Eps-3: How to Introduce Yourself in Bahasa Indonesia

When you arrive in new country and for some reasons you need to introduce yourself, you need to consider culture that influences the way people behave. In self introduction, there might be some information that you think you do not need to convey but they are regarded necessary. For example, in United States, it is forbidden to ask about age and salary. But in Indonesia, talking about those is very common. One more example, asking “are you married?” is also common in Indonesia. Do not be surprised when people ask you such questions when you are in Indonesia. The rule is that you need to respect the culture of country you visit.

What Information You should Cover?

In this post, you will learn how to introduce yourself in bahasa Indonesia. First of all, I will reveal common types of information about yourself that you should cover in your introduction.

Like in major countries around the globe, in introducing yourself, information that is commonly mentioned first is your name - depends on the degree of formality of the situation. Thing to note is that Indonesians are commonly called by the first name. Last name is commonly father’s name. But in this case, you do not need to mention your first name if that is not your nickname.

The second information you should mention is commonly your origin - where you are from. It is covered even in introduction section between Indonesian with Indonesian. The next is what you do in life - your occupation or profession. If you need more things to cover, you can explain the way you complete tasks regarding your job, things that are interesting and boring regarding your job, or you may talk a little about your family - what they do, what they like, whatever.

Formal Introduction in Bahasa Indonesia

Here are some examples of short formal introduction in bahasa Indonesia. This example covers nickname, age (remember that telling your age in Indonesia is very very common), job, and little information about family.

Example 1

Halo, perkenalkan, nama saya Andi. Saya berusia 30 tahun. Saya adalah seorang mahasiswa di salah satu universitas negeri di kota Makassar. Saat ini saya juga bekerja sebagai seorang pengajar bahasa Inggris. Selain itu, saya juga mengelola beberapa kelas daring.

Example 1 above literally means “Hello, my name is Andi. I am 30 years old. I am a university student at one of state universities in Makassar. I am also working as teacher of English. Besides, I also maintain some online classes”

Example 2

Halo, perkenalkan, nama saya Andi. Saya adalah seorang mahasiswa jurusan pendidikan bahasa Inggris. Saat ini usia saya 30 tahun. Saya juga bekerja sebagai pengajar bahasa Inggris di beberapa lembaga di kota Makassar. Selain itu, saya juga membuka kelas daring. Saya mengajar bahasa Inggris melalui podcast dan Youtube.

Saya adalah anak kedua dari empat bersaudara. Kakak saya juga bekerja sebagai pengajar. Ia mengajar bahasa Inggris di universitas. Kedua adik saya masih berstatus sebagai mahasiswa. Mereka juga mengambil jurusan pendidikan bahasa Inggris. Saat ini adik pertama saya sedang dalam proses penyelesaian kuliahnya sedangkan adik kedua saya masih berstatus mahasiswa tahun ketiga.

Example 2 above literally means “Hello, my name is Andi. I am a student of English department. Right now I am 30 years old. I also work as teacher of English in some departments in Makassar. Besides, I also offer online class. I teach English through podcast and Youtube”.

“I am the second of four children. My elder brother work as lecturer. He teaches English at university. Both my younger brothers are students. They are also university students majoring English education. Right now, my younger brother is on his progress of completing his study. My another brother is still the third year university student”.

Less Formal Introduction in Bahasa Indonesia

If you are in a less formal situation and you need to introduce yourself, you can just simply cover information such as your nickname, your origin, and your job. 

Halo, saya Andi. Saya berasal dari Makassar, Sulawesi Selatan. Saya mahasiswa dan pengajar bahasa Inggris. Saya mengajar bahasa Inggris secara daring melalui podcast dan Youtube.

Example above literally means “Hello, I am Andi. I am from Makassar, South Sulawesi. I am a university student and also English teacher. I teach English online through podcast and Youtube”.

Verdict

Culture and what it influences are things that you should respect. Do not be offended quickly when people ask you questions that are uncommonly asked in your country. Respect the cultural diversity and take it as cultural knowledge and experience.

Need assistance in learning bahasa Indonesia? What about online practice with me? Find my contact on Englinesian Podcast or on this web.