How to Say Good Evening In Indonesian
A Useful Indonesian Phrase
Halo, apa kabar? Ketemu lagi sama saya, Iman Prabawa. This time, we will learn how to say good evening in Bahasa Indonesia. We are also going to be watching scenes that I took from movies so that you can see how Indonesian people say this phrase.
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Good Evening In Bahasa Indonesia
Good evening in Bahasa Indonesia is [selamat malam]. [Selamat malam] is spoken at night. In English, there are good evenings and good nights. In bahasa Indonesia, there is only one, that is [selamat malam].
[Selamat] can mean safe or congratulations. And [malam] means night. And if we translate word for word, it can mean a safe night or to congratulate the night. It sounds weird, but that’s if you translate it word for word.
How to Pronounce Selamat Malam
Here is how you pronounce [selamat malam] in bahasa Indonesia.
You can also just say [malam], and here is how you pronounce it.
Next, let's look at examples, mostly from movies, of how Indonesians say those, [selamat malam] and [malam].
Examples of Selamat Malam In Use
The first example we are about to watch is from a TV Series called Tetangga Masa Gitu (2014). Let’s watch the clip below.
As you can see, he says, “Selamat malam” in the clip above.
The second example is from a TV Series called Mimpi Metropolitan (2018). Let’s watch the clip.
Conversation from the clip with English translations.
Bambang: Mba Melanie. Malam, mba Melanie. (Melanie. Evening, Melanie.)
Melanie: Malam, Bang. Belum tidur? (Evening, Bang. Haven’t slept yet?)
Bambang: Belum, mba. (No, not yet.)
In the clip above, Bambang and Melanie say the word [malam] instead of [selamat malam].
So, you can choose whether to say in the full phrase [selamat malam] or just [malam]. If the situation is formal, you'd better say it in full sentences [selamat malam].
The third example is from Ini Talk Show, a popular TV program in Indonesia. Let’s watch the clip below.
Here is what he says in the clip above:
Andre: Ya! Selamat malam, pemirsa. Di mana pun Anda berada. (Well, good evening, everyone. Wherever you are.)
As you can see, he says, “Selamat malam.”
The fourth example is from a movie called Sin (2019). Let’s watch the clip below.
Here is what he says in the clip above:
Selamat malam, nona. Bisa bicara sebentar kah? (Good evening, miss. Can I talk to you for a moment?)
So, he says [selamat malam] instead of just [malam].
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That wraps up this article. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below. Thank you for reading my article, and I’ll see you soon.