Learn an essential phrase when traveling
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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 3. This Please in Indonesian |
| Today’s phrase will help you take matters into your own hand. And today’s lesson we’ll take a look at “please” as an asking for something. In Indonesian there’s actually no one word that means “please” in this sense surprisingly enough. Speakers of Indonesian must paraphrase in this instance. To ask for something we must know the verb first which is minta. (slow) minta. Let’s break it down by syllable min-ta. Now let’s hear it once again, minta. This literally means “to request” or “ask for something”. However this is not enough. You must actually mention “requesting something” to make this complete. So let’s try and build this up a bit shall we? Let’s start with the expression “This please.”, which in Indonesian is minta ini. (slow) minta ini. minta ini. This literally means “I ask for this”. In English, this comes before “please”. In Indonesian the word order is the opposite. In Indonesian, the word for “this” ini follows minta. Let’s take a look at the word for “this”. “This” in Indonesian is ini. (slow) ini. ini. Now let’s hear the entire phrase once again. Minta ini. A more formal way of saying “this, please” is Boleh minta ini? (Slow) Boleh minta ini?. Let’s break it down by syllable Bo-leh min-ta i-ni? Boleh minta ini?. This is simply the phrase Minta ini meaning “This please” preceded by a new word boleh which means “may” or “be permitted to”. Let’s break this word down by syllable Bo-leh. Boleh. Literally the entire phrase means “May I ask for this, please?”. Let’s hear it one more time. Boleh minta ini? |
| Looking at the word for “this” warns a look for a word for “that”, which is itu. (slow) itu. itu. The phrase “that please”, is Minta itu. (slow) Minta itu. Let’s break it down by syllable Min-ta i-tu. Now let’s hear it once again, Minta itu. Of course there’s a more formal way of saying “That, please” which is Boleh minta itu? (slow) Boleh minta itu?. Let’s break it down by syllable Bo-leh min-ta i-tu? Boleh minta itu? |
| We’ve already learned all the words in this phrase. Boleh means “may” or “be permitted to”. Minta means “to request” or “to ask for something” and itu means “that”. Literally the entire phrase means “May I ask for that, please?”. Let’s hear it one more time, Boleh minta itu? |
| In Indonesian, intonations is pretty important, especially when you’re trying to express a question rather than a statement or vice versa. Most questions ended in rising intonations for example, Boleh minta ini? is a question meaning “May I ask for this, please?”. However if you’re just say this with the high-low intonation at the end, so that it sounds like Boleh minta ini. That’s ini. rather than ini? It would be a statement meaning “You may ask for this.” So be sure to pay attention to your intonations. Especially in cases where an expression could be construed as either a question or statement. 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! |
| “This, please.” Informal version. (Minta ini. Min-ta i-ni. Minta ini.) |
| “This please.” Formal version. (Boleh minta ini? Bo-leh min-ta i-ni? Boleh minta ini?) |
| “That please.” Informal version. (Minta itu. Min-ta i-tu. Minta itu.) |
| “That please.” Formal version. (Boleh minta itu? Bo-leh min-ta i-tu? Boleh minta itu?) |
| 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. |
Comments
HideHello, Listeners! Could you write down the differences between Minta ini. and Boleh minta ini.?
Saya mau tahu juga apa meaning dari 'silakan.' Terima kasih di advance.
What does “silakan” mean? I’ve seen it translated as “please.”
Hi Kary!
Selamat datang di dunia Bahasa Indonesia! (Welcome to the world of Indonesian!) 🎉 It's wonderful to hear that you're taking on this new challenge. Learning a new language can be very rewarding, and we're here to support you every step of the way.
If you have any questions or need any assistance, feel free to let us know. Selamat belajar! (Happy learning!) 📚
Thank you,
Team IndonesianPod101.com
Hi Luciana!
Great job on learning how to say "please" in Indonesian! 😊 You're on the right track with your phrases. Here are some friendly corrections and explanations:
1. "Minta ini" (this please) and "Minta itu" (that please) are correct for informal situations. It's a direct way to request something.
2. "Boleh minta ini" (can I have this please) and "Boleh minta itu" (can I have that please) are more polite and formal, as they include "boleh" (can/may), which softens the request.
Your understanding is excellent! Keep practicing, and you'll get even more comfortable with these phrases.
Let us know if you have any questions.
Terima kasih! (Thank you!)
Team IndonesianPod101.com
I am new to Bahasa Indonesian, it 's a new challenge to me.
Selamat belajar!
Today, I learnt how to say "please" in Indonesian.
Minta ini: this please; Boleh minta ini: this please (more formal); Minta itu: That please, Boleh minta itu: that please (more formal).
Hi Bryan,
Very good! Yes, you can!
Thank you for your comment.
Salam,
Sarah
Team IndonesianPod101.com
Hi, i have a question. is it also ok/correct to say minta satu? like say for example, if a waitress was carrying a tray of soft drinks at a dinner party, or a shop selling cupcakes and i just want 1, could i also point at the object and say, "boleh minta satu"?
Hi Anita,
Not at all! You are 100% correct. The lessons "Minta ini." or "Minta itu." is directed towards absolute beginner level learners. If now you are using "Boleh minta itu?" or "Boleh minta itu?", please continue to do so.
Thank you for leaving a comment!
Salam,
Sarah
Team IndonesianPod101.com
Dear IndonesianPod101.com, I have a question regarding "Minta ini/minta itu" and "boleh minta ini/boleh minta it" because I want to understand Indonesian. According to my understanding, when we include "boleh" in a sentence, "boleh minta ini/boleh minta itu" becomes "can I please have this /can I please have that?" Is it correct or do I have it wrong?
Hi AdelinGKhaw,
Tentu saja boleh! Please stick around, we have new lessons added regularly. 🙂
Salam,
Sarah
Team IndonesianPod101.com
Thanks so much.
Terima kasih banyak.
Boleh minta lagi?😄
Hi Osman,
Thank you for your comment. There is a short explanation on the word "boleh" in the Lesson Notes. I hope that you would find it useful 🙂 Please feel free to browse our other lessons ya...
Salam,
Sarah
Team IndonesianPod101.com
The explanation and the translation of the word is somehow not consistent.
You didnt translate Boleh = may, the flashcards are the same. Thats a mistake I think
Hi Anke,
Thank you for your question!
Mohon, tolong, and silakan are the hight degree of formal and polite expression in Indonesian language. When you add one of these words, for example "Tolong, minta ini." it is more polite that the casual and more direct "Minta ini."
These words also have different meanings; mohon is the polite word for minta, so you say "Mohon maaf." or "Minta maaf.", and not use both mohon and minta in the same sentence. tolong means "help", and silakan means "please".
I hope this helps,
Sarah
Team IndonesianPod101.com
Hi team,
terima kasih for all your work!
Where do the words silakan, mohon and tolong fit in please? How are they different from (boleh) minta ini / itu?
terima kasih banyak!
Hi Bugsy,
Thank you for your comment. Betul sekali! Very correct!
Please feel free to browse other lessons ya! Selamat belajar!
Salam,
Sarah
Team IndonesianPod101.com
Minta ini - this please - informal.
Boleh minta ini? - may I ask for this please - formal.
Hi Alicia,
Thank you for your comment. You are right, your examples work too. There are more ways to express "This please." in Indonesian. This lesson is directed to absolute beginner so as students get more familiar with the language, students would know other kinds of expression gradually. Thank you for comment again.
Salam,
Sarah
Team IndonesianPod101.com
My friend from Indo said thats not the right way to ask for something.
Instead of "Minta ini" they use "tolong yang ini" - why is this not mentioned in this Lesson ?