frequently used by Filipinos in Tagalog language when they mean “discount“. Although many are aware that the word “diskwento” can precisely mean discount when used in the above scenario, it is rarely used.
Many do not get bothered about it because for many years, Filipino conversation in the market set up has been like that. Nobody seemed to get confused. It is basically just the way it is.
That’s what’s lovely about Filiino Language. A language so rich and unique, you can twist it and say it in many forms and yet everybody still understands you.
