Indonesian, known as Bahasa Indonesia, is a language rich in expressions for time and dates, which are essential for everyday communication. In this article, we’ll cover some of the key expressions one might need to talk about time and days. Understanding these will certainly enhance your ability to schedule, plan, and discuss past, present, and future events when conversing in Indonesian.
Hari
The word “hari” means “day”. It’s used to refer to the days of the week or to speak about days in a general sense.
Saya akan bertemu dia hari Senin. (I will meet him on Monday.)
Jam
“Jam” is the Indonesian word for “hour” and is used to tell time.
Sekarang jam tiga sore. (It is three o’clock in the afternoon now.)
Menit
Minute in Indonesian is denoted by the word “menit”.
Tunggu saya selama lima menit. (Wait for me for five minutes.)
Detik
The term for “second”, in the context of time, is “detik”.
Ledakan itu terjadi dalam hitungan detik. (The explosion happened in a matter of seconds.)
Tanggal
This word is used to refer to the “date” of the month.
Tanggal berapa ulang tahunmu? (What is the date of your birthday?)
Bulan
Whilst “bulan” can mean “month”, it can also mean “moon”. The context usually makes it clear which one is meant.
Dia akan kembali bulan depan. (He will return next month.)
Tahun
“Tahun” translates to “year” in English.
Saya lahir tahun 1990. (I was born in the year 1990.)
Waktu
“Waktu” generally means “time”, referring both to specific instances (e.g., hour) and to the concept of time as a whole.
Waktu akan memberi jawaban atas segala pertanyaan. (Time will give the answer to all questions.)
Sekarang
“Sekarang” means “now” or the present time.
Apa yang kamu lakukan sekarang? (What are you doing now?)
Besok
For speaking about “tomorrow”, Indonesian uses the term “besok”.
Saya akan pergi ke dokter besok. (I will go to the doctor tomorrow.)
Kemarin
The word for “yesterday” in Indonesian is “kemarin”.
Saya bertemu dengan dia kemarin. (I met with him yesterday.)
Lusa
Indonesians use the word “lusa” to talk about “the day after tomorrow”.
Kita akan pergi berlibur lusa. (We will go on a vacation the day after tomorrow.)
Minggu
It refers to either “week” or “Sunday” depending on the context.
Saya akan berada di sana selama satu minggu. (I will be there for one week.)
Hari Ini
“Hari ini” means “today”. It’s a combination of “hari” (day) and “ini” (this).
Cuaca hari ini sangat cerah. (The weather today is very sunny.)
Nanti
The term “nanti” is used for “later” and can refer to any point in the future.
Nanti malam kita akan makan malam bersama. (We will have dinner together later tonight.)
Dulu
“Dulu” refers to a time in the past and can be used to mean “formerly” or “previously”.
Dia dulu tinggal di Jakarta. (He used to live in Jakarta.)
By mastering these expressions for time and dates in Indonesian, you’ll be able to engage in conversations more fluently and understand the chronology of events being discussed. Practice using these words in your daily interactions to help solidify your grasp on Indonesian time-telling and scheduling. Selamat belajar! (Happy learning!)
