What is the Javanese for “not”?
English “not” makes a sentence negative: “I do not know”, “It is not far”, “This is not my book”. English uses one word for all of these. Javanese has several, and chooses between them by what is being denied. The main word is ora, and earlier lessons have already used it in passing (Lessons 11, 15 and 19, among others). This lesson sets out the whole family.
- Ora, “not”, denies a verb or an adjective: Aku ora ngerti, “I don’t know”; Omahé ora adoh, “The house is not far”. In krama it is mboten (also written boten). - Dudu, “not (to be)”, denies a noun or a pronoun: Iki dudu bukuku, “This is not my book”. In krama it is sanès. Lesson 16 met it briefly. - Durung, “not yet”: Adhiku durung mangan, “My little brother hasn’t eaten yet”. In krama it is dèrèng. - Aja, “don’t!”, forbids: Aja lunga saiki, “Don’t go now”. In krama it is sampun, the same word as “already”. - Ora ana, “there is not, there is no”: Ing pawon ora ana wong, “There is nobody in the kitchen”. In krama: mboten wonten.
On its own, ora is also the word for “no” in answer to a question; in krama the answer is mboten. With other words it makes many everyday phrases: ora tau, “never”; ora apa-apa, “it doesn’t matter”; ora usah, “there’s no need”; ora … manèh, “no longer”; ora mung … nanging uga, “not only … but also”.
Etymology: Old Javanese denied with tan, a word that lives on in poetry and in fixed phrases. Ora is the word of the modern spoken language, and it has no relation to English “or”. Mboten and boten are one krama word in two spellings; this course writes mboten, as Lesson 11 did, and keeps boten where a quoted text has it.
Orthography: this course writes é for the close e, è for the open e and plain e for the neutral vowel (schwa). Everyday writing prints sanes, dereng, mboten without accents. The a of ora is not the a of English “father”: both vowels are the open [ɔ] of British “hot”.
FAQ: How do I say “not” in Javanese?
Q: How do I say “I don’t know”? A: Aku ora ngerti. In krama: Kula mboten ngertos.
Q: How do I say “no”? A: Ora. In krama: Mboten. “No, thank you” is Mboten, matur nuwun.
Q: How do I say “That’s not mine”? A: Kuwi dudu duwèkku. With a noun, use dudu, not ora.
Q: How do I say “not yet”? A: Durung. In krama: dèrèng.
Q: How do I say “Never mind” or “It’s all right”? A: Ora apa-apa. In krama: Mboten menapa-menapa.
Key Takeaways:
- Ora (krama mboten) comes straight before the verb or adjective it denies: aku ora ngerti, “I don’t know” - Dudu (krama sanès) denies a noun: iki dudu bukuku, “this isn’t my book” - Durung (krama dèrèng) is “not yet”; aja (krama sampun) is “don’t!” - Ora ana (krama mboten wonten) is “there is no” - Useful phrases: ora tau, “never”; ora apa-apa, “never mind”; ora usah, “no need”; ora mung … nanging uga, “not only … but also”
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ora /ɔrɔ/ — o-ra: both vowels open, as in British “hot”. The r is a light tap, as in Spanish or Indonesian.
mboten /mbɔtən/ — mbo-ten: m and b begin the word together, with no vowel between them; the second e is the neutral vowel of “about”.
boten /bɔtən/ — the same word without the m.
dudu /dudu/ — du-du: two plain u’s, as in “do”.
sanès /sanɛs/ — sa-nès: an open è, as in “bed”.
durung /durʊŋ/ — du-rung: the last u is short, as in “put”, because the syllable is closed.
dèrèng /dɛrɛŋ/ — dè-rèng: two open è’s, as in “bed”.
aja /ɔɟɔ/ — a-ja: both a’s are [ɔ]; j is a soft palatal stop.
wonten /wɔntən/ — won-ten: the krama of ana, “there is”.
Final k is a glottal stop: apik [apɪʔ], duwèk [duwɛʔ], numpak [numpaʔ].
