Learn some common Indonesian idioms
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Intro |
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| Michael: What are some common Indonesian idioms? |
| Blanca: And how are they used? |
| Michael: At IndonesianPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following situation: Karen Lee, an expat living in Jakarta, is with her friend and hears an idiom she is not familiar with. She asks: |
| "What does ‘not delicious body' mean?" |
| Karen Lee: "Tidak enak badan" artinya apa? |
| Dialogue |
| Karen Lee: "Tidak enak badan" artinya apa? |
| Juniarti Gunawan: Artinya kamu sedang sakit. |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Karen Lee: "Tidak enak badan" artinya apa? |
| Michael: ""What does ‘not delicious body' mean?" |
| Juniarti Gunawan: Artinya kamu sedang sakit. |
| Michael: "It means you are sick." |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: The topic of this lesson is Indonesian "idioms," or |
| Blanca: idiom |
| Michael: Idioms are groups of words that represent a meaning that is not evident from looking at the words themselves. In general, idioms are a natural expression of a language. A good example for this is the English "a piece of cake," meaning that something is very easy. We use idioms to emphasize the message we try to deliver to the listener. |
| Learning and using idioms will help you to use Indonesian more freely, and to express your feelings more accurately. So, let's get started! The first one is |
| Blanca: [NORMAL] anak bawang [SLOWLY] anak bawang |
| Michael: This literally means "onion kid." An "onion kid" is someone who is considered less capable than the others, in a group of people. Whether it's on the sports field or in a professional setting, being called an "onion kid" means that people will not expect you to contribute much to the groups' performance. In fact, the "onion kid" needs more protection and help from others! |
| Let's hear a sample sentence: |
| Blanca: Bosan terus-terusan dianggap anak bawang di kantor itu, akhirnya Dita pindah kerja. |
| Michael: Having had enough of being considered the onion kid in that office, finally Dita decided to quit her job. |
| The second idiom is: |
| Blanca: [NORMAL] kutu loncat [SLOWLY] kutu loncat |
| Michael: literally, "hopping bug." Indonesians use this idiom to refer to someone who changes jobs frequently and too easily. |
| Let's hear a sample sentence: |
| Blanca: Hati-hati kalau mau memutuskan pindah kerja lagi, jangan sampai kamu punya reputasi kutu loncat. |
| Michael: Be careful when you decide to move jobs again, you don't want to deal with a "hopping bug" reputation, do you? |
| The next idiom is: |
| Blanca: [NORMAL] Otak di dengkul. [SLOWLY] Otak di dengkul. |
| Michael: This literally means "brain on the knees." If someone told you your brain was on your knees, I'm sure you would believe that they were insulting you! Well, the English equivalent is "not the sharpest tool in the shed." |
| Let's hear a sample sentence: |
| Blanca: Masa begitu saja kamu tidak bisa menghitung? Otak jangan di dengkul... |
| Michael: Can't you calculate such an easy problem? Now, don't put your brain on your knee... |
| The next idiom conjures up a nicer image: |
| Blanca: [NORMAL] kepala dingin [SLOWLY] kepala dingin |
| Michael: This literally means "cold head," but Indonesians use it to mean "with calm and patience." |
| Let's hear a sample sentence: |
| Blanca: Mari kita selesaikan masalah ini dengan kepada dingin. |
| Michael: Let's solve this problem with calm and patience. |
| Our last idiom is one for cat-lovers and introverts: |
| Blanca: [NORMAL] malu-malu kucing [SLOWLY] malu-malu kucing |
| Michael: This literally means "shy-shy kitten." or "cat-shy." People who are cat-shy act like they are too shy to do or receive something, despite actually really wanting to. Sometimes, people do this to be polite when receiving an offer, or to keep themselves from losing face. In other words, the person is just pretending to be shy. Sounds a lot like a cat I once had! |
| Let's hear a sample sentence: |
| Blanca: Dia itu cuma malu-malu kucing tapi sebenarnya mau banget! |
| Michael: She is only cat-shy—actually she's very interested! |
| [Recall 1] |
| Michael: Now, let's take a closer look at the dialogue. |
| Do you remember how Karen asks "What does ‘not delicious body' mean?" |
| [PAUSE 4 SEC] |
| Blanca as Karen Lee: "Tidak enak badan" artinya apa? |
| Michael: Now, let's take a look at our second sentence. |
| Do you remember how Karen's friend answers, "It means you are sick?" |
| [PAUSE 4 SEC] |
| Blanca as Juniarti Gunawan: Artinya kamu sedang sakit. |
| Michael: In Indonesia, the word for "delicious" is like a Swiss Army Knife—it has many creative uses! Indonesians use it to describe things in many different contexts. You can use the word "delicious" to express your feelings, to talk about your senses or your health, and to describe your physical and emotional comfort or discomfort. It can even describe a comfortable house or good music. Another way to look at "not delicious body" might be "My body does not taste delicious." Let's hear this idiom in a sample sentence: |
| Blanca: Aku pulang duluan ya, nggak enak badan. |
| Michael: I think I'll go home early today because I feel sick. |
| [Summary] |
| Michael: In this lesson, you learned that idioms are non-literal phrases that are used to emphasize your statement. You also learned some idioms commonly heard in Indonesia, and how to use them. |
| Cultural Insight |
| Michael: Indonesia's ancient communities had many proverbs, idioms, and sayings that are still perfect embodiments of the country's local culture, philosophies, and observations. Indonesians are actually famous for using a lot of slang words and sayings in their daily life. |
| Blanca: Bahasa Indonesia, |
| Michael: or "Indonesian language," is a rich and profound language, expanding far beyond formal dictionary usage. Through culture and history, many charming and even hilarious idioms, unique to each generation, were created! |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Blanca: Dadah! |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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