Bantuan di Stasiun

By Speak Indo, original reading practice from the Speak Indo course.

Help at the Station. A traveller asks for slow Indonesian and finds the right platform.

The dialogue, line by line

Everyday register: polite everyday. Natural survival language with a stranger: saya is retained, while the other person avoids an unnecessary you-pronoun. Everyday wording appears first; a standard reference is shown underneath when the wording differs.

1. Permisi, saya tidak mengerti.
   Excuse me, I do not understand.
2. Nggak apa-apa.
   That is okay.
   Standard reference: Tidak apa-apa.
3. Bisa tolong bicara pelan-pelan?
   Please speak slowly.
   Standard reference: Tolong bicara pelan-pelan.
4. Mau ke mana?
   Where do you want to go?
   Standard reference: Kamu mau pergi ke mana?
5. Saya mau ke kota.
   I want to go to the city.
   Standard reference: Saya mau pergi ke kota.
6. Lurus, lalu belok kiri.
   Go straight, then left.
   Standard reference: Jalan lurus, lalu ke kiri.
7. Peron tiga ada di sana.
   Platform three is over there.
   Standard reference: Peron nomor tiga ada di sana.
8. Terima kasih banyak.
   Thank you very much.

Vocabulary in this dialogue

• permisi, excuse me (to pass)
• saya tidak mengerti, I don't understand
• tidak apa-apa, it's nothing / it's fine
• bisa, can
• tolong bicara pelan-pelan, please speak slowly
• mau, want; going to (everyday)
• ke, to (direction)
• mana, which one
• saya, I
• kota, city
• lurus, straight
• lalu, then (shorter)