Basic features: Presentation

2. Bokap bilang Tuti emang nggak boleh main di luar. Dad said Tuti really isn’t allowed to play outdoors.

Colloquial items:

• bokap        = father
• bilang        = to say
• emang:      = short for memang: indeed, certainly enggak (“ngGA”) = no, not. [Also nggak, gak, or ga.] main    = bermain with dropped prefix: to play

(Formal: Ayah berkata Tuti memang tidak boleh bermain di luar.)

3. Rumahnya gede banget. His house is really big.

Colloquial items

• gede      (“g’DE”) =big
• banget (“BAng’t”) = very, extremely

(Formal: Rumahnya besar sekali.)

4. Dia sering ngomong kayak gitu. Nggak minta dengan sopan, nggak bilang makasih. She often talks like that. Doesn’t ask for things politely, doesn’t say thanks.

Colloquial items

• ngomong             = to talk.
• kayak          = similar, like.
• gitu             = short for begitu: like that, thus
• nggak          (“ngGA”) =no, not. [Also enggak, gak, ga.]
• bilang        = to say
• makasih    = short for terima kasih: thanks
• kayak gitu it is the normal colloquial way to say ‘like that’ (rather than kayak itu).

(Formal: Dia sering berbicara seperti itu. Tidak minta dengan sopan, tidak mengatakan terima kasih.)

5. Dia kasih gue duit. He gave me money.

Colloquial items:

• kasih = to give
• gue    (“gué”) = me, I. [Also gua].
• duit   = money

(Formal: Dia memberi saya uang.)

6. Cuma lu aja yang pinter berenang. You’re the only one who’s good at swimming.

Colloquial items:

• cuma = only [Also cuman]
• lu        = you.(Also lo, elu, or elo.)
• aja    = saja with dropped ‘s’: only, just.
• pinter = clever, good at. [Also pintar]

(Formal: Hanya kamu saja yang pandai berenang.)

7. Gue bawa buku biar nggak bosen. I brought a book so that I wouldn’t be bored.

Colloquial items:

• gue         (“gué”) = I, me. [Also gua]
• bawa     = membawa with dropped prefix: to bring
• biar        = so that, in order that
• nggak = no, not. [Also enggak, gak, ga]
• bosen    (“BOs’n”) = bosan with sound change a → e: bored. (Formal: Saya membawa buku supaya tidak bosan.)

8. Kalo makan rendang mending pake tangan aja. If you eat beef rendang it’s better to just use your hands.

Colloquial items:

• kalo            = kalau with sound change au  o: if, when.
• mending    = better;
• pake          (“paké”) = pakai (i.e. ‘memakai’ with dropped prefix) + sound change ai → é: to use
• aja              = saja with dropped ‘s’: just, only

(Formal: Kalau makan rendang lebih baik memakai tangan saja.)

9. Gimana bikin lirik buat lagu? How do you make lyrics for a song?

Colloquial items:

• gimana = short for bagaimana: how
• bikin      = to make
• buat       = for

(Formal: Bagaimana membuat lirik untuk lagu?)

10. Susah banget cari tempat kayak gini. It’s really hard to find a place like this.

Colloquial items:

• susah        = hard, difficult
• banget       (“BAng’t”) = very, extremely
• cari             = mencari with dropped prefix: to seek, find
• kayak         = seperti; similar to
• gini             = short for begini: like this
• kayak gini is the normal colloquial way to say ‘like this’ (rather than kayak ini). (Formal: Sukar sekali mencari tempat seperti ini.)

11. Gue en nyokap berangkat bareng naik. I and Mum left together by car.

Colloquial items:

• gue         (“gué”) = I, me [Also gua]
• en           (“én”) = and nyokap = mother
• bareng = together

(Formal: Saya dan ibu berangkat bersama naik mobil.)

12. Cowok itu pengen ngomong sama lo. That guy wants to talk to you.

Colloquial items:

• cowok            = young man, guy.
• pengen           (“péngén”) = to want, wish. (Also pingin.)
• ngomong       = to talk
• sama              = multi-purpose preposition. Here it means ‘to’
• lo                     = you [Also elo, or elu, or lu] (Formal: Lelaki itu ingin berbicara dengan kamu.)

13. Gua mo minum kopi tapi udah abis. I wanted to drink coffee but it was all gone.

Colloquial items:

• gua        = I, me. [Also gué]
• mo         = mau with sound change au  o: want
• tapi         = short for tetapi: but.
• udah     = sudah with dropped ‘h’: already
• abis       = habis with dropped ‘h’: all gone

14. Elu bakal kerja di mana? Where are you going to work?

Colloquial items:

• elu          (“elu”) = you [Also lu, elo, or lo]
• bakal     = will, going to
• kerja      = bekerja with dropped prefix: to work

(Formal: Kamu akan bekerja di mana?)

15. Dia gak dateng. Mungkin lagi sibuk kali ya? He didn’t come. Maybe he’s busy, hm?

Colloquial items:

• gak        = no, not. [Also enggak, nggak, or ga]
• dateng (“DAt’ng”) = datang with sound change a  e: to come
• lagi        = a marker of action-in-progress
• kali        = short for barangkali: maybe, perhaps. [Also ngkali]

(Formal: Dia tidak datang. Mungkin sedang sibuk barangkali, ya?)

16. Pas beli komputer ni gue tanya garansinya berapa. When I bought this computer I asked how long the guarantee was.

Colloquial items:

• pas        = ‘when’, referring to an event or state in the past
• beli         = membeli with dropped prefix: to buy
• ni           = short for ini: this. (Also nih.)
• gue         (“gué”) = I, me. [Also gua]
• tanya      = bertanya with dropped prefix: to ask

(Formal: Ketika membeli komputer ini saya bertanya garansinya berapa lama.)

17. Lu enggak usah bilang makasih sama tuh cowok. You don’t need to say thanks to that guy.

Colloquial items:

• lu                = you [Also elu, lo, elo]
• enggak      (“ngGA”) =no, not [Also nggak, gak, ga]
• bilang        = to say
• makasih    = short for terima kasih:  thanks
• sama         = multi-purpose preposition. Here it means ‘to’
• tuh             = short for itu: that. [Also tu]
• tuh cowok = cowok itu, with reversed order of tuh and noun

(Formal: Kamu tidak usah mengucapkan terima kasih kepada lelaki itu.)

18. Pintu gak kekunci biar entar gampang. The door was not locked so that later it would be easy to get in.

Colloquial items:

• gak              (“ngGA”) = no, not [Also enggak, nggak, ga]
• kekunci          = terkunci with ‘ke-’ prefix to replace ‘ter-’: locked.
• biar = so that, in order that
• entar           [“nTAR”] = later, later on
• gampang = easy

(Formal: Pintu tidak terkunci supaya nanti mudah masuk.)

19. Kita liat tu mobil di luar ruma. We saw that car outside our house.

Colloquial items:

• kita             = ‘we’: used both including and excluding the hearer
• liat              = lihat (i.e. melihat with dropped prefix) + dropped ‘h’: to see.
• tu                = short for itu: that.
• tu mobil     = mobil itu, with reversed order of tuh and noun
• ruma          = rumah with dropped ‘h’: house