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20.1a Aku I ora not ngerti know
20.1b Aku /aku/ 1SG ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG ngerti /ŋərti/ AV-know
20.2a Mboten no matur say nuwun thanks
20.2b Mboten /mbɔtən/ NEG.KR matur /matʊr/ say.HUM nuwun /nuwʊn/ request.KR
20.3a Iki this dudu not bukuku my-book
20.3b Iki /iki/ this.PROX dudu /dudu/ NEG.NOM bukuku /bukuku/ book-POSS.1SG
20.4a Omahé the-house ora not adoh far
20.4b Omahé /omahe/ house-DEF ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG adoh /adɔh/ far
20.5a Adhiku my-younger-brother durung not-yet mangan eat
20.5b Adhiku /aɖiku/ younger.sibling-POSS.1SG durung /durʊŋ/ not.yet mangan /maŋan/ eat
20.6a Aja don’t lunga go saiki now isih still udan raining
20.6b Aja /ɔɟɔ/ PROH lunga /luŋɔ/ go saiki /saiki/ now isih /isɪh/ still udan /udan/ rain
20.7a Kula I mboten not saged can dhateng come mbénjing tomorrow
20.7b Kula /kulɔ/ 1SG.KR mboten /mbɔtən/ NEG.KR saged /saɡət/ can.KR dhateng /ɖatəŋ/ come.KR mbénjing /mbeɲɟɪŋ/ tomorrow.KR
20.8a Bapak Father ora not tau ever ngombé drink kopi coffee
20.8b Bapak /bapaʔ/ father ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG tau /tau/ ever ngombé /ŋombe/ AV-drink kopi /kopi/ coffee
20.9a Ora not apa-apa anything aku I isih still duwé have dhuwit money
20.9b Ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG apa-apa /ɔpɔ ɔpɔ/ RED-what aku /aku/ 1SG isih /isɪh/ still duwé /duwe/ have dhuwit /ɖuwɪt/ money
20.10a Ing in pawon the-kitchen ora not ana there-is wong person
20.10b Ing /ɪŋ/ at pawon /pawɔn/ kitchen ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG ana /ɔnɔ/ EXIST wong /wɔŋ/ person
20.11a Sing the-one-who teka came wingi yesterday dudu not Pak Mr Budi Budi nanging but adhiné his-younger-brother
20.11b Sing /sɪŋ/ REL teka /təkɔ/ come wingi /wiŋi/ yesterday dudu /dudu/ NEG.NOM Pak /paʔ/ Mr Budi /budi/ Budi nanging /naŋɪŋ/ but adhiné /aɖine/ younger.sibling-POSS.3
20.12a Yèn if ora not udan rain sore afternoon iki this awaké body dhéwé self arep will menyang go-to pasar market
20.12b Yèn /jɛn/ if ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG udan /udan/ rain sore /sore/ afternoon iki /iki/ this.PROX awaké /awaʔe/ body-DEF dhéwé /ɖewe/ self arep /arəp/ FUT menyang /məɲaŋ/ to pasar /pasar/ market
20.13a Dhèwèké he ora not mung only pinter clever nanging but uga also sregep diligent
20.13b Dhèwèké /ɖɛwɛʔe/ 3SG ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG mung /mʊŋ/ only pinter /pintər/ clever nanging /naŋɪŋ/ but uga /uɡɔ/ also sregep /srəɡəp/ diligent
20.14a Mboten not susah need kuwatos worry Bu madam putra son panjenengan your sampun already dumugi arrived kanthi with slamet safety
20.14b Mboten /mbɔtən/ NEG.KR susah /susah/ need kuwatos /kuwatɔs/ worry.KR Bu /bu/ mother.VOC putra /putrɔ/ child.KI panjenengan /panɟənəŋan/ 2SG.KI sampun /sampʊn/ PERF.KR dumugi /dumuɡi/ arrive.KR kanthi /kanʈi/ with slamet /slamət/ safe
20.15a Wis already telung three dina days dhèwèké he ora not mlebu go-into kantor the-office mula so kanca-kancané his-colleagues padha all takon ask
20.15b Wis /wɪs/ PERF telung /təlʊŋ/ three-LNK dina /dinɔ/ day dhèwèké /ɖɛwɛʔe/ 3SG ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG mlebu /mləbu/ enter kantor /kantɔr/ office mula /mulɔ/ so kanca-kancané /kɔncɔ kɔncane/ RED-friend-POSS.3 padha /pɔɖɔ/ PL takon /takɔn/ ask
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20.1 Aku ora ngerti. → “I don’t know.”
20.2 Mboten, matur nuwun. → “No, thank you.” (polite)
20.3 Iki dudu bukuku. → “This isn’t my book.”
20.4 Omahé ora adoh. → “The house isn’t far.”
20.5 Adhiku durung mangan. → “My little brother hasn’t eaten yet.”
20.6 Aja lunga saiki, isih udan. → “Don’t go now, it’s still raining.”
20.7 Kula mboten saged dhateng mbénjing. → “I can’t come tomorrow.” (polite)
20.8 Bapak ora tau ngombé kopi. → “Father never drinks coffee.”
20.9 Ora apa-apa, aku isih duwé dhuwit. → “It doesn’t matter, I still have money.”
20.10 Ing pawon ora ana wong. → “There’s nobody in the kitchen.”
20.11 Sing teka wingi dudu Pak Budi, nanging adhiné. → “The one who came yesterday wasn’t Mr Budi, but his younger brother.”
