Indonesian Class (with example phrases)

--- written by Greg on 7/14/2010, Jakarta, 11:00pm, 9:00am PST ---

From Padang Summer 2010

Fengky organized a language class for us at Andalas. It has been incredibly helpful to understand some of the common words and phrases in addition to some of those that we will need when discussing tsunami and earthquake preparedness. The instructor, Ibu (Mrs.) Yetti, is a lively 60 year-old woman who tries not to speak English at all while we are in class. It helps a lot to figure out all of the little articles so we can make sentences rather than a series of words. We are now able to discuss our days with hardly any details, ask what time it is, and understand some of the signs on the streets and foods we see on menus. Additionally, we have learned how the Minang language (spoken by most in Padang) is different from the Indonesian language along with a few key words that we should know. Here is just a little sampling of what we know how to say without a dictionary:

Kami pergi ke pantai Padang untuk minum kelapa muda dan nasi goreng sehari hari.
We go to Padang beach for coconut water and fried rice everyday.

Apa? Kamu makan keju semua? Ada keempat minggu ini!
What? You ate all the cheese? That’s the fourth time this week!

Teman saya suka melihat futbol. Kami tinggal dengan orang dari Amerika, Inggris, Ivory Coast, dan Japang. Selamat datang ke Epcot di Padang, rumah kami.
My friends like to watch soccer. We live with people from the United States, England, Ivory Coast, and Japan. Welcome to the Padang’s Epcot Center, our house.

Kami belajar bagaimana walikota dari kota Padang jalan untuk evakuasi cepat cepat.
We are studying how the people of the city of Padang walk to evacuate quickly.