# Indonesian/Lessons/Greetings

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^ Indonesian ^ | << Lesson 0: The Alphabet | Lesson 1: Greetings | Lesson 2: This, That >>

## Contoh Percakapan (Dialogue Example)

Budi: Selamat pagi, Bu! Wati: Selamat pagi juga, Pak! Budi: Apa kabarnya? Wati: Baik. kalau kamu? Budi: Baik-baik juga. Wati: Kamu sedang apa? Budi: Aku sedang membaca novel. Wati: Novel apa yang kamu baca? Budi: Aku sedang membaca novel semua tentang Islam! Wati: Boleh aku meminjamnya? Budi: Tentu saja. Wati: Sudah waktunya aku harus pulang. Sampai berjumpa, dan jangan lupa besok aku akan meminjam novelmu Budi: Tentu aku tidak akan lupa. Sampai jumpa kembali. Wati: Selamat jalan.
Terjemahannya (The Translation):
Budi: Good morning, Ma'am! Wati: Good morning, Sir! Budi: How are you? Wati: Good. You? Budi: Also good. Wati: What are you doing? Budi: I am reading a novel. Wati: What novel are you reading? Budi: I am reading a novel about everything about Islam! Wati: May I borrow it? Budi: Of course. Wati: It is already time for me to go home. Goodbye, and don't forget I'll borrow your book tomorrow Budi: Of course I won't forget. Goodbye too. Wati: Good bye.

## Kosakata Baru (New Vocabulary)

* Selamat pagi – good morning
* Selamat tinggal – goodbye (when leaving)
* Bu – ma'am. Literally means mother.
* Pak – sir. Literally means father.
* Apa kabar – how are you? what's up?
* Baik – good, well
* Anda – you (formal)
* Kamu – you (informal)
* Juga – also
* Dan – and
* Jika- if
* Apa – what
* Aku – I; me (used to refer to oneself, informal)
* Membaca – read
* Boleh – may, can (to be allowed)
* Harus – must
* Pulang – return
* Harus Pulang – must return home

## Selamat

The word selamat means safe. So, selamat pagi literally means good morning. The greetings in Indonesian are not quite the same as that of English. Below is the table of words with their meaning and the time you may want to use it:
| Kata (Word) | Arti (Meaning) | Waktu / Kondisi (Time / Condition) |
| Pagi | morning | Sun is already risen, but before 10am. |
| Siang | noon | Around noon. Usually 10am-2pm. |
| Sore | afternoon | Sun is still up, but after 2pm. |
| Malam | night | Sun must have set. |
| Tinggal | bye (literally: stay) | When parting, said to the person staying |
| Jalan | bye (literally: walk) | When parting, said to the person leaving |
Unlike English, it is all right to greet people with "selamat malam" when meeting at night. To say "good bye", we can use "selamat tinggal".
The word "selamat" also means congratulations. Therefore, it is also used to congratulate other people. So, you can use the word "selamat" with the following words:
| Kata (Word) | Arti (Meaning) |
| Ulang tahun | Birthday (literally: ulang = repeat; tahun = year) |
| Tahun baru | New year (literally: baru = new) |
| Natal | Christmas |
| Paskah | Easter |
| Jalan | voyage (i.e. bon voyage) |
So, "selamat ulang tahun" means happy birthday. And so forth. Note that the word "jalan" means street or to go, but when used in "selamat jalan", it means "bon voyage".

## Apa Kabar (How Are You?)

The phrase "apa kabar" literally means "what (your) news". The word "apa" means "what" and the word "kabar" means "news". When translated, it means "how are you".
To answer "apa kabar", we usually use "baik" or "baik-baik" to indicate that it's good. We can answer "biasa saja" (= "so so") or "kurang baik" (= "not good", literally = "less good").
In Malay, they use the spelling of "khabar" instead of "kabar", and thus the pronunciation is slightly different, with the Malay pronunciation using a hard H sound instead of regular K sound.

## Sapaan (Salutations)

Notice that the dialog above uses "pak" and "bu", which mean "sir" and "ma'am" respectively. In Indonesian, you'll need to specify proper salutations in most cases when greeting people. This is because Indonesian people tend to be very polite. In formal situations or the work place, adults usually greet using "pak" or "bu".
The word Anda (usually capitalised to show respect) is the general, relatively polite form of you; note that bapak and ibu could also be used, as well as casual forms such as kamu.
The article "pak" is shorthand for "bapak" (= mister or father), while "bu" is an abbreviation of "ibu" (= madam or mother).
^ Indonesian ^ | << Lesson 0: The Alphabet | Lesson 1: Greetings | Lesson 2: This, That >>
Lessons
Information • Introductory • Print Versions • Q&A • Planning
Basic:  Learning Indonesian • The Alphabet • Greetings • This and that • Pronouns • Simple Sentences • Numbers • Rainbow • Prepositions
Beginner:  Introducing Yourself • My Body • My Family • My Home • At School • At Work • To the Market • What Time is it? • Happy Birthday! • Going to Bali
Expert:  Me and you • Slang language • Money • Transportation