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PART 2 Words 11–20

11MAAF (pronounced ma-af) sorry

The word maaf is useful for excusing yourself if there is any danger that you might have done the wrong thing.

Maaf, Pak! Sorry! (to a man)

Maaf, Ibu! Sorry! (to a woman)

Maaf, belum jelas. Sorry, I still don’t understand. Literally, “not yet clear.”

Maaf, Pak, ini apa? Excuse me, what’s this? (to a man)

Maaf, Ibu, sekali lagi? Excuse me, can you repeat that? (to a woman)

Literally, “once again.”

Maaf, siapa nama Bapak? Excuse me, but what’s your name? (to a man)

When you are asking for someone’s name, apa should not be used. Instead, use siapa “who,” as in the preceding example.

12PERMISI excuse me

Permisi, Pak, boléh léwat? Excuse me, Pak, may I get past?

13SILAKAN, SILAHKANplease, come on, go ahead

This word is usually accompanied by a hand gesture, as in the English used when the English phrase “after you” is uttered.

Silakan. Please do; Go ahead.

Silakan duduk! Please sit down!

Silakan masuk! Please come in!

Silakan makan! Please eat!

In situations in which we would merely say “please” in English, we may need to use one of a number of Indonesian words. If we need help, or are asking for something for our own benefit, we use tolong (literally, “help”) or minta (literally, “request”). But when we are inviting someone to do something for their benefit, not for ours, we must use silakan, as in the above examples.

14DI in/at/on (+ place word)

Di Jakarta. In Jakarta.

Di Jalan Asem. In Asem Street.

Di kantor. In the office.

Di depan kantor. In front of the office.

Di lantai tiga. On the third floor.

These three little place words below and beginning with s form a set:

sini means “this place, here;”

sana means “there (a place out of sight);” and

situ means “there (a place within sight).”

Di sini. Here.

Di sana. There.

Kita makan di sini. We will eat here.

Pak Hasan masih di sana. Hasan is still there.

15MANA? where?

Di mana? Where?

Kita makan di mana? Where will we eat?

Tinggal di mana? Where do you live?

Mau ke mana? Where are you going?

This is a common form of greeting in Indonesia, like “How are you?” in English. The intention is to make social contact, rather than obtain information, so feel free to give a vague answer such as jalan-jalan “just taking a walk” or makan angin “just getting out and about.”

Anda berasal dari mana? Where do you come from?

16TIDAK no, not

If you are offered a drink or food you do not want, you may simply reply Terima kasih, tidak.

Saya tidak mau. I do not intend/wish to.

Tidak ada ... I do not have …/There is not …

Tidak apa. No problem./It doesn’t matter.

Rumahnya tidak besar. His house is not big.

Rumahnya tidak jauh. His house is not far.

In the two preceding examples, you will notice that the particle -nya is attached to the noun rumah. The function of -nya is to indicate possession by a third person (singular and plural). So, mobilnya means “his car,” rasanya “its taste.”

Mau makan, enggak? Do you wish to eat, or not?

In day to day language, you will often hear tidak in the form of enggak (gak, or nggak). It is often used as a tag to end questions as in the previous example. This is an example of informal Indonesian, that is, language that is used frequently, but is not considered acceptable in the written language or formal situations.

17KIRI/KANAN left/right

Ke kiri. To the left.

Indonesian traffic drives on the left side of the road. If you happen to travel on the small public buses, which are called angkot, kolt or bémo depending on which area you are in, you must instruct the driver in order to stop at your desired location. You can do this by saying, or shouting out if necessary, Kiri, Pak! (literally “left!,” i.e. pull in to the kerb).

Bélok kanan di sini, Pak. Turn right here.

Sebelah kanan. The right side.

Langsung ke kiri! Go immediately left!

Terus! Continue.

Lurus! Go straight!

Setop di sini, Pak! Stop here, Pak!

Di kiri jalan ada pasar. On the left of the road there is a market.

Indonesians also make frequent use of the cardinal points to say where to go: utara, north, so we could have dari utara, “from the north,” or ke utara, “to the north;” and similarly with selatan, south; timur, east; and barat, west.

18BERAPA how much/many?

Ini berapa? How much is this?

Ada berapa anak? How many children do you have?

Umur berapa? How old are you?

Jam berapa? What time is it?

But Berapa jam? means “How many hours?”

Harganya berapa? What is the price?

Buah ini berapa harganya? How much does this fruit cost?

Literally, “this fruit, how much is its price?” If you are concerned about the word order of the sentences you are attempting, it helps to bear in mind that there is a great degree of flexibility where word order is concerned, providing you specify the relevant parts of your message clearly. The two previous examples could correctly be spoken as Berapa harganya? and Berapa harganya buah ini?

Although large retail stores in Indonesia usually offer goods at fixed prices, bargaining is expected in most other transactions. For some foreigners, bargaining is something that does not come easily, so it helps to be mentally prepared, particularly if you are unsure of the fair price for the goods you are intending to buy. Some people take the strategy of counter-offering with half of the price initially offered by the trader, then working up slowly from there. Some counter-offer with lower than half! It is up to you!

You may find it useful to take note of the environment in which you are buying. If you are buying in a location frequented by tourists, expect that the initial price will be inflated and do not hesitate to bargain hard—the trader may just be trying his or her luck! Also, if all the neighboring shops are selling similar products and it appears as though the goods are mass produced for tourists, try for a lower price. On the other hand, if you wish to purchase quality handicrafts from a location where you can observe the goods being made by skilled craftspeople, you must still bargain, but expect a higher price.

19HARUS

Harus pakai bon dulu? Must I pay first?

Harus! You must!

In some stores, especially in small towns, you may need to pay and then exchange a docket for your purchase, rather than paying directly at the cashier.

Saya harus pulang dulu. I have to go home (for a while).

Kamu harus sabar! You should be patient!

20BOLÉH may/can/allowed to

Boléh tanya, Pak? May I ask a question?

Boléh saja. Of course you can.

Boléh tawar? Are we allowed to bargain?

Boléh makan dulu? May we eat first?

Boléh. You may.

Tidak boléh masuk. Entry is not allowed here.

Social Etiquette in Public

There are a number of social conventions relating to the body that should be borne in mind. It goes without saying that observing the behavior of others is a better method of understanding these than reading about them here! Many of these conventions are based around the concept that certain people, such as older people, are to be shown respect in a number of ways, so try to identify such people.

Instant Indonesian

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