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Friendly Talk

New Words

ambil           to take, to fetch (also to take a picture)
bisa           to be able to
cinta           to love, love
foto           photograph
ganteng           handsome
cantik           pretty
hubungi           to contact (someone)
HP           mobile phone (slang)
jalan-jalan           walking around, having a walk
jangan           don't!
jatuh           to fall
kalau if
kangen           to miss (somebody)
kenapa?           why?
kirim           to send
lihat           to look at
lucu           funny, cute
mantan           ex, former
menarik hati           attractive
minta           to ask for, to request
nakal           naughty
ngobrol           chat
pintar           intelligent
senang (adjective)           to enjoy
sifat           character (of a person)
suka           to like
untuk           for
waktu           time

 
In love affairs Indonesians use a charming mixture of direct and indirect language.

Be Direct

If somebody likes you he or she will directly let you know pretty soon. In genereal Indonesians seem to be a lot less complicated in this respect than people in western countries.

Saya suka kamu - I like you - I like you

You could answer:
Terima kasih. Kenapa? - Thank you. Why?

Guys may be told:
Kamu ganteng - you handsome - You are handsome

Girls will hear:
kamu cantik - you pretty - You are  pretty

Here are some more nice things you could say:
Saya suka sifat kamu - I like character you -  I like the way you are
Saya suka mata kamu - I like eye you - I like your eyes
Saya senang lihat kamu - I enjoy to look you - I like looking at you
Kamu lucu - you cute - You are sweet
Kamu pintar - you intelligent - You are intelligent
Kamu menarik hati - you attract heart - You are attractive
Saya jatuh cinta sama kamu - I fall love together you - I fell in love with you
Saya kangen sama kamu - I miss together you - I missed you

Indonesian students will notice that this is colloquial Indonesian, as you hear it on the street. It is quite a bit different to the official or written Indonesian.

Note
Indonesian girls can be quite coquettish especially with
westerners. Most of it is however only curiosity and however
daring some remarks may seem, most girls would never think of
having an affair before getting married.
 

Be Indirect

You may be direct in showing affection, but for anything else be as indirect as possible. By doing so you are not too pushy and on the other hand you leave every possibility open.

Mau jalan-jalan sama saya? - want walking walking with me? - Let's have a walk together

This can mean literally having a walk, but could also include going out for dinner or the cinema and could also imply much more.

Mau main sama saya? - want play with me? - Do want to do something together with me?

Main normally means to play or to hang out or just to have a chat with somebody. It can also mean having sex. Mau main sama saya? is a perfectly harmless question but it leaves a trace of a suggestion to spend the night together in the air.

If he or she does agree to these suggestions then this does not necessarily mean that they are after the same thing as you. In most cases main and jalan-jalan will mean just that: having a walk and chat together.

Nakal means cheeky and is often used for cheeky kids. But it can also mean being a bastard or an easy girl.

Cewek nakal covers everything from cheeky girl to prostitute.

Mau nakal sama saya? - Want cheeky with me? - Let's be naughty together

This question says rather clearly what you want, but as it is still a little ambiguous it is not considered coarse. Don't be any more direct that.

Rejections must always be indirect to save the other's face. If you don't want something say for example:
Tidak bisa - not can - I can't
Tidak ada waktu - not available time - I don't have a time

Note
Beauty standards are different in Idonesia.Many Indonesian
men  like tall women  (preferably taller than themselves)
with  light  complexion, and long nose. Consequently many girls,
however pretty they may be, are considered and find themselves
ugly just because they are not tall, have a short nose and dark complexion.
Western men find this rather convenient.

More small talk

Saya senang ngobrol sama kamu. Ada alamat e-mail? Boleh saya minta? - I enjoy chat together you. Exist address e-mail? May I request? - I enjoyed talking to you, do you have E-mail address? May I have it?

Saya tidak bisa kasih nomor telepon. Tetapi, kalau mau, saya kasih alamat e-mail. - I not can give number telephone. But, if want, I give address e-mail. -  I can't give you my telephone number, but, if you want, you can have my e-mail address.

Bisa saya hubungi kamu? - Can I contact you? - Can I contact you?

Bisa ketemu lagi? - Can meet again? - Can I see you again?

Jangan lupa kirim surat. - Don't forget send letter. - Don't forget to write me.

Punya HP? Bisa kirim SMS? - Own mobile phone? Can send SMS? - Do you have a mobile telephone? Can you send me an SMS?

Ini foto mantan pacar kamu? - this photo former girlfriend/boyfriend? - Is this a photo of your ex?

Saya mau ambil foto kamu  - I want take photo you - I would like to take a picture of you 

 

Test

Fill in the right word

1. How do you tell a boy that he is handsome?              Kamu              a) cantik
                                                                                                                           b) lucu
                                                                                                                           c) ganteng
                                                                                                                           d) nikah

2. How do you tell a girl that she is pretty?                       Kamu              a) cantik
                                                                                                                           b) ganteng
                                                                                                                           c) lucu

3. How do you tell somebody that he/she is cute?          Kamu             a) lucu
                                                                                                                           b) cantik
                                                                                                                           c) nakal

4. You want to ask someone if he or she has some time for you later.
                                                                                             Nanti ada            a) cinta             untuk saya?
                                                                                                                           b) waktu
                                                                                                                           c) rumah

5. What is the best (i.e. indirect) way of asking a girl or a boy if he/ she wants to sleep with you?
                                                                                                        Mau            a) nakal          sama saya?
                                                                                                                            b) main
                                                                                                                            c) cinta

 

 
 
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