Sebelas Duabelas Meaning In Indonesian

Halo semuanya, apa kabar? We're going to learn an Indonesian idiom [sebelas duabelas]. As always, we're gonna watch a scene from an Indonesian movie where this idiom is spoken.

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Without further ado, let's jump right in.

Sebelas Duabelas Meaning

Literally, [sebelas] is [eleven], and [dua belas] is [twelfth]. So, if we translate this literally, sebelas duabelas would be translated into,

Eleven twelfth.

It's kind of weird and doesn't make any sense, right. Actually, if you say that something or someone is sebelas duabelas, they are more or less the same. 

I will give you an example. Situation: You are with your friend, and you see two bags in front of you, and then you ask your friend's opinion about those two bags.

A: Gimana menurut loe tas yang ini? (What do you think about this bag?)

B: Tas ini kalau menurut gue sih bagus. (I think this bag is good.)

A: Kalau tas yang itu gimana? (What about that bag?)

B: Sebelas duabelas lah sama tas yang ini, gue bilang mah. (I think they are more or less the same.)

B said that those two bags are more or less similar in quality.

How to Pronounce Sebelas Duabelas

Let's hear how to pronounce sebelas duabelas in the video down below.

Next, I will give 3 example sentences using this sebelas duabelas idiom.

Sebelas Duabelas Example Sentences

Let's see three example sentences using sebelas duabelas below.

Example Sentences	English Translation
1. Menurutku kelakuan dia sama orangtuanya sebelas duabelas.	1. I think his attitude, more or less, is the same with his parents.
2. Cantiknya dia, gue bilang sih sebelas duabelas sama Raisa.	2. Her beauty, in my opinion, more or less, is the same as Raisa.
3. A: Menurut loe kegantengan gue sebelas duabelas kan sama Nikolas Saputra? B: Muke loe jauh!	3. A: Do you think that my handsomeness is more or less the same as Nikolas Saputra, right? B: Yeah, in your dream!

Next, we will watch a scene from an Indonesian movie where this Indonesian idiom is spoken.

Examples of Sebelas Duabelas In Use

This section will gather examples from movies where the phrase [sebelas duabelas] is spoken so you can see how Indonesian people use the phrase and to better understand how to use this phrase.

The first clip is taken from a web series on Umay Shahab's youtube channel. Let's watch the clip down below.

The conversation in the scene with English subtitles is as follows.

Alina: Nah, kalo yang lagi boncengin gue ini. Ehem, dia namanya Rendra. Pacar gue. Ya, tapi dia itu sebelas duabelas mulutnya ama Vira. Kadang bisa romantis banget. Kadang bisa bikin gue kesel. (This person who gave me a ride, his name is Rendra. He's my boyfriend. Yeah, but his mouth, more or less, is the same with Vira's mouth. Sometimes he can be really romantic, and sometimes he can make me very upset.)

In this scene, Alina talks about her boyfriend Rendra and her friend Vira. Both of them were chatterbox people. That's why she said this,

Dia itu sebelas duabelas mulutnya ama Vira. (His mouth, more or less, is the same with Vira's mouth.)

This sentence means that her boyfriend talks a lot, just like Vira. [Kalo] is informal for [kalau]. [Ama] is informal for [sama]. [Kesel] is informal for [kesal].

Vocabulary From the Scene

[Nah] is a word used when you want to start saying something or to conclude your thoughts.

[Kalo] is the informal way of saying [kalau] = if.

[Boncengin] is the colloquial way of saying [memboncengkan] = to give a ride to someone.

[Gue] is informal for [saya] = I.

[Pacar] = girlfriend or boyfriend who means the world to you.

[Kadang] = sometimes.

[Bikin] = [buat] = to make something, to cause something.

[Ama] is a common reduction for [same] = with.

[Kesel] = [kesal] = upset.

The second scene is taken from a serial TV called Para Pencari Tuhan, Season 15, Episode 4 (2022). Let's watch the clip below.

Below is the conversation from the scene above with English translations.

Bang Jack: Nyebelin banget tu bocah! (That kid is so annoying!)

Matahari: Ayahku dulu pas masih kecil, nyebelin juga ngga, om? (When my father was little, was he also an annoying kid?)

Bang Jack: Oh, ayah lo masih kecil lebih parah dari tu bocah. (Oh, when your father was little, he was way worse than that kid.)

Matahari: Berarti om Jack nyebelin juga, dong? Kan sahabatnya? (So, you're also an annoying person, then? Cause you're my father's best friend.)

Bang Jack: Ya.. uhmm.. Ya, sebelas duabelas lah. (Uhm.. Well, yeah, you could say that.)

Matahari: Waduh. (Oh my God.)

In this scene, Bang Jack is Matahari's father's best friend. Before this scene, there was a kid that was so annoying, and Bang Jack felt so annoyed by that kid. That's why he said, "Nyebelin banget tu bocah."

And then, Matahari is curious about how her father was when he was little, and because Bang Jack is his father's best friend, she asks this to Bang Jack. Bang Jack said that when he was little, her father was way worse than the kid, and then Matahari replied with a question.

If his father was an annoying kid when he was little, then Matahari thinks so did Bang Jack because they are best friends, and best friends tend to have the same personalities.

Bang Jack replied with, "Ya, sebelas duabelas lah," which means that he agreed with what Matahari said.

