A0 Expressions & Patterns 1 min read Leicht

Survival Phrases

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Master these essential phrases to navigate daily life in Indonesia with confidence and politeness.

  • Use 'Terima kasih' for thank you, and 'Sama-sama' for you're welcome.
  • Use 'Maaf' to apologize or get someone's attention politely.
  • Use 'Bisa bahasa Inggris?' to ask if someone speaks English.
Greeting + Polite Request + Gratitude = Survival

Survival Phrase Structure

Function Phrase Literal Meaning Context
Greeting
Selamat pagi
Safe morning
Morning
Gratitude
Terima kasih
Receive love
Thanks
Apology
Maaf
Forgive
Sorry
Request
Tolong
Help
Please
Inquiry
Di mana
At where
Where
Permission
Permisi
Excuse me
Passing

Meanings

These are fixed expressions used for essential social functions like greeting, thanking, apologizing, and asking for help.

1

Gratitude

Expressing thanks or responding to thanks.

“Terima kasih banyak.”

“Terima kasih kembali.”

2

Politeness/Attention

Getting attention or apologizing.

“Maaf, saya tidak tahu.”

“Permisi, boleh tanya?”

3

Inquiry

Asking for basic assistance.

“Bisa bahasa Inggris?”

“Berapa harganya?”

Reference Table

Reference table for Survival Phrases
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Phrase + ya
Terima kasih ya
Negative
Tidak + Verb
Tidak tahu
Question
Phrase + kah?
Berapakah?
Request
Tolong + Verb
Tolong bantu
Polite
Boleh + Verb
Boleh tanya
Apology
Maaf + Subject
Maaf saya
Greeting
Selamat + Time
Selamat siang

Formalitätsspektrum

Formell
Terima kasih banyak

Terima kasih banyak (Gratitude)

Neutral
Terima kasih

Terima kasih (Gratitude)

Informell
Makasih

Makasih (Gratitude)

Umgangssprache
Makasih ya

Makasih ya (Gratitude)

Survival Phrase Map

Survival

Social

  • Halo Hello

Politeness

  • Maaf Sorry

Formal vs Informal

Formal
Mohon Please
Informal
Tolong Please

When to say Maaf

1

Did you bump someone?

YES
Say Maaf
NO
Say Permisi

Phrase Categories

✈️

Travel

  • • Di mana
  • • Berapa
  • • Tolong

Beispiele nach Niveau

1

Terima kasih.

Thank you.

2

Maaf.

Sorry.

3

Permisi.

Excuse me.

4

Halo.

Hello.

1

Berapa harganya?

How much is it?

2

Di mana toilet?

Where is the toilet?

3

Bisa bahasa Inggris?

Can you speak English?

4

Saya mau ini.

I want this.

1

Boleh minta tolong?

May I ask for help?

2

Maaf, saya tidak mengerti.

Sorry, I don't understand.

3

Apakah ini arah ke stasiun?

Is this the direction to the station?

4

Terima kasih banyak atas bantuannya.

Thank you very much for your help.

1

Permisi, apakah Anda punya waktu sebentar?

Excuse me, do you have a moment?

2

Mohon maaf atas keterlambatan saya.

I apologize for my delay.

3

Bisa tolong jelaskan lagi?

Could you please explain again?

4

Terima kasih atas kerja samanya.

Thank you for your cooperation.

1

Maaf mengganggu, tapi boleh saya bertanya?

Sorry to disturb, but may I ask?

2

Terima kasih atas perhatiannya.

Thank you for your attention.

3

Mohon dimaklumi.

Please understand.

4

Boleh saya minta saran?

May I ask for advice?

1

Saya sangat menghargai bantuan Anda.

I truly appreciate your help.

2

Mohon maaf jika ada kesalahan.

I apologize if there were any mistakes.

3

Terima kasih telah meluangkan waktu.

Thank you for sparing your time.

4

Boleh saya minta izin?

May I ask for permission?

Leicht verwechselbar

Survival Phrases vs. Maaf vs Permisi

Both are used for politeness.

Survival Phrases vs. Terima kasih vs Sama-sama

Mixing up thanks and you're welcome.

Survival Phrases vs. Bisa vs Boleh

Both mean 'can'.

Häufige Fehler

✗

Terima

✓

Terima kasih

Terima alone means receive.
✗

Maaf saya

✓

Maaf

Maaf is sufficient.
✗

Halo kamu

✓

Halo

Don't add pronouns to greetings.
✗

Tolong terima

✓

Terima kasih

Wrong phrase.
✗

Berapa ini?

✓

Berapa harganya?

Be specific.
✗

Di mana toiletnya?

✓

Di mana toilet?

Keep it simple.
✗

Bisa bicara Inggris?

✓

Bisa bahasa Inggris?

