Survival Indonesian. Katherine Davidsen

      PART TWO

       Key Words and Expressions

      INTRODUCTIONS & SMALL TALK

Good morning
(until 10 a.m. or so)	Selamat pagi
(from 10 to midday)	Selamat siang
Good afternoon
(from midday to 3 p.m.)	Selamat siang
(from 3 p.m. to dark)	Selamat soré
Good evening	Selamat malam
Good night	Selamat tidur

       Hello (more informal)

      Halo

       How are you?

      Apa kabar? (lit. what news?)

       Fine

      Kabar baik (lit. news good)

      Baik-baik saja (lit. just OK)

      Times of the day are divided into three phases in Indonesia: pagi, siang and soré.

      Communicating

       Do you speak English?

      Apa bisa bahasa Inggris?

       Yes, a bit.

      Bisa, sedikit.

       I can speak English.

      Saya bisa berbahasa Inggris.

English	bahasa Inggris
Indonesian	Bahasa Indonesia
Dutch	bahasa Belanda
Javanese	bahasa Jawa

       Can you speak slowly please?

      Tolong bicara perlahan-lahan.

       Can you say it again?

      Tolong, sekali lagi.

       I understand.

      Saya mengerti.

       I don’t understand.

      Saya tidak mengerti.

       I want to learn Indonesian.

      Saya mau belajar Bahasa Indonesia.

Excuse me	Permisi
Sorry	Maaf
Thank you	Terima kasih
You’re welcome/	Sama-sama / (Terima kasih)
That’s OK	kembali
No, thank you	Terima kasih
Please	Tolong (asking for help)
	Coba (if inviting someone to try something)
	Silahkan (if offering something)

       I’m going now.

      Mari, saya duluan ya.

Goodbye	Mari / Silahkan
Goodbye	Selamat jalan
(have a good trip)
Goodbye	Selamat tinggal
(to someone staying)

      It is important to take leave of others. Indonesians would not leave the house without saying goodbye first (pamit) to those staying behind, especially if they are older. This is also the case if you have chatted with someone. It is very good manners to do it after you have paid for something.

      Small Talk

      Indonesians are very fond of asking questions, some of which might seem rather personal to Westerners. You shouldn’t be offended as you might back home. Answer those that you can, and ask the same question back! Alternatively you can give vague answers—nobody is that interested in the accuracy of your response, they just want to chat.

       Where are you going?

      Mau ke mana? (lit. want to where?)

      This is a very common question and people may not be really interested in your answer. It is a bit like commenting on the weather in English.

       Just having a wander.

      Jalan-jalans aja. (lit. just going around)

       To the market.

      Mau ke pasar.

       To the beach.

      Mau ke pantai.

       Have you been here long?

      Sudah lama di sini?

       Just two days

      Baru dua hari.

       Already a week.

      Sudah seminggu.

       Two months.

      Dua bulan.

       Where are you from?

      Dari mana? (lit. from where?)

      This could also mean, “Where have you just come from?” (ie. what was your last destination before here?) but when addressed to foreigners, it is usually asking about their origins.

       From America / the US.

      Dari Amérika.

       From Australia.

      Dari Australia.

       From Surabaya.

      Dari Surabaya.

      Talking about Yourself

mother	ibu
father	ayah
older sister/brother	kakak
younger sister/brother	adik
husband	suami
wife	isteri
friend	kawan, teman
boyfriend/girlfriend	pacar

       What’s your name?

      Siapa