Learn all you need to know about greetings in Indonesian
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Intro |
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| Michael: How do you greet someone at different times of the day? |
| Blanca: And are there any alternatives? |
| Michael: At IndonesianPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following scenario: Ben Lee, an expat college student, is greeting his friend, but he hasn't noticed how late it has become. Ben says, "Good morning." |
| Ben Lee: Selamat pagi. |
| Dialogue |
| Ben Lee: Selamat pagi. |
| Farah Fauzi: Ini sudah jam 11:30. Selamat siang. |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Ben Lee: Selamat pagi. |
| Michael: "Good morning." |
| Farah Fauzi: Ini sudah jam 11:30. Selamat siang. |
| Michael: "It's already 11:30. Good day." |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: In this lesson, we will talk about how to greet someone in Indonesian at different times of the day. Just like in most cultures, Indonesian uses greetings depending on what time it is. That said, there are greetings for "morning," which in Indonesian is |
| Blanca: pagi |
| Michael: "afternoon," |
| Blanca: sore |
| Michael: and "evening," |
| Blanca: malam. |
| Michael: So, if you want to say "Good morning" in Indonesian, you say, |
| Blanca: Selamat pagi |
| Michael: You can use this greeting as soon as the sun is up, which is usually around 5:30 AM, until noontime, or until around 11:00 AM To greet someone with "Good afternoon," you say, |
| Blanca: Selamat sore. |
| Michael: This greeting can be used from 3:00 PM until around 6:00 PM. |
| When the sun is down and it's already nighttime, you say, |
| Blanca: Selamat malam |
| Michael: or "Good evening." |
| [Recall 1] |
| Michael: Let's take a closer look at the dialogue. |
| Do you remember how Ben says "Good morning?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Blanca as Ben Lee: Selamat pagi. |
| Michael: As mentioned earlier, this greeting is used from around 5:30 a.m. until around 11:00 a.m. The word that comes before the Indonesian word for "morning" is |
| Blanca: Selamat. |
| Michael: Most greetings in Bahasa Indonesia begin with this word. It's from an Arabic word that means "peace" or "safety." It could also mean "happy," so when you're greeting someone in Indonesian, you're actually wishing them to have a happy, safe, and peaceful day. |
| [Recall 2] |
| Michael: Now, let's take a look at our second sentence |
| Do you remember how Ben's friend, Farah, says "It's already 11:30. Good day." |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Blanca as Farah Fauzi: Ini sudah jam 11:30. Selamat siang. |
| Michael: Here, Farah is reminding Ben that it's already past 11:00 a.m., and then returns the greeting with "Good day," instead, or |
| Blanca: Selamat siang. |
| Michael: So far, we've only introduced three time-sensitive greetings in Indonesian. But |
| Blanca: Selamat siang. |
| Is used in more formal situations. As a general rule, this greeting can be used during the daytime, particularly between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. |
| [Summary] |
| Michael: In this lesson, we learned that Indonesian has time-related greetings, and these are |
| Blanca: Selamat pagi |
| Michael: for "Good morning," used from 5:30 a.m. until around 11:00 a.m., |
| Blanca: Selamat sore |
| Michael: for "Good afternoon," used between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., and |
| Blanca: Selamat malam |
| Michael: "Good evening," a greeting used after sunset. We also learned that there's a particular greeting used in more formal situations, and one that should be used from around 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. This greeting is |
| Blanca: Selamat siang |
| Michael: or "Good day." |
| Expansion/Contrast (Optional) |
| Michael: What about other types of greetings? Is it okay to simply say "Hi" or "Hello?" The good news is, it is! In Indonesian, you say "Hello" in this manner, |
| Blanca: Halo |
| Michael: This greeting could mean "Hi" or "Hello" and is used as a casual way to greet a close friend or a relative. Remember not to use this greeting in a formal situation. If you're not sure, simply say, |
| Blanca: Selamat siang |
| Michael: Again, this means "Good day," and you're always safe using it instead of "What's up?" or |
| Blanca: Ada apa? |
| Michael: and |
| Blanca: Apa kabar? |
| Michael: or "How's it going?" |
| Cultural Insight |
| Michael: Indonesia is a peaceful and friendly country. From a young age, people are taught never to get offended by little things and will speak nicely and avoid disagreements as much as they can. That's the reason Indonesians always seem so calm. Nevertheless, it's important that you are aware of the cultural background, in order to avoid saying or doing something that might be considered rude or insensitive. So, when you're greeting someone, always start with |
| Blanca: Selamat |
| Michael: Again, this means "peace," and you should speak slowly and with sincerity. |
| In Indonesia, formal greetings always come with a handshake using the right hand, and this is accompanied with a slight nod or a bow. And—one more thing—since we've been talking about time, there's this one principle Indonesians have about time that you might find interesting. It's called |
| Blanca: jam karet |
| Michael: which literally means "rubber time," and indicates the tendency to consider punctuality with flexibility. This philosophy does not condone tardiness as some would think. Rather, it promotes the concept that, while time is important, relationships should be given more priority. |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Blanca: Dadah! |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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