Learn how to apologize
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| 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. |
| Indonesian Survival Phrases Lesson 10. Apologies |
| In today's lesson we'll cover phrases used for apologizing. Now, as you haven't quite mastered Indonesian it's probably very prudent to go over the phrases for apologizing as they just might come in handy. |
| We'll start with "I'm sorry" Maaf. (slow) Maaf. Let’s break it down by syllable. Ma-af. Now let’s hear it once again. Maaf. |
| This phrase is used when you ask for someone's attention, like for example when you want to ask the name of the street, you can put Maaf at the beginning of the phrase. You can also use Maaf when you hurt someone in any way. In other words, this is the most general way of expressing an apology in Indonesian. |
| Next we'll take a look at a more formal way of apologizing, which means something like, "I'm asking for forgiveness" in English. The phrase is Minta maaf. (slow) Minta maaf. Let’s break it down by syllable Min-ta ma-af. Now let’s hear it once again, Minta maaf. |
| Minta is the verb to request or ask for something, so to ask for forgiveness is Minta maaf. |
| There's an even a more formal way still—this is actually the most formal way of apologizing. Again, this is close to "I'm asking for forgiveness" in English. The phrase is Mohon maaf. (slow) Mohon maaf. Let’s break it down by syllable Mo-hon ma-af. Now let’s hear it once again, Mohon maaf. Mohon is the most formal verb to request or ask for something, so the most formal way to ask for forgiveness is Mohon maaf. |
| These more formal phrases are used when you want to show some respect to your addressee, so you would use this with people who are considerably older than you are, with people during more official business type of situations, and in formal letters. |
| Now, what if someone says this to you? In the case that someone uses this expression towards you, the proper response is Tidak apa-apa. (slow) Tidak apa-apa. Let’s break it down by syllable Ti-dak a-pa-a-pa. This actually means "it's nothing" but it's not considered casual—this is the standard response to an apology in Indonesian. Now let’s hear it again. Tidak apa-apa. Another word on using these apologies there plenty of body gestures and movements which maybe (03:54)=== in other countries but considered rude or even taboo in Indonesia. Example include touching someone’s head which the basis the head as the seed of person soul and giving and receiving with the left hand which is considered unclean. While in doubt, avoid these actions. However if you cannot avoid doing the taboo action at a time, you should at least say maaf before you actually do it. |
| 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! |
| “I’m sorry”. (Maaf. Ma-af. Maaf.) |
| “I'm asking for forgiveness.” medium formality (Minta maaf. Min-ta ma-af. Minta maaf.) |
| "I ask for forgiveness." highest formality (Mohon maaf. Mo-hon ma-af. Mohon maaf.) |
| “No problem.” (Tidak apa-apa. Ti-dak a-pa-a-pa. Tidak apa-apa.) |
| 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. |
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