SAMPLE LESSONS
Beginners
In this lesson you will learn simple sentences and questions.
VOCABULARY
"what" referring to a person translates as "siapa" (literally "who") |
DIALOGUE
Dodi, an Indonesian boy, is expecting to see his new English friend, Peter Smith. They have known each other for 6 months through chatting on the Internet. Right now they are meeting at the airport and Dodi is trying to recognize Peter. Dodi is holding Peter's picture.
Dodi | Maaf, nama anda Peter? |
Peter | Ya, betul |
Dodi | Selamat datang di Indonesia |
Peter | Terima kasih. Siapa nama anda? |
Dodi | Nama saya Dodi |
Dodi | Excuse me, is your name Peter? |
Peter | Yes, that's right |
Dodi | Welcome to Indonesia |
Peter | Thank you, what's your name? |
Dodi | My name is Dodi |
STRUCTURE
A. Personal Pronouns
1. | saya | i | (standard) | ||||
ku | my | (informal speech) | |||||
anda | you, your | (standard) | |||||
mu | your | (informal speech) | |||||
kita | our | (when the person spoken to is included) | |||||
kami | our | (when the person spoken to is excluded) | |||||
dia | he/she | he for man and she for woman | |||||
nya | his/her | his for man and her for woman | |||||
mereka | they, their | ||||||
2. | Possesive pronoun always follows the object. Learn the order of each phrase | ||||||
nama saya | my name | name of mine | |||||
nama anda | your name | ||||||
nama kita | our names | ||||||
nama kami | our names | ||||||
namanya | his me | (note that it translates one word) | |||||
namanya | her name | (note that it translates one word) | |||||
nama mereka | their names | ||||||
3. | Personal pronouns, such as my-saya, your-anda, their -mereka, his/her-nya;come after the object possessed. | ||||||
nama anda Peter | your name is Peter | ||||||
nama mereka Peter dan Susan | Their names are Peter and Susan | ||||||
namanya Peter | his name is Peter | ||||||
namanya Susan | her name is Susan | ||||||
4. | No gender distinction is used for personal pronouns , he and she, his and her. Learn this example |
||||||
saya Peter | i am Peter | ||||||
nama saya Peter | my name is Peter | ||||||
nama anda Susan | you are Susan | ||||||
kami Peter dan Susan | we are Peter and Susan | ||||||
nama kami Peter dan Susan | Our names are Peter and Susan | ||||||
dia Peter | he is Peter | ||||||
namanya Peter | his name is Peter | ||||||
dia Susan | she is Susan | ||||||
namanya Susan | her name is Susan | ||||||
mereka Peter dan Susan | They are Peter and Susan | ||||||
nama mereka Peter dan Susan | Their names are Peter and Susan |
B. Questions
1. | Either apa or apakah is used to stress an affirmative question. However, you may drop those two question words, when you have a high intonation at the end of the question. Try the following substitution drills: | |||
Maaf, nama anda Peter ? | Excuse me, is your name Peter ? | |||
Maaf, nama mereka Peter dan Susan ? | Excuse me, are their names Peter and Susan ? | |||
Maaf, namanya Peter ? | Excuse me, is his name Peter ? | |||
Maaf, namanya Susan ? | Excuse me, is her name Susan ? | |||
2. | What when referring to a person translates as siapa in this question : what is your name ? - Siapa nama anda? | |||
Siapa nama anda ? | What is your name ? | |||
Siapa nama mereka ? | What are their names ? | |||
Siapa namanya ? | What is his/her name ? | |||
Siapa namamu ? | What is your name ? |
WORD ORDER
The verb to be, e.g. is, am, are has no equivalent in Indonesian. The articles, a and an are not expressed as such in a simple conversation.
Learn these sentences and their patterns:
1. | Ini mobil | 2. | Itu rumah | 3. | Rumah besar |
This is car | That is a house | A house is big | |||
Ini Bulpen | Itu meja | Bulpen Kecil | |||
This is a pen | That is a table | A pen is small | |||
Ini bulpen saya | Itu meja anda | Teman baik | |||
This is my pen | That is your table | A friend is good | |||
4. | Nama saya Peter | 5. | Mobil anda bersih | 6. | Temannya sakit |
My name is Peter | Your car is clean | His friend is sick | |||
Buku saya baru | Meja kami kotor | Anak mereka sehat | |||
My book is new | Our table is dirty | Their child is healthy (fine) | |||
Rumah anda besar | Kursi kita kotor | Bukunya baru | |||
Your house is big | Our chairs are dirty | Her book is new |
EXCERCISES
a. Translate the following sentences into English.
1. Ini buku 2. Ini buku kita 3. Itu mobil 4. Itu mobil mereka 5. Itu rumah anda |
6. Pulpennya kecil 7. Dia tinggi 8. Mejanya pendek 9. Mereka teman saya 10. Meja dan kursi besar |
b. Translate the following sentences into Indonesian.
1. That is a house 2. That is our car 3. A table is high 4. A chair is short 5. Your friend is good |
6. His pen is old 7. My table is old and dirty 8. That is her chair 9. he is my child 10. You are healthy |