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Halo semuanya, ketemu lagi ama aye, Iman Prabawa. In this article, I want to be talking about the meaning of the word [boleh] in Indonesian. As always, we are also going to be watching examples from movies, YouTube videos, comics, and others where Indonesians use the word [boleh].
If you have any questions regarding the Indonesian language, you can ask me directly. You can see how to do that on my About Me page.
If you are a beginner in the Indonesian language, you can learn step by step with My Lesson Here.
So, without further ado, let's talk about this.
Boleh In Indonesian
1. [Boleh] means that something is allowed and not prohibited. You can also use [boleh] when you ask for permission.
Example sentence:
1. Tidak boleh membawa kamera di ruangan ini. (No cameras are allowed in this room.)
2. A: Boleh saya permisi ke belakang? (May I go to the bathroom?)
B: Silakan. (Yes, you may.)
2. [Boleh] is used when someone offers something to you, and you agree to accept it. It can also be used when someone comes up with an idea, and you agree with that person because you think it sounds good.
Example sentence:
1. A: Loe mau teh ngga? (Do you want tea?)
B: Boleh. (Sure.)
2. A: Eh, gimana kalau kita sekarang nyari makan aja dulu? (Hey, how about if we are looking for something to eat now?)
B: Wah, boleh tuh. (That sounds good.)
How to Pronounce Boleh
Here is how you pronounce [boleh] in Bahasa Indonesia.
Moving on, we will look at examples where Indonesians use the word [boleh].
Examples of Boleh In Use
The first example we are about to watch is taken from Cek Toko Sebelah 2 (2022). Let's watch the clip below.
Below is the conversation from the scene above with English translations.
Erwin: Nanti kalo udah di Jakarta, masih boleh ketemu, ngga? (When I'm in Jakarta, can I still meet you?)
Natalie: Boleh. Nanti yah kalo ban mobilnya kempes lagi. (Yeah, you can. But when my car has a flat tire again.)
(*tertawa)
Erwin: Hah, sebatas montir panggilan ternyata. Serius tapi? Ga papa? Ga ada yang marah? Ketawa sih? (Oh, so I'm no more than just a mechanic. But seriously? Is it okay? No one is gonna be angry? Why are you laughing?)
Natalie: Aduh! Cowo tu kaya ngga punya teknik lain. (Oh my God! Men seemed to have no other ways.)
Erwin: Teknik apaan? (Ways for what?)
Natalie: Pasti nanyanya gitu. Entar ngga ada yang marah? (They always ask like that. No one is gonna be angry?)
Erwin: Emang harusnya nanyanya gimana? (How should I ask, then?)
Natalie: Ya, tanya aja langsung. Udah punya pacar belom? Gitu. Kalo berani. (Just ask directly. Do you have a boyfriend? Like that. If you have the guts.)
In this scene, Erwin asks permission to meet Natalie again when he returns to Jakarta. And Natalie allows it. So, [boleh] here refers to the first meaning that I explained above.
Vocabulary From the Scene
[Nanti] = later.
[Kalo] is informal for [kalau] = if.
[Udah] is a common reduction for [sudah] = already.
[Ketemu] is the conversational way of saying [bertemu] = to meet.
[Ban mobil] = car's tire.
[Ban mobil kempes] = flat tire. You can read my article here, How to Say I Have a Flat Tire In Indonesian.
[Lagi] = again.
[Tertawa] = laughing.
[Montir] = mechanic.
[Montir panggilan] = a mechanic that you can call whenever you have trouble with your car.
[Ga papa] = [tidak apa-apa] = okay, no problem.
[Ga ada ] = [tidak ada] = no one.
[Marah] = angry.
[Ketawa] = [tertawa] = laughing.
[Sih] here has no meaning. It falls under the phatic expression category. For more about this, you can read my article here, Sih In Indonesian.
[Cowo] = [cowok] = [pria] = men.
[Tu] is informal for [itu] = that. For more about this, you can read my article here, Tu In Indonesian.
[Pasti] = certain.
[Nanyanya gitu] = [bertanyanya seperti itu] = ask like that.
[Ngga] = [ga] = no.
[Nanya] is the conversational way of saying [bertanya] = to ask.
