teman saya
/təˈman ˈsaja/word by word
The English phrase "my friend" is translated into Indonesian as teman saya.
teman saya is used to describe a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection and trust.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase teman saya consists of teman, meaning friend and saya, meaning I or my. In Indonesian, the possessive follows the noun, resulting in a literal meaning of "friend my".
Which one should you use?
While teman saya is a standard way to express the phrase, sahabat saya is used to denote a much closer and more intimate bond. For casual settings, you may encounter several other variations such as sahabatku, sobatku and kawanku, all of which carry a sense of closeness or familiarity.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
teman saya is a polite way to address a friend in formal situations. In more casual or informal settings, you can use teman aku or the more intimate variations sahabatku, sobatku and kawanku.
How do you pronounce it?
/təˈman ˈsaja/
Did you know?
- The word saya is actually a shortened form of an older word, sahaya, which originally meant 'servant' or 'follower'.
- If you want to sound like a close 'brother' or 'sister' to a friend, you might use kinship terms like kakak or 'abang' instead of just 'friend'.
- While teman is common in Indonesia, speakers of Standard Malay in Malaysia more frequently use the word kawan for 'friend'.
Examples in context
- Teman saya berasal dari Palestina.My friend is from Palestine.This sentence is useful for stating where a friend is from using teman saya.Tatoeba #11366691 by Pacific, translation #11195378 by espamatics
- Saya Tom, dan ini teman saya Mary.I'm Tom, and this is my friend, Mary.This sentence is useful for introducing a friend using teman saya.Tatoeba #11786808 by Pacific, translation #10865826 by CK
- Saya menerima surat dari teman saya.I received a letter from my friend.This sentence is useful for describing receiving communication from a friend using teman saya.Tatoeba #12085611 by Pacific, translation #324335 by CK
- Teman saya mengajak saya untuk makan malam.My friend invited me for dinner.
- Saya ingin memperkenalkan teman saya, Maria.I would like to introduce my friend, Maria.
- Sahabatku datang berkunjung.My friend is coming to visit.
- Sobatku selalu mendukung saya.My friend always supports me.
- Kawanku sedang sibuk belajar.My friend is busy studying.
- Ayo, temui kawanku di taman.Let's meet my friend at the park.
- Sobatku dari Jakarta datang menjenguk.My friend from Jakarta came to visit.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Putri is introducing her friend to Dimas at a cafe.
- PutriDimas, kenalkan ini teman saya.Dimas, let me introduce you, this is my friend.
- DimasHalo! Senang bertemu denganmu.Hello! Nice to meet you.
- PutriDia adalah teman saya sejak kecil.She is my friend since childhood.
- DimasWah, kalian sudah lama berteman ya.Wow, you two have been friends for a long time.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (teman, saya) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries saya, teman, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
