Wherever your destination may be, manners are a must! And in this respect, Indonesia is no different. So in our very first lesson, we'll be taking a look at a phrase there is no excuse not to bring with you to Indonesia. Again, I'll stress this over and over, a little a bit of the language can go such a long way!

In Indonesian "Thank you." is Terima kasih. The first word of the phrase, terima, means "to accept." This is followed by kasih, which in Indonesian means "love." And the entire expression again is terima kasih. Literally, you are saying "it is accepted with love."

Now, in Indonesian there are other ways to express one's gratitude. Let's take a look at the informal way.

In Indonesian the informal way of expressing gratitude, like "thanks" in English, is makasih.

This phrase, which is a shortened form for terima kasih, is used among friends, in other informal situations, and in more relaxed business situations such as shopping at the market, riding in a taxi, and so on. In Indonesian, shortened versions of expressions such as this are usually good indicators of informal language.

On the other hand, for very special occasions when someone goes above and beyond the call of being kind, when someone is extremely generous, or for any other time you're extremely grateful, we have the following phrases to express extreme gratitude:

In Indonesian the formal way of expressing extreme gratitude, like "Thank you very much" in English is Terima kasih banyak. We've already gone over the first two words of this expression—the first word terima means "to accept." And the second word kasih means "love." These two words are then followed by a new word banyak, which means "many" or "much."

The informal way of expressing extreme gratitude, like "Thanks a lot" in English is Makasih banyak. We've already gone over the two words of this expression -- the first word makasih is the shortened informal form for terima kasih. And the second word banyak, means "many" or "much."

Quick Tip #1

In Indonesia, there are a few ways to say "thank you", but all of them incorporate some form of the Indonesian idiom terima kasih, which literally means "it is accepted (with) love."

The informal versions (makasih/makasih banyak) may be used not only with friends and family, but also in a number of relaxed business situations, such as buying something in the market or after a ride on a taxi.

By the same token, the formal versions (terima kasih/terima kasih banyak) should be used in more official situations, such as conducting business at an office, making a speech at a formal event such as a wedding, or writing a letter to anyone outside your circle of friends or family. These should also be used when one is talking with a stranger who is noticeably older or who has a higher professional title than the speaker.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with using the formal forms in all situations, and many speakers do opt for this strategy.

Quick Tip #2

There are also slang versions of "thanks" and "thanks a lot," which are trims (another way of shortening terima kasih), makasih banget, and trims banget. The words trims and banget (which means "very" or "extremely") are typical of the slang spoken around Jakarta, the Indonesian capital. Nowadays, many young people from urban centers throughout Indonesia use these most informal forms. These are to be used only in casual conversations with close friends and family, preferably with those who are closest in age with the speaker.