1.07
Simple Phrases
The following are simple sentences that will be used often, and should be memorized.
Ada…? Is there any…? Do you have any? Are there any…?
(lit: Have…?)
Saya mau… I would like … I want to…
(lit: I-want…)
Tidak mau! I don’t want to! I don’t want any!
Saya mau pergi ke… I want to go to…
(lit: I-want-go-to-…)
Saya mau minum… I would like to drink some…
(lit: I-want-drink-…)
Saya mau makan… I would like to eat some…
(lit: I-want-eat-…)
Saya mau beli ini/itu… I want to buy this/that…
(lit: I-want-buy-this/that.)
Berapa harganya? How much does it cost?/What is the price?
(lit: How much-its price?)
Saya mau bayar. I want to pay.
(lit: I-want-pay.)
Terlalu mahal! Too expensive!
Tidak bisa! Not possible!
When you interrupt or pass by someone, you should say:
Permisi! Excuse me!
When an actual apology is required, use:
Ma’af! or Sori! I’m sorry!
Ma’af, saya tidak mengerti. I’m sorry, I don’t (or didn’t) understand.
(lit: Sorry, I-not-understand.)
Bapak Peter mau makan sekarang? Do you want to eat now, Peter?
(lit: Mr. Peter-want-eat-now?)
Ibu Susan mau pergi sekarang? Do you want to go now, Susan?
(lit: Mrs. Susan-want-go-now?)
Note: You may find it strange that Indonesians refer to you in English as “Mr. Peter” and “Mrs. Susan” (especially if you are not married!), but this simply reflects that many Indonesians feel uncomfortable addressing someone (especially a foreigner or visitor) without a title.
1.08
Requests
Requests may be made in a number of different ways. Note that the English word “please” has no direct equivalent in Indonesian, and is translated differently depending upon the circumstances and the type of request that is being made. These various translations of “please” should not be confused.
Tolong literally means “to help.” It is used to politely introduce a request when you are asking someone to do something for you.
Tolong panggil taksi. Please (help me) call a taxi.
(lit: Help-call-taxi.)
Boléh means “allowed” and is used in the sense of “May I please…” when asking politely to see or do something, for example in a shop.
Boléh saya lihat ini? May I see this, please?
(lit: May-I-see-this?)
Boléh saya bicara dengan…? May I speak with…, please?
(lit: May-I-speak-with…?)
Boléh saya lihat itu? May I look at that, please?
(lit: May-I-see-that?)
Minta means “to request” and is a polite way of asking for things like food or drink in a restaurant. Note that the use of saya (meaning “I”) beforehand is optional.
Minta air minum. [I] would like some drinking water, please.
(lit: Ask-water-drink.)
Saya minta nasi goréng. I would like some fried rice, please.
(lit: I-ask-fried rice.)
Saya pesan is another way of prefacing a request, and means simply “I would like to order some…”
Saya pesan nasi goreng. I would like to order some fried rice.
(lit: 1-order-fried rice.)
Kasih means “to give,” and is a somewhat more colloquial and informal way of ordering something. It is also used after tolong to politely request a specific item or specific quantity of something.
Tolong kasih air minum.
(lit: Give-water-to drink.)
Please give me some drinking water.
Tolong kasih itu. Please give me that one.
(lit: Help-give-that.)
Tolong kasih dua. Please give me two [of them].
(lit: Help-give-two.)
Coba means “to try (on)” and is also used with verbs such as lihat (“to see”) in the sense of “Please may I see…” when asking to look at something in a shop window or a display case, for example:
Coba lihat itu. Please let me have a look at that.
(lit: Try-see-that.)
Silakan means “Please go ahead!” or “Be my guest!” and is used by a host to invite his or her guests to do something, or as a response to a request for permission to do something. It is, for example, polite to wait for an Indonesian host
