• To practise giving advice using sebaiknya, lebih baik and jangan.

There are several phrases you can use to give someone advice about what to do and what not to do. For example, to advise someone what to do you can use sebaiknya orlebih baik. Sebaiknya and lebih baik mean something like the English “I would advise you to…” or “I suggest that you…” or “You should…” Study these examples.

And if you want to suggest that someone not do something, you can add the word jangan to sebaiknya or lebih baik. Look at how jangan is used in these examples.

Of course, you can preface your use of sebaiknya and lebih baik with Menurut pendapat saya, Menurut saya, or Saya kira. Say these sentences out loud several times.

Use your imagination to finish off each sentence the substitution table below, especially by putting yourself in the shoes of a travel agent or guide advising a traveller. Preface some of your sentences with Menurut pendapat saya…, Menurut saya…, or Saya kira…. And see if you can add one or two new items to the right hand column.

Read the following dialogue between Dian and his friend Arni. Also read the questions following the dialogue, and try to answer them while reading the dialogue.

——-
monyet monkey; daerah region, area

Answer the following questions:

1. Why does Dian suggest that Arni should visit Bali?
   
   Tunjukkan Jawaban

   Interesting beaches, nice scenery.
2. Are the flights expensive?
   
   Tunjukkan Jawaban

   Not that expensive (tidak terlalu [mahal]).
3. Are there direct flights to Bali?
Tunjukkan Jawaban
Yes.
4. What is Gunung Agung?
Tunjukkan Jawaban
A volcano (gunung api).
5. What kind of apes live in the Sangeh forest?
Tunjukkan Jawaban
Monkeys (monyet)
6. Is dining cheap in Jimbaran?
Tunjukkan Jawaban
No.
7. Is a losmen an inexpensive hotel?
Tunjukkan Jawaban
Yes.

Answer each of these questions with THREE sentences. The first should be a negative recommendation beginning with Sebaiknya Anda jangan… This should be followed by an alternative suggestion beginning with Menurut (pendapat) saya sebaiknya Anda…The third sentence should give a reason why the alternative suggestion is better. Study the example first:

Pertanyaan: Saya ingin berlibur ke Kalimantan.
Jawaban Anda: Sebaiknya Anda jangan pergi ke Kalimantan.
Menurut (pendapat) saya sebaiknya Anda berlibur ke Bali saja. Banyak hotel yang bagus di Bali, dan Bali indah sekali.

1. Saya ingin naik taksi dari Jakarta ke Bandung.
2. Sesudah berkunjung ke Surabaya saya ingin berjalan-jalan ke Bali.
3. Saya ingin menginap di Hotel Borobudur di Jakarta.
4. Saya ingin naik pesawat terbang dari Jakarta ke Yogyakarta.
5. Saya ingin singgah di pulau Ambon di provinsi Maluku.
6. Saya ingin pulang sebelum tanggal 17 Agustus.
7. Saya ingin tinggal di pulau Timor selama dua minggu.
8. Saya ingin makan nasi dan ikan di pasar di Sorong.
9. Saya ingin berangkat ke Indonesia pada tanggal 14 Oktober.
10. Saya ingin melihat kera dan orang utan di hutan di Sumatra.

1. Submit 3 postings each containing one sentence with saya mau or saya ingin.
2. Reply to 4 postings using lebih baik jangan, sebaiknya jangan, menurut saya sebaiknya Anda jangan etc.

In this role play a young traveller wants to visit Indonesia, but an older person tries to persuade him/her not to go. The older person, who is perhaps the traveller’s worried mother (ibu yang cemas), or a know-all friend (teman yang sok tahu), or an officious public servant (pegawai yang suka mengatur), has a gloomy view of travel in Indonesia. Their advice will be heavily loaded with expressions like:

exclamations of horror like:

They will try to suggest “safer”, more conventional alternatives using expressions like:

The young traveller will not be panicked into changing his/her plans. He/She will patiently but firmly rebut the gloomy advice with answers that display good sense and a knowledge of the realities of travel in Indonesia. Many of these answers will begin with phrases like

A very useful word in a discussion like this is menurut (according to…, so-and-so says…). For example:

To bring your Indonesian to life in the role play, try to develop an exaggerated contrast in the characters of the two speakers. Contrast the gloomy, know-it-all, moaning, carping older character with the bright-eyed, enthusiastic, indomitable, well-informed younger character.

If the role play goes well, perhaps you could switch roles. An 85 year-old granny (nenek) – young at heart and adventurous – insists on visiting Indonesia, and her grandson/granddaughter – perhaps spooked by alarmist mass media reporting – tries to dissuade her. But before you begin, complete the following exercise. Click on the i-button for instructions. Use the word list or a dictionary if you encounter new words.

To complete this IndoLingo exercise, record your voice, then download it and name the file Exercise 56-02. Send it to your IndoLingo Instructor. If you are not subscribed to IndoLingo, you may do this exercise as a written homework assignment.