Welcome back to MasteringBahasa! In our previous article about Indonesian Common Verbs, we have discussed about Indonesian Verbs. This article is related to that article. Why? Because we will discuss How to Tell Time in Indonesian Language.
In our previous article about Indonesian Questions , we have discussed how to tell time with the question word of “Kapan”. That is so related to this article. In this article, we are going to discuss how to ask time and how to tell time in Indonesian language. Before further ado, let’s do it!
Here are some words you need to learn related to how to tell in Indonesian:
| English | Indonesian |
| Hour | Jam |
| Minute | Menit |
| Second | Detik |
| Before | Kurang |
| After | Lewat |
| Quarter | Seperempat |
| Half | Setengah |
| Morning (6 AM to 10 AM) | Pagi |
| Noon (11 AM to 4 PM) | Siang |
| Afternoon (5 PM to 8 PM) | Sore |
| Night (After Sunset) | Malam |
| Midnight | Dini hari |
| Rubber Time | Jam Karet |
1. How to Ask about Time
Before moving to the examples, here are some common yet useful vocabularies that suits to sentences that ask for time. If this list does not help you much, you can check our another article of Indonesian Basic Vocabularies or Indonesian Basic Words to find more common and useful vocabularies!
Indonesian Vocabularies and Phrases[/th] [th]Meaning
Kapan[/td] [td]When
Jam (noun)[/td] [td]Clock
Jam[/td] [td]Time
Pukul[/td] [td]Time
Sejak[/td] [td]Since
Sejak Kapan[/td] [td]Since When
Jam berapa[/td] [td]What time
Permisi[/td][td]Excuse me
Maaf[/td][td]Sorry
Sekarang[/td][td]Now
Pagi[/td][td]Morning
Siang[/td][td]Afternoon
Sore[/td][td]Evening
Malam[/td][td]Night
Hari[/td][td]Day
Tanggal[/td][td]Date
Bulan[/td][td]Month
Tahun[/td][td]Year
Now we will begin our examples on how to tell the time in Indonesia:
- Jam berapa sekarang?
(What time is it?) - Sekarang jam berapa?
(What time is it?) - Apakah kamu membawa jam tangan?
(Do you bring your watch?) - Apakah kamu tahu sekarang jam berapa?
(Do you know what time is it?) - Maukah kau memberitahuku sekarang jam berapa?
(Will you tell me what time is it?) - Maaf, bolehkah saya tahu jam berapa sekarang?
(Excuse me, may I know what time is now?) - Apakah kamu tahu hari apa sekarang?
(Do you know what day is it?) - Apakah kamu ingat tanggal berapa sekarang?
(Do you know what date is today?)
2. How to Tell Specific Time
Now, imagine a person asked the questions from point one. How to answer them? You can use these sentences to answer those question!
- Ya
Yes - Sekarang jam satu siang.
Now it is one o’clock. - Sekarang sudah jam tiga lebih lima belas menit.
It is three past fifteen.
Basically, how Indonesian speakers tell time is the same when English speakers do. We say it by numbers. Yet, Indonesian speakers always the hours first. Unlike English speakers, in English, we can say the minutes first. For examples:
- It is a quarter to three.
- It is half to ten.
- Now it is ten minutes before eleven o’clock.
This is how you say O’clock in Bahasa:
- 1 o’clock – jam satu
- 2 o’clock – jam dua
- 3 o’clock – jam tiga
- 4 o’clock – jam empat
- 5 o’clock – jam lima
- 6 o’clock- jam enam
- 7 o’clock jam tujuh
- 8 o’clock jam delapan
- 9 o’clock jam sembilan
- 10 o’clock jam sepuluh
- 11 o’clock jam sebelas
| 12.00 am | jam dua belas malam | 12.00 pm | jam dua belas siang | 12.01 pm | siang jam dua belas satu |
| 1.00 am | jam satu malam | 1.00 pm | jam satu siang | 1.01 pm | siang jam satu satu |
| 2.00 am | jam dua malam | 2.00 pm | jam dua siang | 2.01 pm | siang jam dua satu |
| 3.00 am | jam tiga malam | 3.00 pm | jam tiga siang | 3.01 pm | siang jam tiga satu |
| 4.00 am | jam empat malam | 4.00 pm | jam empat siang | 4.01 pm | siang jam empat satu |
| 5.00 am | jam lima malam | 5.00 pm | jam lima sore | 5.01 pm | sore jam lima satu |
| 6.00 am | jam enam pagi | 6.00 pm | jam enam sore | 6.01 pm | sore jam enam satu |
| 7.00 am | jam tujuh pagi | 7.00 pm | jam tujuh sore | 7.01 pm | sore jam tujuh satu |
| 8.00 am | jam delapan pagi | 8.00 pm | jam delapan sore | 8.01 pm | sore jam delapan satu |
| 9.00 am | jam sembilan pagi | 9.00 pm | jam sembilan malam | 9.01 pm | malam jam sembilan satu |
| 10.00 am | jam sepuluh pagi | 10.00 pm | jam sepuluh malam | 10.01 pm | malam jam sepuluh satu |
| 11.00 am | jam sebelas siang | 11.00 pm | jam sebelas malam | 11.01 pm | malam jam sebelas satu |
This is a simple formula when we want to tell specific time in Indonesian language:
     Hours   +   Minutes     Â
And that is it! So easy right? So here are the examples:
- Jam satu lebih sepuluh menit.
