Casual particles: dong, sih, kok, deh, lah

By Speak Indo, from the Speak Indo Indonesian course.

Tiny words that add tone: pleading, mild irritation, surprise, persuasion.

How it works

These particles barely translate but completely change the tone of a sentence: • dong, a friendly plea or persuasion: *'Ayo dong!'* = come on, please! • sih, softens or expresses curiosity: *'Apa sih?'* = what's that (really)? • kok, surprise / 'how can it be?': *'Kok mahal?'* = why so expensive? • deh, agreement / 'okay then': *'Iya deh.'* = alright then. • lah, emphasis / mild scolding: *'Iya lah!'* = of course! Use sparingly while learning, overusing them sounds odd. Listen for them in real conversation.

Examples

• Beli dong, murah!
  Come on, buy it, it's cheap!
• Kok belum datang?
  How come he/she hasn't arrived?
• Iya deh, oke.
  Alright, okay.