Learn some common Indonesian slang
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Intro |
|---|
| Michael: What is Indonesian slang like? |
| Blanca: And is it commonly used? |
| Michael: At IndonesianPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following situation: Gundar is talking about his dog with Sasha, and he uses a slang expression Sasha has never heard before. He says, |
| "Mager." |
| Gundar Gunawan: Mager. |
| Dialogue |
| Gundar Gunawan: Mager. |
| Sasha Lee: Artinya apa? |
| Gundar Gunawan: Artinya "males gerak." |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Gundar Gunawan: Mager. |
| Michael: "Mager." |
| Sasha Lee: Artinya apa? |
| Michael: "What does that mean?" |
| Gundar Gunawan: Artinya "males gerak." |
| Michael: "It means, ‘too lazy to move.'" |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: Slang is an aspect of language that isn't usually taught in the classroom, but it's part of becoming fluent. Slang or |
| Blanca: slang |
| Michael: indicates a set of words and expressions, used by a group of people to better convey feelings and implied concepts. Slang is usually an aspect of the colloquial language, and, for this reason, it changes really quickly or differs from one group to the other. |
| [Recall] |
| Michael: Let's take a closer look at the dialogue. |
| Do you remember the word used by Sasha's friend to describe his dog? |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Blanca as Gundar Gunawan: Mager. |
| Michael: This means "too lazy to move." It's a contraction of |
| Blanca: malas gerak |
| Michael: First is |
| Blanca: malas |
| Michael: which means lazy, next we have |
| Blanca: gerak |
| Michael: which means "to move." So, literally, it means "lazy to move," |
| Michael: So far, you've learned that slang is an important aspect of colloquial language. It is often limited to small groups and it can change quickly or become obsolete. |
| Now, let's look at some more examples of young people slang. First is |
| Blanca: gombal |
| Michael: This expression indicates someone who flirts in a cheesy way, but it literally means "dilapidated or worn out fabrics." Here is a sample sentence |
| Blanca: Jangan gombal deh, malu udah punya cucu. |
| Michael: which means "Don't be overly flirty, you have grandchildren already." The next slang word is |
| Blanca: bonyok |
| Michael: which means "parents," but literally means "bruised," or "black-and-blue." This is a contraction of |
| Blanca: bokap, |
| MIchael: which is the slang word for "father," and |
| Blanca: nyokap, |
| Michael: which is the slang word for "mother." Together, they form |
| Blanca: bonyok. |
| Michael: You can use this word to refer to either your parents, or your friends' parents. Here is an example |
| Blanca: Bonyok lu baik banget sama temen anaknya ya, kayak sama anak sendiri. |
| Michael: which means "Your parents are so nice to their children's friends, as these friends are children of their own." The next slang word is |
| Blanca: baper |
| Michael: which means "very emotional." This is a contraction of two words |
| Blanca: bawa, |
| Michael: meaning "bring," and |
| Blanca: perasaan, |
| Michael: meaning "feeling." It refers to someone showing an unnecessary amount of personal sentiment or emotion. For example, |
| Blanca: Jadi orang yang udah dewasa, jangan baper mulu. |
| Michael: meaning "As an adult, you should not remain emotional." The next slang word is |
| Blanca: sotoy |
| Michael: which is the Indonesian word to refer to someone who acts as a "know-it-all." This word is a contraction of |
| Blanca: sok tahu. |
| Michael: literally "pretend to know." For example, if your friend acts like a smart aleck, you could tell them |
| Blanca: Sotoy kamu! |
| Michael: which translates as "What a know-it-all you are!" The next expression is |
| Blanca: gretong |
| Michael: which means "for free" and comes from the word "gratis." You can use this word for anything that is free of charge. Here is an example |
| Blanca: Kamu memang selalu sukanya yang gretong. |
| Michael: which means "You like all things that are free." |
| Cultural Insight |
| Michael: When it comes to colloquial expressions, Indonesian can be a very colorful language. Remember many slang words, if used in the wrong context, sound offensive, especially when referring to people's negative habits or attitudes; for example, let's consider |
| Blanca: sotoy |
| Michael: which indicates someone who thinks they are smart. You could call a friend of yours this while joking, but you can't do the same with someone you don't know well. |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Blanca: Dadah. |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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