Indonesian Language (Lanjutan)

Part 3

Note:

Ø Some Indonesian words have double vowels, such as saat (time, when..) bait (a paragraph in a poetry).

Ø Sometimes, a word has ‘triple diphtongs’, like beliau (he, she, polite), sesuai (suitable). You have to pronounce all the letters, because Indonesian pronunciation does not ‘swallow’ any word of its words.

Ø There are more diphthongs in Indonesian, but those are the most important.
Basic Phrases in Indonesian

Hello hai, halo

Good morning (til 10am) selamat pagi (selamat—closed e)

Good afternoon (til 3pm) selamat siang

Good evening (til 6pm) selamat sore (sore—semi-opened e)

Good night selamat malam

How are you? Apa kabar?

I am fine, thanks Baik, terimakasih

What is your name? Siapa nama Anda? (formal)

My name is __ Nama saya __

How old are you? Berapa umur Anda? (formal)

I am __ years old Umur saya __ tahun

Do you speak English? Apakah Anda berbicara bahasa Inggris? (formal)

Yes, I speak English Ya, saya berbicara bahasa Inggris

Can you speak English? Dapatkah Anda berbicara bahasa Inggris? (formal)

No, I can’t speak English Tidak, saya tidak dapat berbicara bahasa Inggris

Nice to meet you Senang berkenalan dengan Anda (formal)

Note: To change formal forms into informal forms, simply change the word Anda to kamu.

Yes/No Ya/Tidak

Excuse me/Pardon me Permisi

Sorry Maaf

Thank you Terimakasih

You are welcome Sama-sama

Please Tolong

Goodbye Daag (daah – taken from Dutch language)

Selamat tinggal (it means.. ‘never see you again’)

Goodbye (have a nice trip) Selamat jalan

See you Sampai jumpa

Mr. Tuan (formal)

Bapak (married)

Saudara (not married)

Mrs. Nyonya (formal)

Ibu

Miss Nona (formal)

Saudari


I will add some note about addressing in Indonesian. Well, in Indonesian culture, people prefer to address each other with their names. It is to respect other people. But sometimes in informal situation, e.g with classmates, Indonesians can address others with ‘kamu’.

When addressing elder people, Indonesians NEVER use ‘kamu’, but Indonesians also seldom address with Anda. Indonesians usually address with ‘Bapak’ or ‘Ibu’ or ‘Saudara/i’. Sometimes it is followed with the person’s name. For example, Bapak Ahmad.

Do NOT address these people with ‘kamu’:

- Any member of your family. I mean, ANY. Even your little sister.

- Your teachers, even if they are younger than you.

- Your schoolmates that are in grades higher than you, e.g. you’re in Grade 10th, so you shouldn’t address the 11th Graders with ‘kamu’.

- Your colleagues

- Any persons in your business life.

- Any elder people you know or you meet.

- Strangers.

You should address these people with ‘Bapak’ or ‘Ibu’ (can be followed with their names):

- Your teachers

- Any persons in your business life.

- Any elder people you know or you meet.

Note on addressing in family:

Indonesians prefer to address their family members with their status, example:

Bapak / Ayah / Papa father

Ibu / Bunda / Mama mother

Kakak elder sister/brother

Adik younger sister/brother

Nenek grandmother

Kakek grandfather

Paman/Om your parents’ brother

Bibi/Tante your parents’ sister

etc.

When addressing cousins, Indonesians tend to use ‘kamu’ or their names instead.


A similar rule applies to the first person pronoun (saya and aku).

The rule is pretty simple, just call yourselves with ‘saya’ when talking to elderly people, at work/school, business, in public, when talking to strangers, and some other formal situations.

Call yourselves with ‘aku’ when talking to your friends, younger persons, and some other informal situations.

Important note:

- Old people, married people, business men/women, etc always call themselves ‘saya’ instead of ‘aku’ due to politeness. They also NEVER address people with ‘kamu’. They always address with Bapak, Ibu, Saudara/i, and can be followed by the persons’ names.

- Young people can call themselves with ‘saya’ or ‘aku’, while the rules of politeness apply, as mentioned above.

Source: Indo-European Languages