20.12 Yèn ora udan, sore iki awaké dhéwé arep menyang pasar. → “If it doesn’t rain, we’re going to the market this afternoon.”
20.13 Dhèwèké ora mung pinter, nanging uga sregep. → “He is not only clever but also hard-working.”
20.14 Mboten susah kuwatos, Bu, putra panjenengan sampun dumugi kanthi slamet. → “There’s no need to worry, madam: your son has arrived safely.” (polite)
20.15 Wis telung dina dhèwèké ora mlebu kantor, mula kanca-kancané padha takon. → “He hasn’t been in to the office for three days, so his colleagues are all asking about him.”
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20.1 Aku ora ngerti.
20.2 Mboten, matur nuwun.
20.3 Iki dudu bukuku.
20.4 Omahé ora adoh.
20.5 Adhiku durung mangan.
20.6 Aja lunga saiki, isih udan.
20.7 Kula mboten saged dhateng mbénjing.
20.8 Bapak ora tau ngombé kopi.
20.9 Ora apa-apa, aku isih duwé dhuwit.
20.10 Ing pawon ora ana wong.
20.11 Sing teka wingi dudu Pak Budi, nanging adhiné.
20.12 Yèn ora udan, sore iki awaké dhéwé arep menyang pasar.
20.13 Dhèwèké ora mung pinter, nanging uga sregep.
20.14 Mboten susah kuwatos, Bu, putra panjenengan sampun dumugi kanthi slamet.
20.15 Wis telung dina dhèwèké ora mlebu kantor, mula kanca-kancané padha takon.
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These are the grammar rules for ora, and for the other words of denial, in Javanese:
1. Ora before the predicate. Ora stands immediately before the verb or adjective it denies, and after the subject: Aku ora ngerti, “I don’t know” (20.1); Omahé ora adoh, “The house isn’t far” (20.4). Javanese has no helper verb like English “do”: ora ngerti is simply “not know”. Ora does not change for person, number or time; the context gives the tense: Dhèwèké ora mlebu kantor is “he isn’t going in”, “he didn’t go in” or “he hasn’t gone in” (20.15).
2. Ora with modal words. Ora goes before bisa, “can”, kudu, “must”, gelem, “be willing” and the like: ora bisa, “cannot”; ora gelem, “will not, refuse”; ora kudu, “need not”. In krama: mboten saged, “cannot” (20.7).
3. Dudu with nouns. When the predicate is a noun or a pronoun, Javanese denies it with dudu, not ora: Iki dudu bukuku, “This isn’t my book” (20.3). This is the negative of the verbless sentence of Lesson 19 (Iki buku, “This is a book”). Dudu … nanging … is “not … but …”: Sing teka wingi dudu Pak Budi, nanging adhiné (20.11). The krama of dudu is sanès: Menika sanès griya kula, “This isn’t my house.”
4. Durung, “not yet”. Durung is the negative of wis, “already” (Lesson 11): Adhiku durung mangan, “My little brother hasn’t eaten yet” (20.5). A question with wis is answered Durung, “Not yet”, rather than with a flat Ora. The krama is dèrèng, and the krama of wis is sampun: Kula dèrèng saged dhateng, “I can’t come yet” (20.22).
5. Aja, “don’t!”. A command is forbidden with aja, not ora (Lessons 9 and 12): Aja lunga saiki, “Don’t go now” (20.6); Aja kesusu, “Don’t hurry” (20.23). In krama, aja becomes sampun: Sampun kesupen, “Don’t forget.” Sampun is also the krama of wis; context tells them apart.
6. Ora ana, “there is not”. Ana, “there is”, is denied with ora: Ing pawon ora ana wong, “There is nobody in the kitchen” (20.10). In krama: mboten wonten.
