Slang Particles in Indonesian Language

deh * How about ...

Coba dulu deh = How about trying it first? Lanjutin besok lagi deh = How about continuing it tommorow?

* I think ... / I decide ...

Mau yang mana? ~ Yang biru deh = Which one do you want? ~ I think I'll choose the blue one. Aku pergi deh = I think I'm going now / Better if I go.

dong * indeed / of course / You should have known that ...

Kamu dapet kue gratis juga? Dapet dong = Did you get the free cake? Of course I got it. Suka yang mana? (choosing a girl) ~ Yang itu dong = Which one do you like? ~ Of course him/her (I think you think the same too)

* soften a prohibition or command

Jangan keras-keras dong (lagunya) = Don't set it so loud please (the music) Eh, kertasnya masukin semua dong = Hey, please insert all the paper!

eh * Hey (requesting attention)

Eh, sini sebentar = Hey, come here for a minute!

* Correcting incorrectly spoken words / "I mean"

Tadi kan aku kasih kamu dua ratus, eh dua ribu? = Didn't I give you two hundred... I mean two thousand?

* By the way (changing topic)

Eh, inget ga tempat ini? = By the way, do you remember this place?

kan * Isn't it (question tag to assert)

Dia yang namanya Adi kan? = He is the one called Adi, right? Bagus kan? = Good, isn't it?

* Didn't you remember that ...

Hah, dia mau datang? ~ Kan mu yang bilang, masa lupa? = Heh, he is coming? ~ Wasn't it you who said it to me, how can you forget?

* Because

Kenapa ga masukin kulkas aja? ~ Mana cukup, kan kulkasnya kecil = Why don't you put it in the fridge? ~ It's not enough, because the fridge is small.

ko / kok * Why (asking) / I wonder why (just expresses wonder)

Ko kamu telat? = Why are you late? Ko bisa dia dipukul papanya, aneh = I wonder why he is attacked by his father, it's strange.

* Actually ... (denying assumption)

Makan di sana enak ga? Aku ga pernah ke sana ko = Is it nice to eat there? Actually I haven't been there (I don't know) Tiap hari aku tidur 8 jam, lama yah ~ Aku juga ko = I sleep 8 hours every day, it's long isn't it? ~ Actually me too (I think that's not too long)

loh / lho / lo * expressing surprise after hearing something

Loh, katanya ga mau ikut? ~ Pikir-pikir pengen juga = What? Didn't you say that you didn't want to join us? ~ After thinking, I became more interested. Aku bolos aja deh ~ Loh, kenapa? = I think I will skip (the lecture) (for now) ~ What?! Why is it?

* You know? / I'll let you know that ...

Ikut dong, Adi aja ikut loh = Please join us, even Adi joined us, you know? Jangan main api, nanti kebakar loh = Don't play with fire, you may be burned, you know?

* asserting / making sure

Datang loh ke ultah Adi! = Don't forget to come to Adi's birthday party. Ingat loh pesan saya! = Make sure you remember my advice.

nih * comes from "ini" meaning "this", indicating something related to here / current time

Cape nih = I'm tired (now) Besok aja bikin kalimatnya, lagi sibuk nih = How if we make the sentences tomorrow, since I'm busy (now)

* Are you really ... ?

Udah mau pergi nih? = Are you really going now?

* emphasizes the subject

Adi nih yang masak = The one who cooks is Adi, you know?

sih * I wonder ... (sometimes need answer, sometimes not)

Tadi Pak Adi ngomong apa sih? = I wonder what Pak Adi said just now. Berapa sih harganya? = I wonder how much the price is.

* expressing annoyance

Sebetulnya kamu lagi apa sih? = What are you EXACTLY doing? Kenapa sih selalu telat? = Why are you always late?

* Because

Kamu sih datangnya lama, jadi semua telat = Because you came up late, everybody become late. Aku sedih, kamu jahat sih = I'm sad, because you are evil.

* selecting something different than the others

Karyawan di sana bodo-bodo yah? ~ Adi sih pinter, ... = All staffs there are stupid, aren't they? ~ (All are stupid, except) Adi (which is) smart.

* But (sometimes the sentence stops there)

Semua soal bisa? ~ Bisa sih, cuma ada 1 yang ga = Did you successfully do all the questions? Yes I did, but there is one that I didn't. Bisa main gitar? Bisa sih... = Can you play guitar? I can, but...

tuh * See that! (I don't want to do anything about it from now)

Makan tuh kuenya = Eat the cake (I don't want to eat anymore) Kamu tuh kerjanya tidur melulu = All you do is sleeping (I'm annoyed)

ya / yah * Isn't it (question tag, wondering)

Tadi itu Adi ya? = The one (you met) just now was Adi, wasn't it? Rapatnya mulai jam 8 ya? = The meeting starts at 8, isn't it?

* either .. or .. (if coupled with "kalau tidak" / "kalo ga")

Aku pasti bawa sesuatu. Kalo ga sabun ya sampo = I will bring something. Either soap or shampoo. Kalo ga dimakan singa, ya digigit ular = You will be either eaten by a lion or bitten by a snake.

* then (used with "kalau (tidak)" / "kalo (ga)")

Kalo ga bisa tidur ya baca buku telepon = If you cannot sleep, (then) read the telephone directory. Kalo bisa bawa catatan, kalo ga ya gapapa (tidak apa-apa) = If you can, bring a notepad, but if cannot it's okay. Kalo tetep mau antri ya silakan saja = If you still want to queue, it's okay with me.

* expressing dissatisfaction (in front of sentence)

Yah, Juventus kalah lagi = Sadly, Juventus is again lost. Yah, kamu sih = It's because of you, you know? (softly)

Written by: yuku (www.kejut.com)