Indonesian · BIPA 1 (A1) · Chapter 33
Naik apa ke sana?How do you get there?
Transport vocabulary: naik, kendaraan, bus, kereta, mobil, motor, sepeda, pesawat, jalan kaki, dengan. Key grammar: to go by a vehicle, use "naik" (to board/ride) + vehicle: "naik bus", "naik kereta", "naik motor". The pattern is subject + pergi ke + place + naik + vehicle: "Saya pergi ke kantor naik bus" (I go to the office by bus). You may also use "dengan" (with/by) + vehicle: "pergi dengan bus". For going on foot there is a special phrase "jalan kaki" (not "naik"). English says "by bus"; English speakers reach for "oleh" because "oleh" is the dictionary "by" — but "oleh" marks the DOER of a passive sentence ("dimakan oleh kucing" = eaten by the cat), not the means of transport: "Saya pergi oleh bus" ✗ → "Saya pergi naik bus" ✓. Sound corner: "naik", "kendaraan", "sepeda".
Dialogue
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Naik atau "oleh"?— Naik or "oleh"?
- BudiMike, kamu ke kampus naik apa?Mike, how do you get to campus?
- MikeSaya pergi oleh bus.I go by bus. (slip: not "oleh" — use "naik")
- Budi"oleh" itu untuk pelaku, misalnya "dimakan oleh kucing". Untuk kendaraan, pakai "naik bus"."oleh" is for the doer, e.g. "dimakan oleh kucing" (eaten by the cat). For a vehicle, use "naik bus".
- MikeOh begitu. Saya pergi ke kampus naik bus.Oh, I see. I go to campus by bus.
- BudiTepat! Atau "dengan bus". Kalau dekat?Exactly! Or "dengan bus". And if it is near?
- MikeKalau dekat, saya jalan kaki.If it is near, I walk.
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Ke pantai naik apa?— How to get to the beach?
- SariBesok kita ke pantai. Kita naik apa?Tomorrow we go to the beach. How do we get there?
- MikeKita naik kereta, lalu naik bus dari stasiun.We take the train, then a bus from the station.
- SariKenapa tidak naik mobil saja?Why not just go by car?
- MikeJalannya macet. Naik kereta lebih cepat.The road is jammed. The train is faster.
- SariBaik. Dari pantai ke hotel kita jalan kaki saja, ya.Alright. From the beach to the hotel let us just walk.
- MikeSetuju. Dekat, kok.Agreed. It is near, after all.
Vocabulary
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- naik
verbto ride, go by, board
- kendaraan
nounvehicle
- bus
nounbus
- kereta
nountrain
- mobil
nouncar
- motor
nounmotorbike
- sepeda
nounbicycle
- pesawat
nounaeroplane
- jalan kaki
verbto walk, go on foot
- dengan
prepositionwith, by means of
Grammar
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naik + vehicle — going by transport
Explanation
To say you go somewhere by a vehicle, Indonesian uses the verb "naik" (literally "to board/ride") directly followed by the vehicle: "naik bus", "naik kereta", "naik motor", "naik pesawat". The pattern is subject + pergi ke + place + naik + vehicle — "Saya pergi ke kantor naik bus" (I go to the office by bus). A more formal alternative is "dengan" (with/using) + vehicle: "Saya pergi dengan bus". Both are correct. Important exception: to walk, do NOT use "naik" — there is a fixed phrase "jalan kaki" (literally "walk on foot"): "Rumahnya dekat, jadi saya jalan kaki" (his house is near, so I walk). In English we say "by bus", "by train", so English speakers look for a match for "by" and find "oleh". But "oleh" only marks the DOER in a passive sentence — "Nasi dimakan oleh kucing" (the rice was eaten by the cat) — not the thing you ride. So "Saya pergi oleh bus" ✗ is wrong; the correct form is "Saya pergi naik bus" ✓ (or "dengan bus").
Examples
- Saya pergi ke kantor naik bus.I go to the office by bus.
- Dia pulang naik kereta.She goes home by train.
- Kami ke pasar naik motor.We go to the market by motorbike.
- Rumahnya dekat, jadi saya jalan kaki.His house is near, so I walk.
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