Vocabulary From the Scene

[Nyebelin] is the casual way of saying [menyebalkan]. This kind of omitting the first syllable and then adding the suffix -in is common in daily Indonesian conversation. For example: [mengerjakan] --> [ngerjain], [mengantarkan] --> [nganterin], [menyiapkan] --> [nyiapin].

[Banget] = [sekali] = very. We usually use [banget] in conversation more than [sekali]. For example: Tinggi sekali = tinggi banget, pintar sekali = pintar banget.

[Tu] is short for [itu] = that. In daily conversation, it's common for native Indonesian speakers to drop letters in daily conversation, like in this example.

[Ayahku] = [ayah saya] = my father.

[Lo] is informal for [Anda]. To know more about this, you can read my article, Lo In the Indonesian Language.

[Lebih parah dari] = worse than something or someone.

[Sahabat] = friends, in this context it means [best friend].

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The third clip is from a TV serial called Calon Bini (2011). Let's watch the clip below.

Below is the conversation from the scene above with English translations.

Akbar: Oh iye, ee, numpang tanya, pak. Bapak, ade hubungan sodara ama Boim ape kaga? (I have a question to ask, sir. Do you have any sibling relationships with Boim or no?)

Pak Salman: Et, kenal dimane loe? (Hey, did you know him?)

Akbar: Kaga. Muke sebelas duabelas, pak. Assalamualaikum. (No. It's just that your face looks like him, sir. Peace be upon you.)

Pak Salman: Wa alaikum salam. (And unto you peace.)

In this scene, Akbar asks whether Mr. Salman has a sibling relationship with someone named Boim because their faces look alike. Akbar uses the phrase [sebelas duabelas] to say that Mr. Salman's face looks like Boim's.

Vocabulary From the Scene

[Oh iye] = [oh iya] is used when you want to start saying something to attract someone. Because this movie is about the Betawi people [oh iya] becomes [oh iye]. Betawi people tend to change the letter [a] into [e] when they speak.

[Numpang tanya] is used when you want to ask something to someone. It is a polite Indonesian phrase you can use if you want to ask something to someone. For instance, you can say this, "Permisi, mau numpang tanya? Kalau mau ke stasiun itu lewat mana ya? (Excuse me, I want to ask something. How to get to the train station?)

[Pak] is short for [bapak] = sir. For more about this, you can read my article, Bapak In the Indonesian Language.

[Ade] = [ada] = there is. This movie set is in the Betawi people, and Betawi people tend to change the letter [a] into [e], like in this example.

[Hubungan] = connection, relation.

[Sodara] is the colloquial way of saying [saudara] = siblings.

[Ama] is a common reduction for [sama] = with.

[Ape] = [apa] = what.

[Kaga] = no.

[Et] is a word Mr. Salman used to show surprise.

[Kenal] = know

[Di mane] = [di mana] = where.

[Muke] = [muka] = face.

[Assalamualaikum] and [wa alaikum salam] are phrases used to greet and reply to people in Islam.

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The fourth clip is taken from the same TV serial, Calon Bini (2011). Let's watch the clip below.

Below is the conversation from the scene above with English translations.

Eko: Din, buruan, Din! Loe lepasin tu iketan kambing. (Din, come on, Din! You let go of the tied of the goat.)

Anjar: He'eh. (Yeah.)

Udin: Kok gue? Kenapa kaga si Anjar aja, nu? (Why me? Why not Anjar?)

Anjar: Ha? Yee, enak aja gue. Eh, elu Din! Kalo ama elu kambingnya nurut. Soalnya mukanya sama, sebelas duabelas. Ye? (What? Hey, not me! You're much better, Din! The goat obeys you because you and they have the same face. Right?)

Udin: Iye ye. Bener juga loe ye. (Right. It makes sense.)

Anjar: He'eh. Sono! (Yeah. Go ahead!)

Eko: Udah cepetan, Din! (Hurry up, Din!)

In this scene, the three of them are going to untie the rope that ties the goat so that the goats are free. Eko and Anjar ask Udin to do it, but then Udin asks why he is the one that's going to do it. Anjar then replies, saying that Udin's face looks similar to the face of the goat, and that's why he is the one who will free the goats.

Vocabulary From the Scene

[Buruan] is a word that you use when you want someone to hurry up or to hurry to do something. For more about this, you can read my article here, Buruan Meaning In Bahasa.

[Loe] = [lu] = [elo] are informal words for [Anda] = you.

[Lepasin] is the colloquial way of saying [lepaskan] = to let go of something.

[Tu] is a common reduction for [itu] = that.

[Iketan] = [ikatan] = bond, tie.

[Kambing] = goat.

[Kok gue?] is a phrase used when you want to ask why you are the person who has to do the job.

[Kaga] has the same meaning as [tidak] or [ngga] = no.

[Aja] is a common reduction for [saja] = just.

[Iye] = [iya] = yes. [Iye ye] is used when what your speaking partner's said makes sense to you.

[Bener] = [benar] = right.

[He'eh] means yeah. For more about this, you can read my article, He'eh Meaning In Bahasa.

[Udah cepetan!] is used when you ask someone to hurry.

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So, I think that's all for now. If you have any questions, just write them down in the comment section below, and I'll be happy to answer your question. If I find another scene where this idiom is spoken, Insya Allah, I will update this article again. Bye now.