7. The four words at the three levels:
- ora — not (verbs, adjectives) — krama mboten (boten) - dudu — not (nouns) — krama sanès - durung — not yet — krama dèrèng - aja — don’t! — krama sampun
8. Set phrases with ora:
- ora tau, “never” (krama mboten naté): Bapak ora tau ngombé kopi (20.8) - ora apa-apa, “it doesn’t matter, never mind” (krama mboten menapa-menapa): 20.9, 20.23 - ora usah, “there is no need” (krama mboten susah): Mboten susah kuwatos, “There’s no need to worry” (20.14) - ora … manèh, “no longer, not any more”: ora nesu manèh (20.25) - ora mung … nanging uga …, “not only … but also …”: 20.13 - yèn ora, “if not, otherwise”: Yèn ora udan, “If it doesn’t rain” (20.12)
9. Saying no. To a yes/no question about an action, the short answer is Ora, and in krama Mboten: Mboten, matur nuwun, “No, thank you” (20.2). If the question is about a noun (“Is this yours?”), the answer is Dudu (krama Sanès). If it is about something already expected (“Have you eaten?”), the answer is Durung (krama Dèrèng).
10. One negative is enough. Javanese does not double the negative: ora … apa-apa is “not … anything”, and apa-apa itself is not negative. Aku ora ngerti apa-apa (Lesson 19) is “I don’t know anything”.
Common Mistakes:
- Using ora with a noun: *Iki ora bukuku. Correct: Iki dudu bukuku, “This isn’t my book.” - Using ora for a command: *Ora lunga! Correct: Aja lunga!, “Don’t go!” - Answering “Have you eaten?” with Ora when the meaning is “not yet”: Durung is the natural answer. - Putting ora after the verb, as in English “I know not”: *Aku ngerti ora. Correct: Aku ora ngerti. - Mixing levels: *Kula ora saged. In krama the negative must move with the rest: Kula mboten saged. - Reading ora as English “or”, or saying it with the a of “father”: it is [ɔrɔ].
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The soft no. A plain Ora! can sound blunt, and Javanese manners prefer to refuse gently. A guest offered more food says Mboten, matur nuwun, “No, thank you”, often with a hand raised a little, and will usually be offered again. Between equals one hears Ora, suwun. A request that cannot be met is often answered without any negative word at all, with a pause, a smile or a promise to see. Learners should notice how often a Javanese speaker avoids a direct no.
Ora apa-apa. The phrase ora apa-apa, “it’s nothing, never mind”, is one of the commonest in the language. It answers an apology, calms a worry and closes an awkward moment, much as English “it’s fine” does.
Regional forms. In fast speech ora is often clipped to ra: Aku ra ngerti. In East Java, and above all in Surabaya, the everyday negative is gak or nggak, which is also the word of colloquial Indonesian; Central Java and Yogyakarta keep ora. Mboten is the krama of the whole Javanese-speaking area, and some speakers say and write boten. In this course the examples use ora and mboten.
Sepur. The narrative below follows a student from Solo (Surakarta) to Yogyakarta by train. The two cities lie about sixty kilometres apart, and the railway between them runs through rice-fields with the volcano Merapi to the north. Simbah, often shortened to Mbah, is “grandparent”; Nduk is the affectionate address of an older person to a girl.
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Psalm 23:1 and 4 (the opening of verse 4), from the Javanese Bible of the Lembaga Alkitab Indonesia (version “Jawa”), as published by alkitab.mobi. The superscription of verse 1 (“A psalm of David”) is left out. The verses need no added accents. The psalmist says that with the Lord as shepherd he lacks nothing, and fears no harm even in the darkest valley.
F.1a Sang the Yehuwah Lord iku is pangenku my-shepherd aku I ora not kekurangan lack apa-apa anything
F.1b Sang /saŋ/ HON Yehuwah /jəhuwah/ Yahweh iku /iku/ that.MED pangenku /paŋənku/ shepherd-POSS.1SG aku /aku/ 1SG ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG kekurangan /kəkuraŋan/ KE-lack-AN apa-apa /ɔpɔ ɔpɔ/ RED-what
F.2a Malah even sanadyan though lumaku walking ana be ing in jurang the-valley palimenganing of-the-shadow-of pati death
F.2b Malah /malah/ even sanadyan /sanadjan/ although lumaku /lumaku/ walk ana /ɔnɔ/ be ing /ɪŋ/ at jurang /ɟuraŋ/ ravine palimenganing /paliməŋanɪŋ/ shadow-GEN pati /pati/ death
F.3a aku I ora not wedi afraid marang of bilai harm margi for Paduka You ingkang who nganthi lead-by-the-hand kawula me
F.3b aku /aku/ 1SG ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG wedi /wədi/ afraid marang /maraŋ/ to bilai /bilai/ disaster margi /marɡi/ because.KR Paduka /padukɔ/ 2SG.HON ingkang /ɪŋkaŋ/ REL.KR nganthi /ŋanʈi/ AV-lead.by.hand kawula /kawulɔ/ 1SG.HUM
Sang Yehuwah iku pangenku, aku ora kekurangan apa-apa. … Malah sanadyan lumaku ana ing jurang palimenganing pati, aku ora wedi marang bilai, margi Paduka ingkang nganthi kawula.
