Indonesian language is actually not a really difficult language to learn. However, learning formal Indonesian is quite different with what actually Indonesian people say in daily conversation. Indonesian use a lot of informal words when speaking. At first you maybe a little bit confused.
Even more, they also can use several word that come from other Indonesian regional language. For example the word mbak, mas, and so on.
In this article, we will discuss about the word “dong”. Indonesian people use a lot of this word in a conversation. You must know about this word to be able to speak like Indonesian in daily conversation.
The word dong probably come from Betawi. Many Betawi people use this word in conversation and then spread to all over Java island and maybe several people outside Java are using it too. There are several occasions when people use dong in a sentence. They can use it to express that they already sure that they want something, to persuade someone or to ask for help, or just using it to embellish the sentence.
1. Using “dong” to express that they already sure that they want something
People add word dong at the end of sentence to emphasize that they already sure that they want something. This word has function to make sure that the other people knows that he or she really really want it. Below are several examples of its use in daily conversation:
- A : Siapa yang mau makan nasi goreng?
Who wants to eat fried rice?
B : Aku mau nasi goreng juga dong.
I want to eat fried rice too.
- A : Aku mau nanya dong.
I want to ask something.
2. Using “dong” to persuade someone or to ask for help
People add word dong at the end or in the middle of the sentence to persuade someone. You can also use this word to ask for help (as substitute for word “tolong” or please”) from people you already know or from people you are close with. Below are several examples of its use in daily conversation.
- Bantu aku dong (please help me)
- Belikan aku nasi goreng dong, Toni (buy me a fried rice please, Toni)
- Pak, beli baju warna merah saja dong (Dad, just buy me that red shirt, please)
- Jangan pulang terlalu malam dong (Don’t go home too late at night)
3. Using “dong” to embellish the sentence
Aside from the other purpose, people sometimes add this word in the sentence to embellish it. Below are several examples of its use in daily conversation.
- Tadi pagi aku lihat penyanyi terkenal itu dong! (This morning I saw that famous singer!)
- Aku pasti bisa dong! (I can do it!)
“Dong” usually spelled as d-o-n-g. However, as Indonesian young people loves to chat with cute characters, sometimes they spell dong as d-o-n-k. Don’t be confused when you find people use “donk”. This word is spelled the same and have same meaning with dong.
That’s all about “dong” in Indonesian meaning. I hope you can use this word well and speak like a native young Indonesians. You can try to read Indonesian teenlit or watch Indonesian local television to know more about daily informal Indonesian Phrases. Thank you for reading.