§ Don't Say 'An Orang'
Many English speakers learning Indonesian sometimes try to translate directly. In English, we say 'a person' or 'one person.' You might think you need to say satu orang (one person) or sebuah orang (a person, using the classifier for inanimate objects) when you just mean 'a person.' This is wrong.
- DEFINITION
- In Indonesian, if you just mean 'a person' or 'someone,' you simply use 'orang' by itself.
Orang itu baik sekali.
Translation hint: That person is very kind.
Ada orang di pintu.
Translation hint: There's someone at the door.
§ When to Use Numbers with 'Orang'
You only use a number before 'orang' if you are specifying an exact count of people. For example, 'two people,' 'three people,' etc.
Ada dua orang di sana.
Translation hint: There are two people there.
Lima orang sedang makan.
Translation hint: Five people are eating.
§ Not 'Orang-orang' for Just 'People'
While Indonesian does have reduplication (repeating a word) to indicate plurality, using orang-orang for a general group of 'people' is often unnecessary and can sound unnatural or overly emphasized.
- DEFINITION
- Use 'orang' (singular form) for a general sense of 'people' or 'persons.' 'Orang-orang' is typically used to emphasize that you are talking about *many different individuals* or *groups of people*, or for stylistic reasons in literature.
Consider these examples:
General 'people':
Orang suka makan nasi.
Translation hint: People like to eat rice.
Emphasizing many individuals (less common in daily speech):
Banyak orang-orang di pasar.
Translation hint: There are many people (individual people) in the market. (Using 'banyak orang' is more common here.)
§ 'Orang' as a Noun Classifier
Indonesian uses classifiers (similar to 'sheets of paper' or 'cups of tea' in English). 'Orang' is used as a classifier specifically for counting people.
- DEFINITION
- When counting people, the structure is: number + 'orang' + noun. Don't use other classifiers for people.
Saya punya tiga orang teman.
Translation hint: I have three friends (literally: three people friends).
Don't say tiga teman (three friends) if you want to be grammatically correct with classifiers, although in very casual speech you might hear it. Always use tiga orang teman.
Modèles grammaticaux
Structures de phrases
Ini adalah {kata benda}.
Ini adalah orang. (This is a person.)
{Kata sifat} orang.
Orang baik. (Good people.)
{Kata ganti orang} adalah orang.
Dia adalah orang. (He/she is a person.)
Ada {angka} orang.
Ada dua orang. (There are two people.)
Siapa orang itu?
Siapa orang itu? (Who is that person?)
Berapa banyak orang?
Berapa banyak orang? (How many people?)
{Kata kerja} orang.
Melihat orang. (To see people.)
Orang-orang {kata kerja}.
Orang-orang makan. (People eat.)
Teste-toi 18 questions
This means 'that is a person'. In Indonesian, the demonstrative 'itu' (that) comes first, followed by 'adalah' (is), and then the noun 'orang' (person).
This means 'how many people are there?'. 'Ada' (there is/are) starts the question, followed by 'berapa' (how many) and 'orang' (people).
This means 'he/she is a good person'. 'Dia' (he/she) comes first, then 'orang' (person), and 'baik' (good) as the adjective.
Banyak ___ berkumpul di lapangan untuk menyaksikan festival.
Dalam konteks ini, 'orang' adalah kata yang tepat untuk merujuk pada sekelompok individu yang berkumpul.
Saya melihat seorang ___ tua membantu menyeberang jalan.
'Orang' digunakan untuk merujuk pada individu, dalam hal ini, seseorang yang tua.
Setiap ___ memiliki cerita hidupnya sendiri yang unik.
Frasa 'setiap orang' berarti 'every person' atau 'everyone', yang mengacu pada individualitas setiap manusia.
Dia adalah ___ yang sangat ramah dan mudah bergaul.
'Orang' dalam kalimat ini menggambarkan karakter atau sifat seseorang.
Para ___ di desa itu hidup dalam keharmonisan.
'Para orang' adalah cara untuk merujuk pada sekelompok orang, serupa dengan 'the people' atau 'the villagers'.
Apakah kamu tahu ___ yang berdiri di dekat pintu itu?
Pertanyaan ini menanyakan tentang identitas individu, sehingga 'orang' adalah pilihan yang paling tepat.
The correct order forms the sentence 'That person has a big house.'
The correct order forms the sentence 'Many people work in the office.'
The correct order forms the sentence 'That person saw a new city.'
/ 18 correct
Perfect score!