The Lord is my shepherd; I lack nothing. … Even though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no harm, for it is You who lead me by the hand.
Sang Yehuwah iku pangenku, aku ora kekurangan apa-apa. … Malah sanadyan lumaku ana ing jurang palimenganing pati, aku ora wedi marang bilai, margi Paduka ingkang nganthi kawula.
Both verses turn on ora placed straight before the predicate (Section D, rule 1). Aku ora kekurangan apa-apa, “I do not lack anything”, has the same shape as Aku ora ngerti apa-apa (Lesson 19): one negative, ora, with apa-apa, “anything”, after the verb (rule 10). Kekurangan is the ke-…-an form of kurang, “less, short”: “to suffer a lack”. Aku ora wedi marang bilai, “I am not afraid of harm”, denies an adjective, wedi, “afraid”, which takes marang, “to, towards”, for the thing feared.
Sang Yehuwah iku pangenku is a verbless sentence of the kind in Lesson 19, with iku, the literary kuwi, closing the subject: “The Lord, he (is) my shepherd”. Its negative would need dudu, not ora (rule 3). Pangen is the Bible’s word for the shepherd; in village speech the herdsman is pangon, from angon, “to herd”.
The speech levels shift in the middle of the psalm, and the shift is deliberate. In verse 1 the psalmist speaks about God, in plain ngoko: aku, “I”, ora. In verse 4 he turns to speak to God, and at once the krama of reverence appears: Paduka, the honorific “You”, used to God and to kings; kawula, the humble “I, me”; ingkang, the krama of sing; margi, the krama of marga, “because”. The verse begins in ngoko (aku ora wedi) and ends in krama. The Hebrew also turns here from “he” to “you”, and the Javanese marks the turn by changing level.
For krama boten in the Bible, compare John 18:36, in the same translation, where Jesus answers Pilate in krama: Nanging kraton Kula boten saking ngriki, “But my kingdom is not from here.” A phrase of place, saking ngriki, is the predicate, and the krama boten denies it.
Margi Paduka ingkang nganthi kawula is a cleft sentence: “for (it is) You who lead me”. Nganthi is “to lead by the hand”, as a parent leads a small child.
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Rina, a student in Solo, means to take the morning train to visit her grandmother in Yogyakarta. Nothing goes as planned. The people are invented for the lesson. The story is told in ngoko; Rina speaks krama to the station official and to her grandmother, and her grandmother answers in ngoko.
20.16a Ésuk morning iki this Rina Rina tangi woke-up kawanen too-late amarga because wekeré her-alarm-clock ora not muni rang
20.16b Ésuk /esʊʔ/ morning iki /iki/ this.PROX Rina /rinɔ/ Rina tangi /taŋi/ wake.up kawanen /kawanən/ overslept amarga /amarɡɔ/ because wekeré /wəkəre/ alarm.clock-DEF ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG muni /muni/ sound
20.17a Dhèwèké she ora not sempat had-time-to adus bathe ora not sempat had-time-to sarapan breakfast
20.17b Dhèwèké /ɖɛwɛʔe/ 3SG ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG sempat /səmpat/ have.time adus /adʊs/ bathe ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG sempat /səmpat/ have.time sarapan /sarapan/ breakfast
20.18a Dhèwèké she mlayu ran menyang to stasiun the-station nanging but sepuré the-train wis already mangkat left
20.18b Dhèwèké /ɖɛwɛʔe/ 3SG mlayu /mlaju/ run menyang /məɲaŋ/ to stasiun /stasiʊn/ station nanging /naŋɪŋ/ but sepuré /səpure/ train-DEF wis /wɪs/ PERF mangkat /maŋkat/ depart
20.19a Rina Rina takon asked marang to petugas the-official Nyuwun ask sewu a-thousand Pak sir sepur train dhateng to Yogya Yogya sampun already bidhal left
20.19b Rina /rinɔ/ Rina takon /takɔn/ ask marang /maraŋ/ to petugas /pətuɡas/ official Nyuwun /ɲuwʊn/ request.KR sewu /sewu/ thousand Pak /paʔ/ sir.VOC sepur /səpʊr/ train dhateng /ɖatəŋ/ to.KR Yogya /jɔɡjɔ/ Yogyakarta sampun /sampʊn/ PERF.KR bidhal /biɖal/ depart.KR
