Indonesian · BIPA 1 (A1) · Chapter 38
Kereta hampir berangkat!The train is about to leave!
Talking about something that will happen very soon. Vocabulary: hampir, segera, berangkat, tiba, terlambat, buru-buru, menunggu, jadwal, gerbang, sebentar lagi. Key grammar: "hampir + verb" for an event that is ALMOST happening / about to happen — "Kereta hampir berangkat" (the train is about to leave). This deepens "akan" from chapter 30: "akan" is the general future ("Besok saya akan pergi" = tomorrow I will go), while "hampir" and "sebentar lagi" mark something imminent, right now. English speakers use "akan" for all future, so they say "Kereta akan berangkat" even when the train is already leaving — use "hampir berangkat" or "sebentar lagi berangkat".
Dialogue
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Di peron: akan atau hampir?— On the platform: akan or hampir?
- MikeTenang, kereta akan berangkat.Relax, the train will leave. (wrong feel: it is leaving NOW → "Kereta hampir berangkat!")
- BudiTapi lihat, pintunya sudah menutup! "akan" untuk nanti. Sekarang katakan "Kereta hampir berangkat!"But look, the doors are already closing! "akan" is for later. Now say "Kereta hampir berangkat!"
- MikeKereta hampir berangkat! Ayo, cepat!The train is about to leave! Come on, quick!
- BudiNaik cepat! Nah, kita hampir terlambat tadi.Get on quick! There, we were almost late just now.
- MikeSekarang saya paham: "akan" untuk besok, "hampir" untuk sekarang.Now I understand: "akan" for tomorrow, "hampir" for right now.
- BudiBetul sekali. Sebentar lagi kita tiba. Lain kali jangan buru-buru, ya!Exactly right. In a moment we will arrive. Next time do not rush, OK!
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Menunggu di gerbang bandara— Waiting at the airport gate
- SariJadwalnya jam tujuh. Sekarang jam berapa?The schedule says seven. What time is it now?
- MikeHampir jam tujuh. Sebentar lagi kita naik pesawat.Almost seven. In a moment we will board the plane.
- SariBagus, kita tidak terlambat. Gerbangnya di sebelah sana.Good, we are not late. The gate is over there.
- MikeAyo ke gerbang. Pesawat hampir siap untuk berangkat.Let us go to the gate. The plane is almost ready to depart.
- SariBesok, setelah tiba, saya akan menelepon keluarga. Sekarang, ayo naik!Tomorrow, after we arrive, I will call the family. Now, let us board!
- MikeSetuju. "akan" untuk besok, tapi kita hampir naik sekarang!Agreed. "akan" for tomorrow, but we are about to board now!
Vocabulary
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- hampir
adverbalmost, about to
- segera
adverbsoon, right away
- berangkat
verbto depart, set off
- tiba
verbto arrive
- terlambat
adjectivelate
- buru-buru
adverbin a hurry, hurriedly
- menunggu
verbto wait
- jadwal
nounschedule, timetable
- gerbang
noungate
- sebentar lagi
adverbin a moment, shortly
Grammar
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"hampir + verb" (about to) vs "akan"
Explanation
In chapter 30 you learned "akan" for the general future: "Besok saya akan pergi ke kota" (tomorrow I will go to the city). "akan" does not say exactly when — it could be later, tomorrow, next year. For something that is ABOUT to happen, right now, use "hampir + verb": "Kereta hampir berangkat" (the train is about to leave), "Saya hampir lupa" (I almost forgot), "Kami hampir tiba" (we are about to arrive). You can also put "sebentar lagi" (in a moment) in front of the sentence: "Sebentar lagi kereta berangkat". The difference: "akan berangkat" = will leave (sometime), "hampir berangkat" / "sebentar lagi berangkat" = about to leave NOW. Common mistake: English speakers use "will / going to" for everything, so they say "Kereta akan berangkat" while the doors are already closing — the right form is "Kereta hampir berangkat!" ✓ or "Kereta sebentar lagi berangkat!" ✓.
Examples
- Cepat, kereta hampir berangkat!Hurry, the train is about to leave!
- Sebentar lagi kita tiba di pusat kota.In a moment we will arrive downtown.
- Besok saya akan pergi ke Jakarta.Tomorrow I will go to Jakarta. (general future — akan)
- Ayo buru-buru, kita hampir terlambat!Come on, hurry, we are almost late!
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