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Study in the app →Indonesian · BIPA 1 (A1) · Chapter 37
Boleh minta tiket? Could I have a ticket?
Getting around the city and asking politely. Vocabulary: tolong, minta, tiket, peta, alamat, naik, turun, sebentar, gedung, pusat kota. Key grammar: polite requests. Use "Tolong + verb" to ask someone to do something ("Tolong tunjukkan jalan" = please show the way), and "Boleh minta + noun?" to ask for something ("Boleh minta tiket?" = could I have a ticket?). This is far softer than "Saya mau tiket" (I want a ticket), which sounds demanding. English speakers tend to say bluntly "Saya mau tiket" — learn to soften it with "tolong" or "boleh minta". Culture section: life in an Indonesian city — transport, ride-hailing, and how to address people on the street.
Dialogue
Di loket stasiun — At the station ticket counter
- Mike Saya mau tiket ke pusat kota. I want a ticket to the city centre. (blunt: soften to "Boleh minta tiket…?" or add "tolong")
- Budi Hati-hati, "Saya mau tiket" terdengar menuntut. Lebih baik: "Boleh minta tiket ke pusat kota?" Careful, "Saya mau tiket" sounds demanding. Better: "Boleh minta tiket ke pusat kota?"
- Mike Oh, maaf. Boleh minta tiket ke pusat kota? Oh, sorry. Could I have a ticket to the city centre?
- Budi Nah, itu bagus! Petugas juga akan lebih ramah. There you go, that is good! The clerk will be friendlier too.
- Mike Terima kasih. Tolong tunjukkan peron yang benar juga, ya. Thank you. Please show me the right platform too.
- Budi Tentu. Naik dari peron dua, lalu turun di stasiun ketiga. Of course. Board at platform two, then get off at the third station.
Dialogue
Mencari alamat di pusat kota — Looking for an address downtown
- Mike Permisi, boleh minta peta pusat kota? Excuse me, could I have a map of the city centre?
- Sari Tentu, ini. Kamu mau ke mana? Of course, here you go. Where do you want to go?
- Mike Saya mencari gedung ini. Tolong tunjukkan alamatnya di peta. I am looking for this building. Please show me the address on the map.
- Sari Ada di sini. Tolong tunggu sebentar, saya lihat dulu... Ya, dekat stasiun. It is here. Please wait a moment, let me look first... Yes, near the station.
- Mike Bagus. Boleh minta arah dari sini? Great. Could I get directions from here?
- Sari Jalan lurus, lalu belok kiri di gedung besar. Gedungmu ada di sebelah kanan. Go straight, then turn left at the big building. Your building is on the right.
Vocabulary
| 汉字 | Pinyin | POS | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| tolong | v. | please (help); to help | |
| minta | v. | to ask for, request | |
| tiket | n. | ticket | |
| peta | n. | map | |
| alamat | n. | address | |
| naik | v. | to board, ride, go up | |
| turun | v. | to get off, go down | |
| sebentar | adv. | a moment, a while | |
| gedung | n. | building | |
| pusat kota | n. | city centre, downtown |
Grammar
Permintaan sopan: "Tolong + kata kerja" dan "Boleh minta + benda?" Polite requests: "Tolong + verb" and "Boleh minta + noun?"
Ada dua cara mudah untuk meminta dengan sopan. (1) "Tolong + kata kerja" = minta seseorang MELAKUKAN sesuatu: "Tolong tunjukkan jalan" (please show the way), "Tolong tunggu sebentar" (please wait a moment). Kata "tolong" sendiri berarti "help/please". (2) "Boleh minta + benda?" = minta agar DIBERI sesuatu: "Boleh minta tiket?" (could I have a ticket?), "Boleh minta peta?". Kata "boleh" = "may", "minta" = "ask for". Bandingkan dengan "Saya mau tiket" (I want a ticket): itu benar secara tata bahasa TAPI terdengar menuntut, seperti perintah. Menambahkan "tolong" atau memakai "boleh minta" membuatnya ramah. Kesalahan umum: penutur Inggris langsung berkata "Saya mau tiket" karena "I want" terasa netral dalam bahasa Inggris — dalam bahasa Indonesia, lunakkan menjadi "Boleh minta tiket?" ✓ atau "Tolong, satu tiket." ✓.