20.20a Petugas official Sampun already Mbak miss Sepur train salajengipun the-next mboten not wonten there-is ngantos until jam hour kalih two
20.20b Petugas /pətuɡas/ official Sampun /sampʊn/ PERF.KR Mbak /mbaʔ/ elder.sister.VOC Sepur /səpʊr/ train salajengipun /salaɟəŋipʊn/ next-DEF.KR mboten /mbɔtən/ NEG.KR wonten /wɔntən/ EXIST.KR ngantos /ŋantɔs/ until.KR jam /ɟam/ hour kalih /kalɪh/ two.KR
20.21a Rina Rina ora not duwé have dhuwit money cukup enough kanggo for numpak riding taksi a-taxi
20.21b Rina /rinɔ/ Rina ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG duwé /duwe/ have dhuwit /ɖuwɪt/ money cukup /cukʊp/ enough kanggo /kaŋɡo/ for numpak /numpaʔ/ ride taksi /taksi/ taxi
20.22a Dhèwèké she nelpon phoned simbahé her-grandmother Mbah Grandma nyuwun I-ask pangapunten forgiveness kula I dèrèng not-yet saged can dhateng come
20.22b Dhèwèké /ɖɛwɛʔe/ 3SG nelpon /nəlpɔn/ AV-telephone simbahé /simbahe/ grandparent-POSS.3 Mbah /mbah/ grandparent.VOC nyuwun /ɲuwʊn/ request.KR pangapunten /paŋapuntən/ forgiveness.KR kula /kulɔ/ 1SG.KR dèrèng /dɛrɛŋ/ not.yet.KR saged /saɡət/ can.KR dhateng /ɖatəŋ/ come.KR
20.23a Simbah Grandma mangsuli answered Ora not apa-apa anything Nduk dear Aja don’t kesusu hurry
20.23b Simbah /simbah/ grandparent mangsuli /maŋsuli/ AV-answer Ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG apa-apa /ɔpɔ ɔpɔ/ RED-what Nduk /nduʔ/ girl.VOC Aja /ɔɟɔ/ PROH kesusu /kəsusu/ hurry
20.24a Simbah Grandma ora not lunga going ngendi-endi anywhere Simbah Grandma isih still ana is ing at omah home
20.24b Simbah /simbah/ grandparent ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG lunga /luŋɔ/ go ngendi-endi /ŋəndi əndi/ RED-where Simbah /simbah/ grandparent isih /isɪh/ still ana /ɔnɔ/ be ing /ɪŋ/ at omah /omah/ house
20.25a Rina Rina lungguh sat ing in stasiun the-station maca read buku a-book lan and ora not nesu angry manèh any-more
20.25b Rina /rinɔ/ Rina lungguh /luŋɡʊh/ sit ing /ɪŋ/ at stasiun /stasiʊn/ station maca /mɔcɔ/ read buku /buku/ book lan /lan/ and ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG nesu /nəsu/ angry manèh /manɛh/ again
20.26a Jam hour loro two sepuré the-train teka came
20.26b Jam /ɟam/ hour loro /loro/ two sepuré /səpure/ train-DEF teka /təkɔ/ come
20.27a Sepur train iki this dudu not sepur train cepet fast mula so mlakuné its-going alon slow
20.27b Sepur /səpʊr/ train iki /iki/ this.PROX dudu /dudu/ NEG.NOM sepur /səpʊr/ train cepet /cəpət/ fast mula /mulɔ/ so mlakuné /mlakune/ walk-DEF alon /alɔn/ slow
20.28a Nanging but Rina Rina ora not getun regretted-it saka from jendhéla the-window katon could-be-seen sawah rice-fields ijo green lan and Gunung Mount Merapi Merapi
20.28b Nanging /naŋɪŋ/ but Rina /rinɔ/ Rina ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG getun /ɡətʊn/ regret saka /sɔkɔ/ from jendhéla /ɟənɖelɔ/ window katon /katɔn/ visible sawah /sawah/ rice.field ijo /ijo/ green lan /lan/ and Gunung /ɡunʊŋ/ mountain Merapi /mərapi/ Merapi
20.29a Tekan reaching omahé the-house-of simbah Grandma wis already sore afternoon lan and simbah Grandma mesem smiled ing at ngarep front lawang door
20.29b Tekan /təkan/ arrive omahé /omahe/ house-POSS.3 simbah /simbah/ grandparent wis /wɪs/ PERF sore /sore/ afternoon lan /lan/ and simbah /simbah/ grandparent mesem /məsəm/ smile ing /ɪŋ/ at ngarep /ŋarəp/ front lawang /lawaŋ/ door
20.30a Simbah Grandma Kowé you ora not telat late Nduk dear Wedangé the-tea isih still anget warm
20.30b Simbah /simbah/ grandparent Kowé /kowe/ 2SG ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG telat /təlat/ late Nduk /nduʔ/ girl.VOC Wedangé /wədaŋe/ hot.drink-DEF isih /isɪh/ still anget /aŋət/ warm
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20.16 Ésuk iki Rina tangi kawanen, amarga wekeré ora muni. → This morning Rina overslept, because her alarm clock didn’t go off.
