Dialogue - Indonesian

Hide

Vocabulary

Hide
Terima kasih. Thank you.
Makasih. Thanks.
Terima kasih banyak. Thank you very much.

Lesson Notes

Hide

Lesson Focus

Wherever your destination may be, manners are a must! And in this respect, Indonesia is no different. So in our very first lesson, we'll be taking a look at a phrase there is no excuse not to bring with you to Indonesia. Again, I'll stress this over and over, a little a bit of the language can go such a long way!

In Indonesian "Thank you." is Terima kasih. The first word of the phrase, terima, means "to accept." This is followed by kasih, which in Indonesian means "love." And the entire expression again is terima kasih. Literally, you are saying "it is accepted with love."

Now, in Indonesian there are other ways to express one's gratitude. Let's take a look at the informal way.

In Indonesian the informal way of expressing gratitude, like "thanks" in English, is makasih.

This phrase, which is a shortened form for terima kasih, is used among friends, in other informal situations, and in more relaxed business situations such as shopping at the market, riding in a taxi, and so on. In Indonesian, shortened versions of expressions such as this are usually good indicators of informal language.

On the other hand, for very special occasions when someone goes above and beyond the call of being kind, when someone is extremely generous, or for any other time you're extremely grateful, we have the following phrases to express extreme gratitude:

In Indonesian the formal way of expressing extreme gratitude, like "Thank you very much" in English is Terima kasih banyak. We've already gone over the first two words of this expression—the first word terima means "to accept." And the second word kasih means "love." These two words are then followed by a new word banyak, which means "many" or "much."

The informal way of expressing extreme gratitude, like "Thanks a lot" in English is Makasih banyak. We've already gone over the two words of this expression -- the first word makasih is the shortened informal form for terima kasih. And the second word banyak, means "many" or "much."

Cultural Insights

Quick Tip #1


In Indonesia, there are a few ways to say "thank you", but all of them incorporate some form of the Indonesian idiom terima kasih, which literally means "it is accepted (with) love."

The informal versions (makasih/makasih banyak) may be used not only with friends and family, but also in a number of relaxed business situations, such as buying something in the market or after a ride on a taxi.

By the same token, the formal versions (terima kasih/terima kasih banyak) should be used in more official situations, such as conducting business at an office, making a speech at a formal event such as a wedding, or writing a letter to anyone outside your circle of friends or family. These should also be used when one is talking with a stranger who is noticeably older or who has a higher professional title than the speaker.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with using the formal forms in all situations, and many speakers do opt for this strategy.

 

Quick Tip #2


There are also slang versions of "thanks" and "thanks a lot," which are trims (another way of shortening terima kasih), makasih banget, and trims banget. The words trims and banget (which means "very" or "extremely") are typical of the slang spoken around Jakarta, the Indonesian capital. Nowadays, many young people from urban centers throughout Indonesia use these most informal forms. These are to be used only in casual conversations with close friends and family, preferably with those who are closest in age with the speaker.

 

Lesson Transcript

Hide
Hello and welcome to Indonesian Survival Phrases, brought to you by IndonesianPod101.com This course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to Indonesia. You'll be surprised at how far a little Indonesian will go. Now before we jump in, remember to stop by IndonesianPod101.com. And there you’ll find the accompanying PDF and additional info in the post. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment.
Hello! My name is Ed Luna. and I'll be your language teacher and cultural guide throughout this introductory course. Indonesian is spoken by over 200 million people worldwide. Knowing how to speak some Indonesian is very important in Indonesia itself for over 740 different languages. Yes, you heard correctly, 740 are spoken along with Indonesian, the language of government, major business and education. Wherever your destination may be, manners are a must! And in this respect, Indonesia is no different. So in our very first lesson, we'll be taking a look at a phrase there is no excuse not to bring with you to Indonesia. Again, I'll stress this over and over, a little a bit of the language can go such a long way!
In Indonesian "Thank you." is Terima kasih. Let’s break it down by syllable Te-ri-ma ka-sih. Now let’s hear it once again Terima kasih. The first word of the phrase, terima, means "to accept." Let’s break down this word and hear it one more time Te-ri-ma. Terima. This is followed by kasih, which in Indonesian means "love." Let’s break down this word and hear it one more time ka-sih. kasih. And the entire expression again is terima kasih. Literally, you are saying "it is accepted with love."
Now, in Indonesian there are other ways to express one's gratitude. Let's take a look at the informal way.
In Indonesian the informal way of expressing gratitude, like "thanks" in English, is makasih. Let’s break it down by syllable ma-ka-sih. Now let’s hear it once again makasih.
This phrase, which is a shortened form for terima kasih, is used among friends, in other informal situations, and in more relaxed business situations such as shopping at the market, riding in a taxi, and so on. In Indonesian, shortened versions of expressions such as this are usually good indicators of informal language.
On the other hand, for very special occasions when someone goes above and beyond the call of being kind, when someone is extremely generous, or for any other time you're extremely grateful, we have the following phrases to express extreme gratitude:
In Indonesian the formal way of expressing extreme gratitude, like "Thank you very much" in English is Terima kasih banyak. (slow) Terima kasih banyak. Let’s break it down by syllable, Te-ri-ma ka-sih ba-nyak. Now let’s hear it once again, Terima kasih banyak. We've already gone over the first two words of this expression—the first word terima means "to accept." terima. And the second word kasih means "love." kasih. These two words are then followed by a new word banyak, which means "many" or "much." Now let’s break it down by syllable. ba-nyak. banyak. Not let’s hear the entire expression again. Terima kasih banyak.
The informal way of expressing extreme gratitude, like "Thanks a lot" in English is Makasih banyak. Let’s break it down by syllable ma-ka-sih ba-nyak. Now let’s hear it once again, makasih banyak. We've already gone over the two words of this expression -- the first word makasih is the shortened informal form for terima kasih. Makasih. And the second word banyak, means "many" or "much." banyak. Now let’s hear the entire expression again makasih banyak. Now I’m going to give you one more important detail. There are actually slangy version that are even more informal than makasih and makasih banyak. These are trims meaning “Thanks”, makasih banget meaning “Thanks a lot”. And trims banget also meaning “Thanks a lot.” Trims is the most casual way of shortening terima kasih. While banget means “very” or “extremely”. A word of caution, trims and banget are considered to be extremely informal slang and are only suitable in casual conversation with friends and family or roughly the same age as you are. On the other hand, these expressions are typical the younger generations living in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, as well as by young people from other urban places throughout the country. I’m only bringing this up since you may encounter this form in passing. The version you will hear most throughout Indonesia though is terima kasih. So whenever you have doubts about whether you should use the informal or formal version of this expression, you can never go wrong with using the formal version, terima kasih. You can use this everywhere from the market to the restaurants and people would be very happy to hear you say this.
Okay, to close out today’s lesson, we'd like for you to practice what you've just learned. I'll provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you're responsible for saying the Indonesian phrase out loud or in Indonesian, dengan keras. You’ll have a few seconds before I give you the answer, so selamat sukses, that means "good luck!" in Indonesian.
All right so here we go!
“Thank you” formal version. (Terima kasih. Te-ri-ma ka-sih. Terima kasih.)
“Thanks” informal version. (Makasih. Ma-ka-sih. Makasih.)
“Thank you very much” formal version. (Terima kasih banyak. Te-ri-ma ka-sih ba-nyak. Terima kasih banyak.)
“Thanks a alot” informal version. (Makasih banyak. Ma-ka-sih ba-nyak. Makasih banyak)
All right, that's going to do it for today!
Remember to stop by IndonesianPod101.com and pick up the accompanying PDF. When you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment.