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Study in the app →English · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 37
Could you help me? Bisakah kamu membantu saya?
Mencari jalan di kota dan meminta dengan sopan. Kosakata: city centre, street, corner, traffic lights, crossing, ticket, platform, queue, menu, excuse me. Tata bahasa inti: permintaan sopan. Perintah telanjang ("Give me a coffee") atau "I want…" bisa terdengar kasar kepada orang asing dalam bahasa Inggris. Bahasa Inggris sopan memakai bentuk pertanyaan dengan "can / could / would" plus "please": "Could you help me?", "Can I have a ticket, please?", "Could I have the menu?". "I'd like…" (a coffee) dan "I'd like to…" (order) adalah cara sopan mengatakan "I want". Bahasa Korea dan banyak bahasa membolehkan gaya lebih langsung, jadi pembelajar terdengar ketus: "I want two tickets" ✗ → "Could I have two tickets, please?" ✓. Sudut budaya: berkeliling kota berbahasa Inggris — mengantre, "excuse me", dan "please" serta "thank you". Sudut pelafalan: bunyi tersambung "Could you" /ˈkʊdʒə/.
Dialogue
I want two tickets or Could I have two tickets? — I want two tickets atau Could I have two tickets?
- Emma Here's the ticket office. Do you know what to say? Ini loket tiket. Kamu tahu harus bilang apa?
- Minsu Yes. I want two tickets. Give me two tickets to the city centre. Ya. Saya mau dua tiket. Beri saya dua tiket ke pusat kota. (slip: ke orang asing terlalu ketus — "Could I have two tickets to the city centre, please?")
- Emma That's too direct for a stranger. Make it a question with "could" and add "please": "Could I have two tickets, please?" Terlalu langsung untuk orang asing. Jadikan pertanyaan dengan "could" dan tambahkan "please": "Could I have two tickets, please?"
- Minsu Could I have two tickets to the city centre, please? Boleh minta dua tiket ke pusat kota?
- Emma Perfect! It sounds much friendlier. And don't forget "thank you" at the end. Sempurna! Terdengar jauh lebih ramah. Dan jangan lupa "thank you" di akhir.
- Minsu Could I have two tickets, please? … Thank you very much! Boleh minta dua tiket? … Terima kasih banyak!
Dialogue
Asking the way — Menanyakan jalan
- Jack Excuse me, could you help me? I'm looking for the station. Permisi, bisa bantu saya? Saya sedang mencari stasiun.
- Emma Of course. Go straight down this street and turn left at the traffic lights. Tentu. Jalan lurus di jalan ini lalu belok kiri di lampu lalu lintas.
- Jack Left at the traffic lights. Is it far? Kiri di lampu lalu lintas. Jauh?
- Emma No, it's near — about five minutes. The station is on the corner, next to a café. Tidak, dekat — sekitar lima menit. Stasiunnya di pojok, sebelah kafe.
- Jack Thank you so much! You're very kind. Terima kasih banyak! Anda baik sekali.
Vocabulary
| 汉字 | Pinyin | POS | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| city centre | n. | pusat kota | |
| street | n. | jalan | |
| corner | n. | sudut, pojok | |
| traffic lights | n. | lampu lalu lintas | |
| crossing | n. | penyeberangan | |
| ticket | n. | tiket, karcis | |
| platform | n. | peron | |
| queue | n. | antrean | |
| menu | n. | menu, daftar makanan | |
| excuse me | phr. | permisi |
Grammar
Polite requests: "Could you…?" and "I'd like…" Permintaan sopan: "Could you…?" dan "I'd like…"
In English, a bare command like "Give me a coffee" or a blunt "I want a coffee" is fine with close friends but sounds rude to a stranger, a waiter, or a shop assistant. To be polite, turn the request into a QUESTION with a modal verb and add "please": "Could you help me?", "Can you tell me the way?", "Could I have a ticket, please?", "Can I have the menu, please?". "Could" is a little more polite than "can". For things you want, use "I'd like" (= I would like): "I'd like a coffee", "I'd like two tickets, please", and "I'd like to" + verb: "I'd like to order". These are the polite version of "I want". "Would you like…?" offers something to someone else: "Would you like some tea?". Korean and many languages can sound direct with a plain statement, so learners forget the softeners: "I want two tickets" ✗, "Tell me the way" ✗ → "Could I have two tickets, please?", "Could you tell me the way?" ✓.
Dalam bahasa Inggris, perintah telanjang seperti "Give me a coffee" atau "I want a coffee" yang ketus tak apa dengan teman dekat tapi terdengar kasar kepada orang asing, pelayan, atau penjaga toko. Agar sopan, ubah permintaan menjadi PERTANYAAN dengan kata kerja modal dan tambahkan "please": "Could you help me?", "Can you tell me the way?", "Could I have a ticket, please?", "Can I have the menu, please?". "Could" sedikit lebih sopan daripada "can". Untuk yang kamu inginkan, pakai "I'd like" (= I would like): "I'd like a coffee", "I'd like two tickets, please", dan "I'd like to" + kata kerja: "I'd like to order". Ini versi sopan dari "I want". "Would you like…?" menawarkan sesuatu kepada orang lain: "Would you like some tea?". Bahasa Korea dan banyak bahasa bisa terdengar langsung dengan pernyataan biasa, jadi pembelajar lupa pelembutnya: "I want two tickets" ✗, "Tell me the way" ✗ → "Could I have two tickets, please?", "Could you tell me the way?" ✓.
- Excuse me, could you tell me the way to the city centre? Permisi, bisa tunjukkan jalan ke pusat kota?
- Can I have two tickets, please? Boleh minta dua tiket?
- I'd like a coffee, please. And I'd like to see the menu. Saya mau kopi satu. Dan saya ingin lihat menunya.
- Would you like some tea? — Yes, please. Thank you. Mau teh? — Ya, terima kasih.
Culture
Getting around an English-speaking city Berkeliling kota berbahasa Inggris
Di kota seperti London, New York atau Sydney, beberapa kebiasaan kecil membuat kehidupan sehari-hari lancar. Orang menunggu giliran dalam antrean, melunakkan permintaan dengan "please" dan "could you", dan mengucapkan "excuse me", "sorry", dan "thank you" berkali-kali sehari. Kata-kata kecil ini tidak kosong — ia pelumas yang menjaga kota yang sibuk dan padat tetap sopan.
Antrean: tunggu giliran
In Britain especially, the queue is almost sacred. At a bus stop, a shop, a ticket office or a coffee bar, people form a neat line and everyone is served in order. Pushing in — going to the front instead of the back — is one of the rudest things you can do. If you are not sure where the line ends, just ask "Are you in the queue?" or "Is this the end of the line?". Then wait. When it is your turn, make your polite request: "Could I have…, please?".
Kata-kata ajaib
"Please", "thank you", "excuse me" and "sorry" appear constantly. Use "excuse me" to get someone's attention or to pass by, and "sorry" if you bump into someone — even lightly. Add "please" to every request and "thank you" to every answer, even a small one. Speakers of more direct languages sometimes sound cold in English simply because they leave these words out. Say them a little more than feels natural, and you will sound warm and polite.
Di bus dan kereta
Public transport has its own quiet rules. Let people off before you get on. Keep a little space around others, and keep your voice low — long, loud phone calls are frowned upon. Offer your seat to someone who needs it more. In London you will hear "Mind the gap" between the train and the platform. A card like an Oyster or a contactless tap pays for most journeys. And if you need to reach the door, a simple "Excuse me, this is my stop" is all it takes.
Singkatnya: di kota berbahasa Inggris, ikut antre, rendahkan suara, dan bungkus setiap permintaan dengan "could you", "please" dan "thank you". Tata bahasa bab ini — pertanyaan sopan — sebenarnya tata bahasa untuk akur dengan orang asing. Ucapkan kata-kata ajaib, dan seluruh kota jadi lebih ramah.
pronunciation
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