Tag: bipa

Indonesian slang used in everyday life

Photo by saeed karimi on Unsplash

Indonesian slang is often used in everyday conversation. Indonesian slang (bahasa gaul, Betawi: basa gaul) is a term that encompasses various vernacular and non-standard styles of expression used throughout Indonesia that are not necessarily mutually intelligible. With the exception of formal speeches, Indonesian slang is the primary language that is used for oral communication in everyday life. It would be extremely unusual to communicate with people orally in formal Indonesian.

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Mari Berbahasa Indonesia: Perkenalan Diri

In this video, I’m going to teach you basic phrases that you can use to introduce yourself in Indonesian. If you’re planning to visit Indonesia or simply want to learn the language, introducing yourself is a great way to start a conversation and make new friends. These phrases are easy to learn and remember, so you can confidently use them in your next conversation with an Indonesian speaker.

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Indonesian Words to Know Before Arriving in Indonesia: Greetings and Farewells

photo by jakob tolsma

Do you know that every language has its own unique language culture? For example, as an English speaker, when we meet a new friend, we would like to greet them by saying ‘hi!’ or ‘hello!’ while shaking hands with theirs for a couple of seconds. Alternatively, in a more formal situation, we would like to go ‘Good morning!’ or ‘Good Afternoon’ as an expression of warm greetings. 

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Close Juncture in bahasa Indonesia

One of the factors to consider when learning bahasa Indonesia is breaking up sentences. With the right word choices, the aspects of the sentence can be well understood. These aspects include subject, predicate, object and adverb. In Indonesian, it is common to read poetry or the news by looking for fragmented phrases. The slash (/) is often used as a punctuation mark in Indonesian to indicate a pause or the end of a sentence.

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