Inviting
Inviting can be expressed as a question (for example, ‘Would you like to go to the movies?’) or as an imperative (for example, ‘Let’s go to the movies’, ‘Drop by any time’).
We can use ‘mari‘ and ‘ayo‘ for inviting someone to join in an activity (mengajak). Both are usually placed at the beginning of a sentence and are very common in spoken Indonesian.
The difference between them is in their degree of formality: mari is more formal than ayo.
- Mari kita nonton.
- Let’s go to the movie.
- Ayo kita nonton.
- Let’s go to the movie.
- Ayo mampir ke rumah saya.
- Come and drop by at my place.
Polite Yet Informal Invite
Use silakan (‘please’) to invite someone politely yet informal.
- Silakan masuk.
- Please come in.
- Silakan duduk.
- Please sit down.