Om (“Uncle”) and Tante (“Aunt”) are borrowed from Dutch and are used to address older men or women, especially if they are not blood relations.
Mas literally means “older brother” in Javanese, and is a polite form of address for a contemporary or a younger person. It is commonly used in Java to address a waiter, porter or pedicab (bécak) driver, and hence can have the connotation of addressing a social inferior. When in doubt it is better to stick with Pak. Bang can be used in Jakarta or Sumatra.
Mbak (Kak in Sumatra) is similarly used in Java to summon a waitress or a shopgirl.
Summary
To be on the safe side, always use bapak and ibu when addressing adults whom you are meeting for the first time (anda may also be used by younger people to address their peers). Once you get to know someone better, use bapak or ibu followed by the person’s first name, or (if you are roughly the same age) simply the first name alone.
The following is a brief dialogue between a foreigner (F) and an Indonesian (I) who works in a hotel.
| I: Selamat pagi! | Good morning. |
| F: Selamat pagi! | Good morning, pak. |
| I: Mau ke mana? | Where are you going? |
| F: Saya mau ke restoran. | I’m going to the restaurant. |
1.04
Pronouns
On the whole, Indonesians do not use the word “you” as we do in English. First names (often preceded by kinship terms like Pak) may be used, or the context may make it obvious.
| singular | plural | |
| 1st person | I saya, aku | we kita, kami |
| 2nd person | you anda, kamu, engkau bapak, ibu | you all kalian, sekalian, anda sekalian |
| 3rd person | he, she, it dia | they meréka |
Note: Indonesian pronouns do not distinguish gender. Thus dia may mean “he, she,” or “it.”
1st person (singular): I saya, aku
The pronoun saya originally meant “your slave” but now generally means “I.” Aku also means “I” but is used in more informal circumstances, as are the Jakarta slang forms gua and gué (which derive from Hokkien Chinese). Note that words for “I” are often omitted because this is understood.
1st person (plural): we kita, kami
Kami means “we” or “us” but formally excludes the person or persons being addressed, whereas kita includes the person or persons you are speaking to. In everyday speech, kita is in fact used in both contexts and you may generally use this form to translate English “we.”
2nd person (singular): you
anda, kamu, engkau, bapak, ibu
As a sign of respect, especiallly to elders, use bapak or ibu. In informal circumstances, the first name alone may also be used. If the person being addressed is about the same age as yourself, use anda or their first name. Kamu or engkau may be used for children or if you know the person well.
2nd person (plural): you all kalian, sekalian, anda sekalian
3rd person (singular): he, she, it dia
For animate objects and persons use dia. The word beliau is also used in formal circumstances to refer to a person of very high status who is not present. For inanimate things, use ini (this) or itu (that), to mean “it.”
3rd person (plural): they meréka
1.05
Basic Vocabulary
The following are essential words for basic “survival” Indonesian. We suggest that you make a set of flashcards to help yourself learn them quickly.
| tidak no, not | ya yes |
| ada to have, there is | mau to want; going to |
| bisa can | lihat to see |
| datang to arrive | dari from |
| pergi to go, to leave | ke to, toward |
| jalan to walk, to travel; street | di in, at |
| sini here | sana there |
| dalam in | luar out |
| makan to eat | minum to drink |
| beli to buy | jual to sell |
| harga price | bayar to pay |
| mahal expensive | murah cheap |
| lagi again, more | uang money |
| cukup enough | sekarang now |
| terlalu too | semua all |
| banyak much, many | sedikit few, little |
| lebih greater, more | kurang fewer, less |
| habis gone, finished | masih still |
| jauh far | dekat near |
| hari day | malam night |
| pagi morning | siang day, afternoon |
| hotél hotel | (11 am – 3 pm) |
| bagus good (of objects) | mobil car |
| baik good (of qualities) | jelék bad |
| besar big | kecil small |
| sudah already | belum not yet |
1.06
Questions
As in English, interrogative words and phrases are used to form questions:
| Apa? | What? |
| Apa ini? | What is this? |
| Siapa? | Who? |
| Kalau…? | What about…? |
| Kapan? | When? |
| Kenapa? | Why? Pardon? |
| Di mana? | Where? |
| Bagaimana? | How? |
| (Yang) mana? | Which one? |
| Kemana? | To where? |
| Dari mana? | From where? |
Kapan datang di sini? When did you arrive here?
(lit: When-arrive-at-here?)
Dari mana? Where are you from?
(lit: From-where?)
Siapa