20.17 Dhèwèké ora sempat adus, ora sempat sarapan. → She had no time to wash, no time for breakfast.
20.18 Dhèwèké mlayu menyang stasiun, nanging sepuré wis mangkat. → She ran to the station, but the train had already left.
20.19 Rina takon marang petugas: “Nyuwun sewu, Pak, sepur dhateng Yogya sampun bidhal?” → Rina asked the official: “Excuse me, sir, has the train to Yogya left already?”
20.20 Petugas: “Sampun, Mbak. Sepur salajengipun mboten wonten ngantos jam kalih.” → The official: “It has, miss. There isn’t another train until two o’clock.”
20.21 Rina ora duwé dhuwit cukup kanggo numpak taksi. → Rina didn’t have enough money to take a taxi.
20.22 Dhèwèké nelpon simbahé: “Mbah, nyuwun pangapunten, kula dèrèng saged dhateng.” → She phoned her grandmother: “Grandma, I’m so sorry, I can’t come yet.”
20.23 Simbah mangsuli: “Ora apa-apa, Nduk. Aja kesusu.” → Grandma answered: “Never mind, dear. Don’t rush.”
20.24 “Simbah ora lunga ngendi-endi. Simbah isih ana ing omah.” → “Grandma isn’t going anywhere. Grandma’s still at home.”
20.25 Rina lungguh ing stasiun, maca buku, lan ora nesu manèh. → Rina sat in the station, read a book, and was not cross any more.
20.26 Jam loro sepuré teka. → At two o’clock the train came.
20.27 Sepur iki dudu sepur cepet, mula mlakuné alon. → This train was not a fast train, so it went slowly.
20.28 Nanging Rina ora getun: saka jendhéla katon sawah ijo lan Gunung Merapi. → But Rina did not mind: from the window she could see green rice-fields and Mount Merapi.
20.29 Tekan omahé simbah wis sore, lan simbah mesem ing ngarep lawang. → By the time she reached her grandmother’s house it was late afternoon, and Grandma was smiling at the front door.
20.30 Simbah: “Kowé ora telat, Nduk. Wedangé isih anget.” → Grandma: “You’re not late, dear. The tea is still warm.”
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Dina sing Ora Lancar
20.16 Ésuk iki Rina tangi kawanen, amarga wekeré ora muni.
20.17 Dhèwèké ora sempat adus, ora sempat sarapan.
20.18 Dhèwèké mlayu menyang stasiun, nanging sepuré wis mangkat.
20.19 Rina takon marang petugas: “Nyuwun sewu, Pak, sepur dhateng Yogya sampun bidhal?”
20.20 Petugas: “Sampun, Mbak. Sepur salajengipun mboten wonten ngantos jam kalih.”
20.21 Rina ora duwé dhuwit cukup kanggo numpak taksi.
20.22 Dhèwèké nelpon simbahé: “Mbah, nyuwun pangapunten, kula dèrèng saged dhateng.”
20.23 Simbah mangsuli: “Ora apa-apa, Nduk. Aja kesusu.”
20.24 “Simbah ora lunga ngendi-endi. Simbah isih ana ing omah.”
20.25 Rina lungguh ing stasiun, maca buku, lan ora nesu manèh.
20.26 Jam loro sepuré teka.
20.27 Sepur iki dudu sepur cepet, mula mlakuné alon.
20.28 Nanging Rina ora getun: saka jendhéla katon sawah ijo lan Gunung Merapi.
20.29 Tekan omahé simbah wis sore, lan simbah mesem ing ngarep lawang.
20.30 Simbah: “Kowé ora telat, Nduk. Wedangé isih anget.”
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Ora, again and again. The narrator uses ora for every action and state that did not happen: the alarm ora muni (20.16), Rina ora sempat (20.17), ora duwé dhuwit (20.21), ora nesu manèh (20.25), ora getun (20.28). In each case ora stands straight before the verb or adjective (Section D, rule 1). Ora sempat adus, ora sempat sarapan (20.17) repeats ora for rhythm, as English might say “no time to wash, no time to eat”.
