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- Topic: Indonesian >
- "Apa kabar, nama saya Tini."
28 Comments
"Apa kabar" usually translates to "how are you" - which is also what it says in the hint - but it translates to "how do you do" here?
It is a weird phrase. Translated literally from English it's "what's news?" but when learning Bahasa as an English speaker it is "how are you?". It is a versatile phrase and I think it is something that will be ironed out considering this is the first time the beta has gone truly public.
Translation aside - "How do you do" is a phrase that I have never heard used by anyone in real life. I have only heard it used in black and white movies.
It's a standard phrase in English as Second Language in classes. I guess that's why they're using it here too.
I agree. They need to change "how do you do" to "how are you". I have never said "how do you do" before. Maybe a few centuries ago, but not now.
627
"How do you do?" does not mean "Apa kabar?", instead it means "Hi!" or "Hello!"
When someone says it to you, you also have to answer "How do you do?"
The same case also often happens in Chinese. There are two expressions: • 你好! (ni hao) = Hi!; Hello!; How do you do? • 你好吗? (ni hao ma) = How are you (doing)?
你好! (ni hao) is often translated as "Apa kabar?"; "How are you?" It is wrong! When someone says "你好!" to you, you have to answer "你好!" as well.
- 627
It sounds very weird if you translate "How do you do?" as "Apa kabar?" In Indonesian, we NEVER do that as the following example:
A: How do you do? B: How do you do?
A: Apa kabar? (X) B: Apa kabar? (X)
If someone says how do you do, you're supposed to tell them how you are. You don't just repeat the phrase back to them.
- 26
Oh, my. I have spoken and studied and sometimes taught English for almost 80 years now and I have never heard "How do you do?" answered by "How do you do?" even in the movies. I have always understood the proper reply to "How do you do?" to be "I am fine (or "Very well") thank you. And you?"
The only difference in meaning between "How are you?" and "How do you do?" is level of formality. Today, "How do you do?" sounds extremely formal and even stodgy, so only old folk like me remember it being used regularly. One would always use it in a formal introduction, for example.
Common colloquialisms that would be better translations include "What's up?" or "How's things?". A better literal translation would be "What's news?"
- 26
It's a standard inquiry after a person's health or circumstances when you meet them for the first time during the day. "How do you do?" is the most formal phrasing. Less formal equivalents are "How are you?" "How're things going?" "How goes it?" and many others.
Weird phrase,weird translation."Apa kabar" in English is "How are you?"Please fix the translation.
Can we use "barapa kamu" instead of "apa kabar", they roughly have the same translation. Thanks
