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Expressing yourself with the word “tasty” or “delicious” in Indonesian Posted by asimonoff on Feb 4, 2016
The very first thing you learn Indonesian is that the word ‘enak’ means ‘tasty’ or ‘delicious’. However, soon enough, you will find out that ‘enak’ can mean more than just that; with it, you can do a whole lot more such as to tell about your health or to express your feelings and emotions. You could say that…
Ojek – the fastest mode of transport against traffic gridlock Posted by asimonoff on Jan 31, 2016
When you are in Indonesia, you will often hear people saying “Macet total. Naik ojek aja.” Which is translated “Well, it is a total traffic gridlock. It would be better to take an ojek” , “tidak ada kendaraan umum ke (daerah) itu. Naik ojek aja.” (as the area cannot be reached by public transit; it…
Top 10 most read posts in 2015 Posted by asimonoff on Dec 31, 2015
These are the ten most read posts in 2015, you might want to take a look. A Culinary Adventure in Bogor Bogor is a bedroom community. Those who live in Bogor mostly work in Jakarta. Even though it is close to the capital city, Jakarta, Bogor has built its identity as a place that is worth…
Celebrating Thanksgiving: the vocabulary in Indonesian Posted by asimonoff on Nov 29, 2015
When you search Google for the translation of Thanksgiving to Indonesian, Google will return several results, such as “Hari Bersyukur,” “Hari Syukuran,” “Hari Thanksgiving,” and ‘Hari Pengucapan Syukur.” However, “Hari bersyukur” and “Hari syukuran” are the closest to the English meaning. These phrases are sometimes used interchangeably. “Hari bersyukur” has more nuance in terms of expressing emotion. If you want to explain the concept to Indonesians…
Shopping: The Pleasure of Bargaining Posted by asimonoff on Nov 25, 2015
Shopping can be fun, especially when it comes to bargaining the price with non-native language or newly acquired language, though you can use a calculator. To negotiate effectively, you can start off the counteroffer 50 percent from the price offered by the seller, though it seems too low to start with, if you are lucky…
Indonesian words for ‘to die” Posted by asimonoff on Oct 31, 2015
Did you know that Indonesians have to think a lot to say “to die”? Here are the aspects involved in their thinking process: Who died? Is it a human or a thing? How did the person die? Are you fond of the person? Do you hate the person? Do you consider that the deceased or the dead person deserved to die? Do you…
Asking and answering questions the Indonesian way Posted by asimonoff on Sep 30, 2015
Having a list of phrases that are specific to the culture of the country is quite handy. You might feel uncomfortable with some of the phrases, but if you can use them correctly, you will be able to make a good rapport with the locals. GENERAL Questions Answers 1. Anda berasal dari mana? 1. Saya berasal dari Amerika. Where…