Language/Indonesian/Grammar/Indirect-Speech
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Indirect speech, or kalimat tidak langsung, is essential to express what someone else said, thought or felt in Indonesian. Generally, it is used to report what a person said, without using the exact words spoken. In this lesson, we will focus on how to use indirect speech in present tense.
Forms of Indirect Speech
There are two forms of indirect speech in Indonesian: reportative and quotative. The former is used to report a statement or an assumption, while the latter is used to report a direct quotation or a conversation. We will focus here on the reportative form, since it is the one most commonly used in everyday situations.
The reportative form is indicated by the use of the word "katanya" after the reported sentence or fact. This word means "according to him/her/them" or "it is said that", which introduces the speaker's interpretation of what was conveyed. This means that the sentence is no longer in first or second person, but in third person.
Converting Direct to Indirect Speech
To convert a direct statement into indirect speech, there are some changes that must be made. For instance, the sentence order changes to subject-verb-object, like in a normal sentence in Indonesian. Additionally, the tense must be changed from the present to the past, as the statement is no longer in real time. For example:
Direct speech: "Saya makan nasi goreng" Indirect speech: Dia berkata bahwa dia makan nasi goreng (According to him/her/them, he/she ate nasi goreng)
The first sentence is a direct speech in which the present tense is used. The second sentence is an indirect speech version, in which the present tense of the verb is changed to the past tense. The third person pronoun is used to indicate that the speaker is not the same as the original sentence.
It is important to note that direct speech can be reported in the same tense as it was originally spoken. In that case, one would use the same verb tense as the original sentence:
Direct speech: "Mereka bekerja di kantor" Indirect speech (same tense): Dia berkata bahwa mereka bekerja di kantor
The sentence above has the same tense for both direct and indirect speech. The sentence order and the use of the pronoun "dia" indicate that the speaker did not say it in his or her own words.
Indirect Questions
Indirect questions are used to report questions that someone else asked or thought, using an indirect speech form. The verb tense, as in the above examples, must be changed to the past tense. Additionally, the use of the word "tanya" or "bertanya" can indicate that what follows is an indirect question. For example:
Direct question: "Kapan kamu pulang?" Indirect question: Dia bertanya kapan aku pulang (According to him/her/them, he/she asked me when I would go home)
The use of the word "bertanya" indicates that the sentence is an indirect question. The past tense of the verb "tanya" is used, making it an indirect speech. Additionally, the sentence order is changed to subject-verb-object.
Examples
Here are some examples of indirect speech in Indonesian to help you understand better:
| Indonesian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| "Saya suka nonton film Indonesia." | "Saya soo-kah non-tohn feelm In-doh-neh-see-ah" | "I like watching Indonesian movies." |
| "Mereka tidak punya waktu." | "Meh-rah-kah tee-dahk poo-nyahh tee-gahh-tooh" | "They don't have time." |
| "Kamu tinggal di mana?" | "Kah-moo tee-ngahl dee mah-nah" | "Where do you live?" |
So, the reportative version of these sentences would be:
- Dia mengatakan bahwa dia suka nonton film Indonesia (According to him/her/them, he/she likes watching Indonesian movies) - Mereka mengatakan bahwa mereka tidak punya waktu (According to him/her/them, they don't have time) - Dia bertanya di mana aku tinggal ((According to him/her/them, he/she asked me where I lived)
Conclusion
Indirect speech is a vital tool for Indonesian speakers to communicate facts or statements that were said previously by someone else. By using indirect speech, speakers can convey information indirectly without having to repeat everything directly, thus making it easier and more concise. Make sure to practice converting direct speech into indirect speech, as well as using indirect questions, to advance your fluency skills.
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