(One o’clock past ten minutes) - Jam lima seperempat.
(One o’clock past fifteen minutes) - Jam empat tepat.
(Four o’clock) - Tepat pukul sembilan.
(Nine o’clock) - Pukul Sepuluh pagi.
(Ten o’clock in the morning)
We have discussed about numbers in our article of Indonesian Basic Vocabularies. But as a quick learn, here is a list of numbers in Indonesian that you can use to tell time too!
Indonesian Numbers[/th] [th]English Numbers
Satu[/td] [td]One
Dua[/td] [td]Two
Tiga[/td] [td]Three
Empat[/td] [td]Four
Lima[/td] [td]Five
Enam[/td] [td]Six
Tujuh[/td] [td]Seven
Delapan[/td] [td]Eight
Sembilan[/td] [td]Nine
Sepuluh[/td] [td]Ten
Sebelas[/td] [td]Eleven
Dua Belas[/td] [td]Twelve
No, I’ll bet you understand how to tell the time in Indonesia, but let’s learn more here.
3. How to Tell Time By Days
As English languages and every languages in the world, Indonesian weeks are divided into seven days. Here is the list:
Indonesian Days[/th] [th]English Days
Senin[/td] [td]Monday
Selasa[/td] [td]Tuesday
Rabu[/td] [td]Wednesday
Kamis[/td] [td]Thursday
Jum’at[/td] [td]Friday
Sabtu[/td] [td]Saturday
Minggu[/td] [td]Sunday
Here are some examples how to use them!
- Hari ini hari Senin.
(Today is Monday) - Besok hari Selasa.
(Tommorrow is Tuesday.) - Lusa adalah hari Rabu.
(The day after tomorrow is Wednesday) - Aku akan berkencan dengan Enrico pada hari Kamis.
(I will have a date with Enrico at Thursday.) - Setahu aku, tugas kelompok itu harus dikumpulkan di hari Jum’at.
(As far as I know, the group work should be collected at Friday.) - Festival Kebudayaan itu sudah terlaksana hari Sabtu yang lalu.
- (The Cultural Festival was held at the past Saturday)
- Biasanya keluarga pak Markus pergi ke Gereja di hari Minggu.
(Usually Mr. Markus’s family go to Church at Sundays.)
Oh, anyway, as a bonus, we will give you list of month too! Well, Indonesian people followed the Roman Calendar. But we will put them here anyway, if you wonder how to spell Roman months in Indonesian!
Indonesian Calendar[/th] [th]English Calendar
Januari[/td] [td]January
Februari[/td] [td]February
Maret[/td] [td]March
April[/td] [td]April
Mei[/td] [td]May
Juni[/td] [td]June
Juli[/td] [td]July
Agustus[/td] [td]August
September[/td] [td]September
Oktober[/td] [td]October
November[/td] [td]November
Desember[/td] [td]December
Not too different, right? But at least you won’t mess up to spell Indonesian months in your traveling book or learn more Indonesian Phrases for Travellers
4. How to Tell Time According to Sun
The sun is shine! Indonesian people can also tell time based by the sun. However, like school or office, we can use them based on the clock as well! Here is the list to help you:
Indonesian Time[/th] [th]At What Time[/th] [th]Meaning
Subuh[/td] [td]12.00 AM – 3.59 AM[/td] [td]Dawn
Pagi[/td] [td]4.00 AM – 10.59 AM[/td] [td]Morning
Siang[/td] [td]11.00 AM – 3.59 PM[/td] [td]Afternoon
Sore[/td] [td]4.00 PM – 5.50 PM[/td] [td]Evening
Malam (1)[/td] [td]6.00 PM – 8.59 PM[/td] [td]Dusk
Malam (2)[/td] [td]9.00 PM – 10.59 PM[/td] [td]Night
Tengah Malam[/td] [td]11.00 PM – 12PM[/td] [td]Middle of Night
Kinda different with English version, no? But the usage are still the same! It is just because the influence of religion and culture in Indonesia, how we separate time with English version is kinda different. Anyway, here are some examples:
- Ayo bangun! Sekarang sudah pagi!
(Wake up, please! It is morning now!) - Sudah siang rupanya. Saatnya menjemur cucian di bawah teriknya matahari.
(It is afternoon already. It is time to dry the laundry under the sunshine.) - Kakak dan adik sudah sampai rumah sejak sore tadi.