There are two easy ways to ask politely. (1) "Tolong + verb" = ask someone to DO something: "Tolong tunjukkan jalan" (please show the way), "Tolong tunggu sebentar" (please wait a moment). The word "tolong" by itself means "help/please". (2) "Boleh minta + noun?" = ask to BE GIVEN something: "Boleh minta tiket?" (could I have a ticket?), "Boleh minta peta?". The word "boleh" = "may", "minta" = "ask for". Compare with "Saya mau tiket" (I want a ticket): it is grammatically correct BUT sounds demanding, like an order. Adding "tolong" or using "boleh minta" makes it friendly. Common mistake: English speakers say bluntly "Saya mau tiket" because "I want" feels neutral in English — in Indonesian, soften it to "Boleh minta tiket?" ✓ or "Tolong, satu tiket." ✓.
- Tolong tunjukkan jalan ke stasiun. Please show me the way to the station.
- Boleh minta tiket ke pusat kota? Could I have a ticket to the city centre?
- Tolong tunggu sebentar, ya. Please wait a moment, OK?
- Boleh minta peta? Saya tidak tahu alamatnya. Could I have a map? I do not know the address.
Culture
Hidup di kota Indonesia Life in an Indonesian city
Indonesian cities like Jakarta, Surabaya, or Bandung are busy, warm, and full of movement. There is the famous traffic jam ("macet"), but also many ways to get around: trains, buses, "angkot" (shared minivans), and the most modern — motorbike taxis and cars booked through an app on your phone. On the street, people greet one another with polite address words. Let us see how to move around the city and speak with people you have not yet met.
Getting around: from angkot to app motorbike taxis
A big city has many transport options. In Jakarta there is the commuter train (KRL), the MRT, and the cheap, fast TransJakarta bus. On the smaller streets, the "angkot" (city minivan) — a minibus that stops anywhere — still carries many people. But what changed everything are apps like Gojek and Grab: with your phone, you can book an "ojek" (motorbike taxi) to slip through the traffic, or a car for a more comfortable ride. The price shows on the screen, so you do not need to haggle. For a beginner, the app motorbike taxi is the easiest way: enter the address, wait a moment, then hop on.
Addressing people on the street: Pak, Bu, Mas, Mbak
To order an ojek, ask for directions, or call a waiter, you rarely use "kamu" (you) with someone you have not met — it is too direct. Instead, use an address word. "Pak" (from "Bapak") for an older or respected man, "Bu" (from "Ibu") for an older woman. For young people: "Mas" (man) and "Mbak" (woman), which come from Javanese but are used all over Indonesia; in some areas "Bang" (man) is also common. So you say "Pak, boleh minta tiket?" or "Mbak, tolong tunjukkan jalan". Adding this address word in front of a request instantly makes you sound polite and friendly.
Patience in the traffic
The traffic jam is part of city life, and Indonesians face it with patience and a smile. The horn is used to say "I am here", not out of anger. If you are late because of traffic, just say "maaf, tadi macet" (sorry, there was a jam) — everyone understands. Inside a full angkot or bus, people often share space and help pass the fare to the front. Patience, polite address words, and a little smile will take you far — on any road in Indonesia.
In short: to move around the city, you have many options — trains, buses, angkot, and app motorbike taxis. To speak with people, begin with an address word like "Pak", "Bu", "Mas", or "Mbak", then ask with "tolong" or "boleh minta". That way even the traffic feels lighter, and every trip becomes a chance to practise.
pronunciation
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