[Tanya] = [nanya] = [bertanya] = to ask.
[Pacar] = boyfriend or girlfriend.
[Berani] = brave.
The second example we are about to watch is from a TV Program, Lapor Pak (2022). You can watch it in full here.
Wendy Cagur: Iya, betul. Kalau masalah itu memang kita bisa selesaikan, pak. Tapi kita butuh nama bapak dulu. Bapak mau buah, ga? (That's right. For that matter, yes, we can handle it, sir. But we are going to need your name first. Do you want some fruit?)
Pak Bolot: Boleh tuh. (Don't mind if I do.)
In this clip, Wendy Cagur offers fruit to Pak Bolot, and then Pak Bolot accepts the offer by saying [boleh tuh]. So, [boleh] here refers to the second meaning that I explained above.
Vocabulary From the Scene
[Iya] = yes.
[Betul] = correct.
[Masalah] = problem.
[Pak] is used to address men in Indonesian. For more about this, you can read my article here, Pak In Indonesian.
[Butuh] = [perlu] = need.
[Buah] = fruit.
[Tuh] and [tu] are informal for [itu] = that.
The third example is from Bang Mpin's YouTube channel. Let's watch the clip below.
Below is the conversation from the clip above with English translations.
Bang Mpin: Oke, Uda. Biasanya di kuahnya ada tetelannya, Uda. Ada tetelannya ngga, Uda? (Okay, sir. Usually, there are flanks in the sauce, sir. Are there any flanks in the sauce, sir?)
Penjual Sate Padang: Ada. (Yes, there are.)
Bang Mpin: Mantep! (Awesome!)
Penjual Sate Padang: Ini kebetulan lagi banyak sekarang. (This happens to be a lot right now.)
Bang Mpin: Serius? Kalo tetelan nambah lagi, ngga? (For real? If I want to have the flanks, should I pay more?)
Penjual Sate Padang: Boleh. (Okay.)
Bang Mpin: Boleh? (Okay?)
Penjual Sate Padang: Boleh. (Okay.)
Bang Mpin: Boleh nambah atau boleh gratis, nih? (Do I need to pay for that, or can I get it for free?)
Penjual Sate Padang: Hehe, gratis. Tetelan itu gratis. (Haha, it's free. Flanks are free.)
Bang Mpin: Saya pesen sepuluh daging, sepuluh usus. Ketupatnya dikit aja. Katupeknya dikit aja, pake ini tetelan. Oke. (Oke. I'll have ten meat skewers, ten intestine skewers. For the ketupat, just a little. For the ketupat, just a little, and please add flanks on that. Okay.)
In this clip, Bang Mpin asks the seller of Padang Satay if he can get flanks for free or not. And the seller replies with the word [boleh]. The word [boleh] in this context is still unclear, and that's why Bang Mpin asks again to clarify whether the flanks are for free or if he needs to pay more.
Vocabulary From the Clip
[Penjual] = seller.
[Sate Padang] is one of the Indonesian cuisines that looks like in the photo below.
 |
| Sate Padang |
[Uda] is an honorific title to address older males from West Sumatra.
[Tetelan] = flanks.
[Ada] = exist. For more about this, you can read my article here: Ada In Indonesian.
[Banyak] = a lot.
[Sekarang] = now.
[Itu] in [tetelan itu gratis] = is. [Tetelan itu gratis] = [tetelan adalah gratis]. [Itu] can also mean [that]. For more about this, you can read my article here: Itu, Tu, and Tuh In Indonesian.
[Mantep] is informal for [mantap] = awesome.
[Nih] is informal for [ini] = this. For more about this, you can read my article here: Ini, Ni, and Nih In Indonesian.
[Katupek] is the Padang language for [ketupat]. Ketupat is something that looks like the photo below.
 |
| Ketupat or Katupek |
[Nambah] = [tambah] = add. In this context, it means to add more money or not (free) to get the flanks.
[Pake] is informal for [pakai] = use.
Read also: Seruput In Indonesian
That wraps up today's article. If I find another example, Insha Allah, I will update this article again. If you have any questions, just leave them in the comment below, and I'll be happy to answer them. Thank you, and I'll see you soon. Buh-bye now.
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