Shake hands lightly and give a slight nod when greeting and taking leave of a person. Sometimes, a handshake is not necessary after the first meeting. Never use the left hand to greet or touch someone, as it is considered impolite and unclean. A man does not touch a woman’s hand when greeting her, except if she initiates the handshake.
Selamat is a word used in most Indonesian greetings. It comes from the Arabic word “Salam,” meaning peace or safety. Selamat is followed by the time of day and other words to form most common greetings. Selamat can also mean “Congratulations” or “Happy …,” such as “Selamat ulang tahun” or “Happy birthday.
Indonesian greetings are based on the time of day. Selamat pagi or “good morning” is used from after midnight until around lunchtime (11.30 am or 12:00 pm). Selamat siang or “good day” is used as a greeting from lunchtime till late afternoon (03:30 pm or 04:00 pm). Selamat sore or “good afternoon” is used in the late afternoon until it begins to get dark. Selamat malam or “good evening” is used as a greeting after dark.
The following dialogues will help you understand the use of greetings presented in the previous video, Common Indonesian Greetings.
Dialogue 1 – The use of selamat with the time of day. Situation: Pak Amir greets Ibu Minah, his neighbor next door.
| Indonesian |
English |
| Pak Amir: Selamat pagi, Bu. |
Good morning, ma’am |
| Ibu Minah: Selamat siang, Pak ; sekarang jam 12 :00 |
Good day, sir. Actually, it is 12 p.m |
| Pak Amir: Oh iya, selamat siang, Bu. Apa kabar?*) |
Of course, good day, ma’am. How are you? |
| Ibu Minah: Baik. Apa kabar, Pak ? |
Fine (thank you). How are you, sir? |
| Pak Amir: Ya, begitulah. |
So-so. |
*) Pay attention how they ask each other “How are you?” rather than “and you?” as in English or Western cultures.
Dialogue 2 – The use of “mari”
Mari means “goodbye”’ or “let” as in “let us.” Situation: Pak Amir fetches Ibu Minah to go to a neighborhood meeting together.
| Indonesian |
English |
| Pak Amir: Apa Ibu sudah siap ? |
Are you ready? |
| Ibu Minah: Ya, saya siap |
Yes, I am ready. |
| Pak Amir: Mari kita pergi. |
Let’s go. |
| Ibu Minah: Baik. Apa kabar, Pak? |
Fine (thank you). How are you, Sir? |
| Pak Amir: Ya, begitulah. |
So-so |
| After the meeting |
|
| Ibu Minah: Terima kasih sudah mengantar saya. |
Thank you for dropping me off. |
| Pak Amir: Terima kasih kembali/sama-sama. Mari, Bu; saya harus cepat-cepat pulang. |
You are welcome. Goodbye, ma’am. I have to be home soon. |
Dialogue 3 – The use of ‘lumayan’
Lumayan means “a little bit better” or “Not bad.” Situation: Pak Amir just recovered from sickness.
| Indonesian |
English |
| Pak Amir: Selamat sore, Bu. |
Good afternoon, ma’am. |
| Ibu Minah: Selamat sore, Pak. Sudah sembuh? |
Good afternoon, sir. Are you feeling better? |
| Pak Amir: Lumayan … |
(I am feeling) A little bit better. |
| Ibu Minah: Cepat sembuh, ya. |
(I hope) you get better soon. |
| Pak Amir: Terima kasih, Bu. |
Thank you, ma’am. |
Dialogue 4 – The use of “sampai” Situation: Pak Amir dropped off his colleague Pak Joko at the airport.
| Indonesian |
English |
| Pak Joko: Terima kasih banyak sudah mengantar saya. |
Thanks for a lot for dropping me off. |
| Pak Amir: sama-sama. Sampai jumpa lagi bulan depan. Selamat jalan. |
You are welcome. Until we meet again next month or until next month. |
| Pak Joko: Sampai minggu depan. |
Until next week. |
The translations are mostly based on how Indonesians say them instead of being translated literally.
