and give it a go, and you’ll find some are really delicious (even maybe the strong-smelling durian).
The way to order and pay for food is generally the same everywhere, with one exception, the rumah makan Padang (Padang restaurant). In this style of restaurant, which serves characteristic, spicy food from West Sumatra, you may find the waiter piling many dishes on the table without being asked. You take food directly from the dishes, and at the end of the meal, the waiter will tally up the price of what you have eaten.
And so, Selamat makan! Go ahead, enjoy your meal …
PART 2 Words 11–20
| 11 | MAAF (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.
| 12 | PERMISI excuse me |
Permisi, Pak, boléh léwat? Excuse me, Pak, may I get past?
| 13 | SILAKAN, 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.
| 14 | DI 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.
| 15 | MANA? 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?
| 16 | TIDAK 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.
| 17 | KIRI/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.
| 18 | BERAPA 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
