Indonesian · BIPA 1 (A1) · Chapter 35
Banyak nasi, sedikit garamA lot of rice, a little salt
Food vocabulary: nasi, air, garam, gula, sayur, daging, banyak, sedikit, cukup, enak. Key grammar: the quantity words "banyak" (much/many), "sedikit" (a little/few), "cukup" (enough) go DIRECTLY BEFORE the noun, with no linking word: "banyak nasi" (a lot of rice), "sedikit garam" (a little salt), "cukup air" (enough water). Examples: "Saya mau banyak nasi" (I want a lot of rice), "Ada sedikit gula di kopi ini" (there is a little sugar in this coffee). English inserts "of": a lot OF rice, a little OF water. Indonesian does not — do not use "dari" (which means "from", ch5): "banyak dari nasi" ✗ → "banyak nasi" ✓. Sound corner: "banyak" (the "ny" sound), "sedikit", "sayur".
Dialogue
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Banyak nasi atau "banyak dari nasi"?— banyak nasi or "banyak dari nasi"?
- BudiMike, kamu mau berapa nasi?Mike, how much rice do you want?
- MikeSaya mau banyak dari nasi.I want a lot of rice. (slip: no "dari" — banyak goes straight on the noun)
- Budi"dari" itu "from", Mike — "saya dari Australia". Untuk jumlah, langsung: "banyak nasi"."dari" means "from", Mike — "saya dari Australia". For quantity, go direct: "banyak nasi".
- MikeOh, "banyak nasi". Dan tolong sedikit garam.Oh, "banyak nasi". And a little salt, please.
- BudiNah, "sedikit garam" — juga tanpa "dari". Bagus sekali!There you go, "sedikit garam" — also without "dari". Very good!
- MikeTerima kasih. Makanan ini enak sekali.Thank you. This food is really tasty.
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Di warung— At the food stall
- SariMike, kamu mau makan apa?Mike, what do you want to eat?
- MikeNasi dengan sayur dan sedikit daging.Rice with vegetables and a little meat.
- SariMau banyak nasi atau sedikit?Do you want a lot of rice or a little?
- MikeBanyak nasi, saya lapar. Dan segelas air.A lot of rice, I am hungry. And a glass of water.
- SariBaik. Jangan banyak garam, ya, kurang sehat.Alright. Not too much salt, though — it is not healthy.
- MikeSetuju. Sedikit garam saja. Terima kasih!Agreed. Just a little salt. Thanks!
Vocabulary
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- nasi
nounrice (cooked)
- air
nounwater
- garam
nounsalt
- gula
nounsugar
- sayur
nounvegetable(s)
- daging
nounmeat
- banyak
quant.much, many, a lot
- sedikit
quant.a little, few
- cukup
quant.enough
- enak
adjectivetasty, delicious
Grammar
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banyak / sedikit + noun — quantity without "of"
Explanation
To state a quantity, Indonesian puts the quantity word DIRECTLY in front of the noun, with no linking word at all: "banyak" (a lot / many), "sedikit" (a little / few), "cukup" (enough). Examples: "banyak nasi" (a lot of rice), "sedikit garam" (a little salt), "cukup air" (enough water), "banyak orang" (many people). Full sentences: "Saya mau banyak nasi" (I want a lot of rice), "Ada sedikit gula di kopi ini" (there is a little sugar in this coffee), "Ada cukup garam di sayur" (there is enough salt in the vegetables). In English, "a lot" and "a little" link to the noun with "of": a lot OF rice, a little OF water. So English speakers look for a word for "of" and use "dari" — but "dari" means "from" (origin), which you learned in ch5: "Saya dari Australia" (I am from Australia). Putting "dari" after the quantity is wrong: "banyak dari nasi" ✗. Just attach it directly: "banyak nasi" ✓. A small note: "banyak" and "sedikit" can also stand as adverbs after a verb — "Saya makan banyak" (I eat a lot) — but in front of a noun, still no "dari".
Examples
- Saya mau banyak nasi.I want a lot of rice.
- Kami minum banyak air.We drink a lot of water.
- Ada sedikit gula di kopi ini.There is a little sugar in this coffee.
- Ada cukup garam di sayur.There is enough salt in the vegetables.
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