Survival Indonesian. Katherine Davidsen

      Small Talk

      Indonesians are very fond of asking questions, some of which might seem rather personal to Westerners. You shouldn’t be offended as you might back home. Answer those that you can, and ask the same question back! Alternatively you can give vague answers—nobody is that interested in the accuracy of your response, they just want to chat.

       Where are you going?

      Mau ke mana? (lit. want to where?)

      This is a very common question and people may not be really interested in your answer. It is a bit like commenting on the weather in English.

       Just having a wander.

      Jalan-jalans aja. (lit. just going around)

       To the market.

      Mau ke pasar.

       To the beach.

      Mau ke pantai.

       Have you been here long?

      Sudah lama di sini?

       Just two days

      Baru dua hari.

       Already a week.

      Sudah seminggu.

       Two months.

      Dua bulan.

       Where are you from?

      Dari mana? (lit. from where?)

      This could also mean, “Where have you just come from?” (ie. what was your last destination before here?) but when addressed to foreigners, it is usually asking about their origins.

       From America / the US.

      Dari Amérika.

       From Australia.

      Dari Australia.

       From Surabaya.

      Dari Surabaya.

      Talking about Yourself

       What’s your name?

      Siapa