‘Don’t!’ is what you would say when you try to stop someone from doing something. As for Indonesian language, we say ‘Jangan!’. Now, what if we repeat the word to ‘jangan-jangan’, will it still have the same meaning? Last week we covered one repeated word in Indonesian language. Pro tip, all of Indonesian repeated words have different meanings than its single word. In addition, we will also introduce you to one new word ‘jangankan’ which might sound similar to ‘tangan’. Check out these examples to see the difference and learn how to use them!
Situation 1
A: “Ya, sekian untuk rapat hari ini. Apakah ini sudah bisa saya hapus?”
(Well, that is it for today’s meeting. Can I erase this now?)
B: “Eh, jangan! Jangan dihapus dulu. Saya belum selesai mencatat”
(No! Do not erase it yet. I'm not done writing it down.)
Situation 2
A: “Apakah ada yang sudah mencoba mengirim SMS padanya?”
(Has anybody tried to text her?)
B: “Jangankan SMS, telepon saya saja tidak dijawab.”
(She didn’t even answer my phone call, let alone my text messages.)
Situation 3
“Jangan-jangan dia sakit.”
(Perhaps she is sick?)
Situation 4
“Wah. Kita semua harus berhati-hati. Jangan sampai terlalu lelah dan jatuh sakit.”
(We all have to be careful. Do not get too tired and become sick.)
The word ‘jangan’ in situation 1 is used to say 'don't' also to stop an action from happening. In situation 2, the word ‘jangankan’ works to show how one thing is less likely to happen compared to the other. Situation 3 describes an expression ‘jangan-jangan’ to express a guess or an assumption of things that might or might not happen. On the other hand, situation 4 explained its application as a reminder.
More examples:
Situation 1
A: “Berkas ini saya cetak ya.”
(I am going to print this file)
B: “Jangan! Berkasnya masih harus saya sunting.”
(Don’t! That file still need to be edited)
Situation 2
A: “Anda bisa mengendarai sepeda motor?”
(Can you ride a motorcycle?)
B: “Jangankan sepeda motor, sepeda saja tidak bisa.”
(I can’t ride a bicycle, let alone a motorcycle)
Situation 3
A: “Apakah Anda melihat dompet saya?”
(Do you see my wallet?)
B: “Tidak. Jangan-jangan, dompet Anda tertinggal di rumah.”
(No, I don’t. Perhaps you left them at home)
Situation 4
Jalan di depan licin. Hati-hati, jangan sampai terpeleset ya!
(The road ahead is slippery. Be careful, don’t fall!)
Got it? Now it is time to start using these words in your daily conversation to make your Indonesian more fluent!
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