VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Voice of Indonesia presents “Let’s Speak Bahasa Indonesia,” a lesson in the Indonesian language on the Radio. We introduce some Indonesian vocabulary and tips on how to use it in a conversation. This segment is a joint initiative of Voice of Indonesia and the Language and Book Development Agency of the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture.  Today’s topic is Berapa lama saya boleh pinjam buku ini ? in English ‘How long can I borrow this book?’.

Read to this conversation about Berapa lama saya boleh pinjam buku ini ? in English ‘How long can I borrow this book?’. Kevin borrows a book at the University’s library.

Kevin         : Berapa lama saya boleh pinjam buku ini ?

Librarian    : Paling lama satu minggu.

Kevin         : Baik.

Librarian   : Ini bukunya. Jika telat mengembalikan, kena denda.

Kevin         : Baik, Pak. Terima kasih.

Librarian   : Sama-sama.

Now, I am going to introduce some vocabularies and expressions related to the topic today.

Berapa lama saya boleh pinjam buku ini ? which means         How long can I borrow this book?

Paling lama satu minggu                                         at most one week

Maksimal                                                                     maximal/maximum

Pinjam                                                                          to borrow

satu minggu                                                               one week

denda                                                                           fine

When someone borrows something, they certainly get a deadline for borrowing. If someone borrows something to you, you have to ask them berapa lama kamu mau pinjam? To answer the question berapa lama which means ‘how long’, it is usually said ….hari (days), …minggu (weeks) or ….bulan (months). But if you want to bring it back sooner, you can use the word nanti by mentioning a certain time, such as nanti malam, nanti siang.

For example:

-Maksimal pinjam buku ini dua hari in English ‘you can borrow this book maximally two days’.

-Motor ini harus kembali nanti malam in English ‘this motorcycle must be returned this evening’.

Besides using the expression -berapa lama, you can also use the word kapan. For example:

Kevin   : Kapan aku harus mengembalikan buku ini? which means  ‘When do I must return this book?’

Putri     : Satu minggu, ya  which means ‘one week, ok?’

That was “Let’s Speak Bhs Indonesia”, a lesson in Bahasa Indonesia or the Indonesian language on the radio. Hopefully, this edition will be useful for those who want to know more about Bahasa Indonesia.  

Voice of Indonesia presents “Let’s Speak Bahasa Indonesia,” a lesson in the Indonesian language on the Radio. We introduce some Indonesian vocabulary and tips on how to use it in a conversation. This segment is a joint initiative of Voice of Indonesia and the Language and Book Development Agency of the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture.  Today’s topic is Di mana Letak rak Buku Ini? in English ‘Where is this bookshelf located?’.

Read to this conversation about Di mana Letak Rak Buku Ini?which means ‘Where is this bookshelf located?. Kevin looks for BIPA book and asks the librarian where the bookshelf is.

Now, I am going to introduce some vocabularies and expressions related to the topic today.

When you want to ask about the place of an object, you can use the word di mana which means ‘where?’. The answer for the word di mana usually mentioning the place or direction, such as:

- di sebelah        which means      beside/next to

- di belakang                                  behind

- di samping                                   beside

- di depan                                                 in front

For example:

- Di mana rumah Sinta?     Which means     Where is Sinta’s house?

- Rumah Sinta di sebelah kantor pos              Sinta’s house is beside/next

to the post office.

In addition to di mana, you can also use the words ke mana and dari manato ask about the place or location. For examples:

- dia pergi ke mana? Which means ‘Where does she/he go?’.  This question can be answered with an expression: Dia pergi ke rumah nenek  which means ‘He/she goes to grandma’s house’.

- dari mana anda berasal? Which means ‘Where are you from/where do you come from?’. The answer is Saya berasal dari Jakarta which means ‘I am from Jakarta’/‘I come from Jakarta’.

That was “Let’s Speak Bahasa Indonesia”, a lesson in Bahasa Indonesia or the Indonesian language on the radio. Hopefully, this edition will be useful for those who want to know more about Bahasa Indonesia. 

Voice of Indonesia presents “Let’s Speak Bahasa Indonesia,” a lesson in the Indonesian language on the Radio. We introduce some Indonesian vocabulary and tips on how to use it in a conversation. This segment is a joint initiative of Voice of Indonesia and the Language and Book Development Agency of the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture.  Today’s topic is Tolong cetak data ini?  in English ‘Please print this data’.

Read to this conversation about Tolong cetak data ini?which means ‘Please print this data’.Kevin wants to print an assignment at a computer rental service.

Kevin         : Mas Toni, tolong cetak ini

Mas Toni   : Baik

Kevin         : Terima kasih, Nama Foldernya Tugasku, ya mas

Now, I am going to introduce some vocabularies and expressions related to the topic today.

Tolong cetak data ini                   which means      please print the data

Baik                                                                     ok/alright

Terima kasih                                                     thank you

Nama Foldernya                                               name of the folder

Tugasku                                                             my assignment

The expression of tolong cetak data ini is an imperative sentence. To ask someone to do something for us, we can use the word tolong plus a verb or something we need for help. Like another expression, Tolong buka pintu”. To respond to the expression, we can use the word baik which means ‘ok’, when you can do it. But if you refuse to do it, you can use an expression maaf, tidak bisa, which means ‘sorry, I can’t’.

Voice of Indonesia presents “Let’s Speak Bahasa Indonesia,” a lesson in the Indonesian language on the Radio. We introduce some Indonesian vocabulary and tips on how to use it in a conversation. This segment is a joint initiative of Voice of Indonesia and the Language and Book Development Agency of the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture.  Today’s topic is Boleh saya coba?  in English ‘May I try?’.

Read to this conversation about Boleh saya coba?  in English ‘May I try?’.

At the campus dance studio, Kevin sees Pak Darmaji playing the gamelan. Kevin is interested in asking Pak Darmadji to try to play it.

Now, I am going to introduce some vocabularies and expressions related to the topic today.

Usually, people in Indonesia ask for permission to someone by using the word boleh which means ‘may or can’.  The sentence, Boleh saya coba? Is used for spoken or informal language. If you want to say it politely, you can say Bolehkah saya mencoba? or Apakah saya boleh mencoba? which means may I try it?

To respond to the expression, you can say Tentu saja, which means you give the person permission to do it. While in a common situation, you can also  say Boleh, Boleh saja, Tentu saja boleh which means sure or  of course.

But if you want to refuse the permission, you can say Tidak boleh. More politely, you can say Maaf, tidak boleh which means ‘sorry, you may not’, sorry you can’t.

That was “Let’s Speak Bhs Indonesia”, a lesson in Bahasa Indonesia or the Indonesian language on the radio. Hopefully, this edition will be useful for those who want to know more about Bahasa Indonesia.