Use 'bahasa'.
✗

Permisi saya lewat

✓

Permisi

Permisi is enough.
✗

Terima kasih banyak sekali

✓

Terima kasih banyak

Redundant.
✗

Maaf untuk itu

✓

Maaf

Direct translation of 'sorry for that'.
✗

Mohon maaf atas ketidaknyamanan ini

✓

Mohon maaf

Too formal for casual.
✗

Terima kasih atas bantuannya yang besar

✓

Terima kasih banyak

Unnatural.
✗

Permisi, boleh saya lewat?

✓

Permisi

Too long.

Satzmuster

___, di mana ___?

Berapa ___?

Boleh ___?

Terima kasih ___.

Real World Usage

Market constant

Berapa harganya?

Taxi very common

Permisi, ke hotel.

Restaurant very common

Terima kasih.

Street common

Permisi.

Hotel common

Maaf, boleh tanya?

Texting common

Makasih!

💡

Smile

Smiling is part of the language in Indonesia.
⚠️

Don't be too direct

Always add 'boleh' or 'tolong'.
🎯

Use 'ya'

Adding 'ya' makes you sound natural.
💬

Respect

Politeness opens doors.

Smart Tips

Always start with 'Permisi'.

Di mana toilet? → Permisi, di mana toilet?

Use 'Berapa harganya?'.

Berapa? → Berapa harganya?

Use 'Maaf' instead of 'Sorry'.

Sorry. → Maaf.

Use 'Boleh'.

Saya minta air. → Boleh minta air?

Aussprache

a, i, u, e, o

Vowels

Indonesian vowels are pure and short.

Question

Bisa bahasa Inggris? ↑

Rising pitch at the end.

Einprägen

Eselsbrücke

Think of 'Terima kasih' as 'Receive (Terima) Love (Kasih)'.

Visuelle Assoziation

Imagine handing a gift to a friend while saying 'Terima kasih'.

Rhyme

For help you say tolong, for thanks you say terima kasih.

Story

Budi arrives in Jakarta. He says 'Selamat pagi' to the taxi driver. He asks 'Di mana hotel?' and thanks him with 'Terima kasih'.

Word Web

Terima kasihMaafPermisiTolongBisaDi mana

Herausforderung

Use three survival phrases in a single conversation today.

Kulturelle Hinweise

Politeness is extremely important here.

Derived from Malay roots.

Gesprächseinstiege

“

Halo, apa kabar?

“

Bisa bahasa Inggris?

“

Permisi, di mana stasiun?

“

Boleh saya duduk di sini?

Tagebuch-Impulse

Write about your day using 5 survival phrases.
Describe a time you needed help.
Write a dialogue at a market.
Reflect on the importance of politeness.

Häufige Fehler

Incorrect

Richtig

Incorrect

Richtig

Incorrect

Richtig

Incorrect

Richtig

Test Yourself

Fill in the blank.

Terima ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: kasih
Standard phrase.
Choose the correct phrase. Multiple Choice

What do you say to pass someone?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Permisi
Permisi is for passing.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Berapa ini?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Berapa harganya?
Be specific.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

Arrange the words in the correct order:

All words placed

Click words above to build the sentence

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: terima kasih banyak
Correct order.
Translate to Indonesian. Übersetzung

Sorry

Answer starts with: Maa...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Maaf
Maaf is sorry.
Match the phrase. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Please
Tolong is please.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Berapa harganya? B: ___

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Lima ribu
Price answer.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

Boleh / saya / tanya

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Boleh saya tanya?
Correct structure.

Score: /8

Ubungsaufgaben

8 exercises
Fill in the blank.

Terima ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: kasih
Standard phrase.
Choose the correct phrase. Multiple Choice

What do you say to pass someone?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Permisi
Permisi is for passing.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Berapa ini?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Berapa harganya?
Be specific.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

kasih / terima / banyak

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: terima kasih banyak
Correct order.
Translate to Indonesian. Übersetzung

Sorry

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Maaf
Maaf is sorry.
Match the phrase. Match Pairs

Tolong

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Please
Tolong is please.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Berapa harganya? B: ___

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Lima ribu
Price answer.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

Boleh / saya / tanya

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Boleh saya tanya?
Correct structure.

Score: /8

FAQ (8)

No, it has no verb conjugation.

When passing or starting a talk.

Only with close friends.

Terima kasih.

A polite filler.

In tourist areas, yes.

It makes requests polite.

It depends on the context.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

In Other Languages

Spanish high

Gracias

Indonesian is more indirect.

French high

Merci

French has more formal variations.

German high

Danke

German has more complex grammar.

Japanese moderate

Sumimasen

Japanese is more hierarchical.

Arabic high

Shukran

Arabic has gendered forms.

Chinese high

Xiexie

Chinese is tonal.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Formal vs Informal You
Next
Asking for Help

Related Grammar Rules

A0

Basic Greetings (Salam)
A0

Polite Introductions
A0

Identifying Objects
A0

Asking for Help
A1

Introducing Others
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