Survival Indonesian. Katherine Davidsen

My name’s Rita.

      Nama saya Rita.

       Who’s this?

      Ini siapa?

       This is my friend.

      Ini kawan saya.

       This is my sibling / cousin / family member.

      Ini saudara saya.

      Indonesian society is still very traditional. It is better to introduce a partner as a friend, unless you are already married. This is also the case for same-sex relationships. Indonesians in the same situation would do the same.

       Where do you live?

      Tinggal di mana?

       I live in ...

      Saya tinggal di ...

       What do you do (for a living)?

      Kerja di mana?

       I’m a student.

      Saya mahasiswa.

       I’m a doctor.

      Saya dokter.

       I’m unemployed.

      Saya sedang tidak bekerja.

      (lit. I’m not working right now).

       How many brothers and sisters do you have?

      Berapa bersaudara?

       I have ... older siblings and one younger sibling.

      Saya ada ... orang kakak dan seorang adik.

       There are four of us altogether.

      Kami bersaudara empat.

      Indonesians focus on whether siblings are older or younger, rather than whether they are sisters or brothers.

       Are your parents still alive?

      Apa orang tua masih ada?

       Both are still alive.

      Dua-duanya masih ada.

       My mother is but not my father.

      Ibu masih ada, tapi Bapak sudah tidak.

       No, not any more.

      Sudah tidak ada.

       Are you married?

      Apa sudah menikah?

       Yes.

      Sudah.

       No.

      Belum.

       I’m divorced.

      Sudah cerai.

      Belum is literally (not yet). To say tidak would suggest you are philosophically anti-marriage, or are very pessimistic.

      Unless you know the person well, better to simply say belum nikah to avoid going into details. Divorce is something of a taboo topic.

       How old are you?

      Umurnya berapa?

       I’m 32 (years old).

      Tiga puluh dua (tahun).

       I’m already old.

      Saya sudah tua.

       I’m still young.

      Saya masih muda.

      Most people are very matter-of-fact about their age. Older people are greatly respected in Indonesian society—if you are usually embarrassed about your age, you may want to enjoy being more revered than you are back home. Giving an ambiguous answer will also provide amusement!

      OUT & ABOUT

      Arriving

      Most international traffic in Indonesia is via air. The largest international airports are in Jakarta (Bandara Soekarno-Hatta) and Denpasar, Bali (Bandara Ngurah Rai) but there are also international flights to Medan, Padang, Manado and other regional centers.

      There is a frequent ferry service from the island of Batam to Singapore, which runs several times a day, by various operators.

      There are also land border crossings in Kalimantan, from East Malaysia, by bus. These are popular with Indonesian migrant workers earning Malaysian ringgit across the border in Sarawak or Sabah.

      Visa requirements change frequently so be sure to check requirements for nationals of your country. Currently, many foreigners can obtain a visa on arrival with fairly little fuss for US$35 (new, clean bills).

ticket	tikét
luggage, baggage	bagasi
carry-on bags	bagasi kabin
checked-in luggage	bagasi (di bawah)
departure	keberangkatan
arrival	kedatangan
baggage collection	tempat mengambil bagasi
carousel	korsél
porter	kuli
piece of baggage	koli
three pieces of baggage	tiga koli
kilogram	kilo
four kilograms	empat kilo
suitcase	koper
bag	tas
trolley	keréta, troli
oversized baggage	bagasi besar
taxi	taksi
metered taxi	taksi argo
public bus	bis umum
hire car	mobil séwa
connecting flight	penerbanganb erikut, penerbangan lanjutan
toilet	kamark ecil,WC[wé sé], toilét
ATM	ATM [ah té ém]

       Where can I collect my baggage?

      Di mana mengambil bagasi?