Dudu for the train. Sepur iki dudu sepur cepet (20.27): the predicate is a noun phrase, sepur cepet, “a fast train”, so the negative is dudu, not ora (rule 3).
The levels. To the official Rina speaks krama: sampun bidhal, “already left” (20.19). He answers in krama: mboten wonten, “there isn’t” (20.20). To her grandmother, too, she speaks krama: kula dèrèng saged dhateng, “I can’t come yet” (20.22). Her grandmother answers in ngoko, as an elder does to a grandchild: Ora apa-apa … Aja kesusu (20.23); Kowé ora telat (20.30). Notice the same negatives in two levels: mboten and ora, dèrèng and durung.
Simbah speaks of herself. In 20.24 the grandmother says Simbah ora lunga ngendi-endi, “Grandma isn’t going anywhere”, using her family title instead of aku, as English speakers sometimes do with small children. It is warm and very common in Javanese families.
Ora … manèh, “not any more” (20.25): manèh alone is “again”; after a negative it means “any longer”.
Mangkat and bidhal. The narrator says sepuré wis mangkat, “the train had left” (20.18); Rina, in krama, says sampun bidhal (20.19). Bidhal is the krama of mangkat.
Krama words in this story: nyuwun sewu (“excuse me”, literally “I ask a thousand (pardons)”), dhateng (menyang, “to”; also teka, “come”), sampun (wis, “already”), bidhal (mangkat, “depart”), salajengipun (sabanjuré, “next”), wonten (ana, “there is”), ngantos (nganti, “until”), kalih (loro, “two”), nyuwun pangapunten (“I beg your pardon”), dèrèng (durung, “not yet”), saged (bisa, “can”).
Other words: tangi, “wake up”; kawanen, “overslept”; weker, “alarm clock”; sempat, “have the time to”; adus, “bathe, wash”; sarapan, “breakfast”; mlayu, “run”; stasiun, “station”; sepur, “train”; petugas, “official”; numpak, “ride, take (a vehicle)”; mangsuli, “answer”; kesusu, “be in a hurry”; ngendi-endi, “anywhere”; nesu, “angry”; cepet, “fast”; alon, “slow”; getun, “regret”; jendhéla, “window”; katon, “be visible”; sawah, “rice-field”; ijo, “green”; gunung, “mountain”; mesem, “smile”; lawang, “door”; telat, “late”; wedang, “hot drink, tea”; anget, “warm”.
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Ora. Two open o-sounds, [ɔrɔ]. The written a at the end of a word is [ɔ], and so is an a in the open syllable before it: ora, aja [ɔɟɔ], maca [mɔcɔ], apa-apa [ɔpɔ ɔpɔ]. Ora itself is written with o and a, but both are heard as [ɔ].
Mboten. The cluster mb begins the word with no vowel before it: [mbɔtən], not *[əmbɔtən]. The same is true of mbénjing, Mbak and Mbah. The o is open [ɔ]; the final e is the neutral vowel [ə].
Dudu, durung, dèrèng. Dudu has two full u’s, [dudu]. In durung the second u is in a closed syllable and is short and lax: [durʊŋ]. Dèrèng has two open è’s, [dɛrɛŋ], like the e of “bed”; everyday writing prints dereng, which a learner may misread with the neutral e.
Sanès. The krama of dudu: [sanɛs], open è; everyday writing prints sanes.
Final k and g. A glottal stop: Pak [paʔ], Nduk [nduʔ], numpak [numpaʔ], Mbak [mbaʔ]. In dhèwèké the k before the suffix -é is also a glottal stop: [ɖɛwɛʔe]; so too awaké [awaʔe].
The three e’s. é /e/ is close (Ésuk, duwé, ngombé, mbénjing, jendhéla), è /ɛ/ is open (dèrèng, sanès, manèh, dhèwèké), and plain e is the neutral vowel /ə/ (mboten, telat, nesu, sepur, getun, anget). Everyday writing prints them all as e.
IPA in this lesson is broad. It does not mark the slack (breathy) voice of b, d, dh, g, j, nor stress, which in Javanese is weak and not contrastive. The palatal stops c and j are written [c] and [ɟ].
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✓ Lesson 20 Javanese complete — ora (not)
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