Content

• Steps
• Tips

Here you are in Indonesia, a country in southeast Asia just below the equator. It is the homeland of incredible spices, exotic jungle, smiling and warm, like the country's tropical climate, people. Although many Indonesians can speak English, you can always surprise them by greeting them in Bahasa Indonesia, their native language.

Steps

1. 1 When you say hello, you can always just say 'Hi' or 'Hello'. In everyday situations, you might ask ‘Apa Kabar?’ (How are you?). On more formal occasions, you can say ‘Selamat Pagi’ (Good morning), ‘Selamat Siang’ (Good afternoon), ‘Selamat Sore’ (Good evening) and ‘Selamat Malam’ (Good night). Selamat malam is not said to say good night.
2. 2 Note that 'e' in 'Selamat' is not pronounced and the word must be 'slamat'. It is also possible to omit selamat and just say pagi (for example, in English you can just say Morning).
3. 3 If you greet a person with the phrase ‘Apa Kabar?’(’ How are you? ’), You will most likely answer‘ Baik-baik saja ’or‘ Kabar baik ’(Okay, thanks).
4. 4 In Indonesian, it is mainly written and read. You are unlikely to be laughed at if you happen to say something wrong. Just keep talking in your usual manner and you will succeed.
5. 5 To be extremely polite, use the words ‘Mas’, ‘Pak’, ‘Bu’, or ’Mba’ (spelled embak) before the person’s name. ‘Mas’ (lord or brother, comrade) - a friendly address to men around your age or rank; ‘Pak’ is a formal appeal to men of higher rank; ‘Bu’ refers to a married woman; 'Mba' is said to young single girls. For example: Mas Bayu (to a young man); Pak Mulyawan (formal address to a man); Bu Kartini (to a married woman); Mba Elita (to an unmarried woman). The term 'Ibu' or 'Bu' for married women is rarely replaced by anything else. However, you may hear ‘Bapak’ (father) when referring to a man of clearly older age and higher status. For example, a middle-aged man named Djoko may be referred to as 'Bapak Djoko.'
   • The sounds 'k' and 'ng' are the only 'tricky' sounds in the Indonesian language. The first is pronounced in two ways: sometimes it sounds like 'k' in Russian, and sometimes (as in the word 'Pak') it denotes a laryngeal stop - a sound resulting from the closing of the vocal cords, which, under the pressure of air, open with an explosive sound (as in Russian 'no-a'). The 'ng' sound is velar nasal, similar to English ng (for example, in the word 'sing'). As mentioned earlier, if at the beginning you do not quite correctly pronounce the sounds, the locals will react to this with understanding.
6. 6 Indonesians don't always have surnames. Just because a person’s name is ‘Arif Perdana’ doesn’t mean that he or she has the last name ‘Perdana’. You can simply refer to it as 'Pak Arif'. Some Indonesians only have a first name without a last name.
7. 7 Do not be offended if an Indonesian whom you barely know addresses you by your first name (without a last name and patronymic). In everyday life, this is how they address everyone except married women, the nobility, and the royal family.
8. 8 Married women are likely to carry their husband's name, but in whatever form they want. Address her as she called herself when you first met. Remember to add 'Bu / Ibu' before the name.
9. 9 If you are confused and forget what to say, speak English. Experience shows that Indonesians are good at guessing what you are trying to say.
10. 10 Smile when you speak. In general, Indonesians are open and friendly. A smile will make it much easier for you to communicate with them. You can also lightly nod your head or bow - this has nothing to do with expressing submission, this is a sign of incredible politeness. People from Western cultures should not be shy about this gesture.

Tips

• Find a person from Indonesia on the Internet and ask him to teach you more. Or find an author from Indonesia on WikiHow who will be happy to help you.
• You can carry a pocket or electronic dictionary with you.
• You can check how phrases are pronounced in Google Translate. Select a language pair from Russian to Indonesian, enter any phrase in Russian (for example, "How are you?"), And as a result you will see the translation (in this case "Apa Kabar?"). Under the result, click on the sound icon and you will hear the correct pronunciation of "Apa Kabar?" or another phrase in Indonesian.
• You can learn Indonesian at:
  • http://www.learningindonesian.com
  • http://www.bahasa.net/online
  • http://www.wannalearn.com/Academic_Subjects/World_Languages/Indonesian
  • Alternatively, search for such sites on Google and choose the one that suits you best.