(The brothers arrived at house already since this evening.) - Berhenti bermain di luar! Sudah malam!
(Stop playing outside! It is dusk already!) - Ayah pulang malam karena sibuk mencari kado untuk ulang tahun pernikahan ibu dan ayah.
(My father came home at night because he is busy to search a present for mother and father’s wedding anniversary) - Kakak mengerjakan proyek sekolahnya hingga tengah malam.
(My brother is doing his school project in middle of night.)
5. How to Tell Time for Telling Past and Future
We have learned how to tell time by specific time, days, and sun. Now, we are going to discuss for you to tell time when you have plans! Before the explanation, here is the list first Indonesian Conversation Phrases:
Indonesian Words of Time[/th] [th]Meaning
Hari ini[/td] [td]Today
Besok[/td] [td]Tomorrow
Kemarin[/td] [td]Yesterday
Lusa[/td] [td]Day after Tomorrow
Minggu Depan[/td] [td]Next Week
Bulan Depan[/td] [td]Next Month
Tahun Depan[/td] [td]Next Year
Nanti[/td][td]Later
Minggu Lalu[/td] [td]Last Week
Bulan Lalu[/td] [td]Last Month
Tahun Lalu[/td] [td]Last Year
Akhir Minggu[/td] [td]Weekend
Awal Minggu[/td] [td]Early Week
Akhir Bulan[/td] [td]End of Month
Awal Bulan[/td] [td]Early Month
Akhir Tahun[/td] [td]End of Year
Awal Tahun[/td] [td]Early Year
Here are examples of Indonesian time and how do you use them:
- Hari ini = Today
Hari ini aku berulang tahun. Aku berharap untuk mendapat sebuah sepeda berwarna pink.
(Today is my birthday. I hope I will get a pink bicycle.) - Besok = Tomorrow
Rencananya, besok aku, Susi, dan Sally akan mendaki gunung Bromo bersama-sama.
(The plan is tomorrow, me, Susi, and Sally will climb the Bromo mountain together.) - Kemarin = Yesterday
Saya melihat kucing kamu berada di rumah pak Sutarto kemarin. Mungkin kau bisa menanyakan kepada beliau apakah kucingmu masih ada di rumahnya.
(I saw your cat in Mr. Sutarto’s house yesterday. Perhaps you can ask him whether your cat is still in his house.) - Lusa = Day after Tomorrow
Sayangnya, lusa suamiku akan keluar dari pekerjaannya.
(Unfortunately, in the day after tomorror my husband will be resigned from his current job.) - Minggu Depan = Next Week
Ibu guru Lara berjanji untuk membawakan buku cerita miliknya minggu depan pada mata pelajaran Bahasa Indonesia.
(Our teacher Mrs Lara had promised to bring her story book next week in the subject of Bahasa Indonesia.) - Bulan Depan = Next Month
Kabarnya, putra tunggal tetangga kami akan menikah bulan depan.
(The news is our neighbor’s only son will get married next month.) - Tahun Depan = Next Year
Aku akan mengikuti ujian masuk perguruan tinggi tahun depan.
(I will attend a university admission next year.) - Nanti = Later
Adikku berjanji akan mencuci piring nanti.
(My sister promises to wash the dishes later.) - Minggu Lalu = Last Week
Minggu lalu kami menghadapi ujian akhir semester.
(Last week we had faces the final exams.) - Bulan Lalu = Last Month
Kami mengikuti kegiatan camping bulan lalu di bukit Manglayang, Sumedang.
(We attended a camping event last month in Manglayang hill, Sumedang. - Tahun Lalu = Last Year
Kami tidak merayakan Natal tahun lalu.
(We did not celebrate the Christmas last year.) - Akhir Minggu = Weekend
Pada akhir minggu, banyak orang Jakarta yang datang ke Bandung.
(On the weekends, many Jakarta people came to Bandung.) - Awal Minggu = Early Week
Tidak terasa sekarang sudah awal minggu.
(I can’t believe it is early week now.) - Akhir Bulan = End of Month
Banyak mahasiswa yang hanya memakan mie instan sehari-hari ketika akhir bulan.
(Many college students only eat instant noodle as daily meal at the end of months.) - Awal Bulan = Early Month
Beberapa kantor memberikan gaji pada awal bulan.
Many offices give paydays in early month. - Akhir Tahun = End of Year
Orang-orang mempersiapkan diri menghadapi tahun baru setiap akhir tahun.
(People are preparing themselves to face the new year in every end of years.) - Awal Tahun = Early Year.
Aku tidak sabar untuk melihat matahari di awal tahun.
(I can not wait to see the sun in the early year.)
So those are how to tell the time in Indonesia. Not that bad right? Those are useful to be used in Indonesian Conversations. Stay tune in MasteringBahasa. Thank you so much for joining us today! Have a nice day and good luck for you!
A video about telling time in Indonesian: