What is the Javanese for “that”, as in “I know that you are tired”?
English “that” has three jobs. Lesson 13 taught the pointing “that” (kuwi, kaé) and the relative “that” (sing, “the rice that Mother cooked”). This lesson teaches the third: the conjunction that introduces what someone knows, says, hears, thinks or hopes. “I know that you are ill.” “The teacher said that the exam has been put back.” Javanese uses yèn, and in krama bilih.
- Yèn is the everyday ngoko word: Aku ngerti yèn kowé lara, “I know that you are ill.” - Bilih is its krama: Kula ngertos bilih panjenengan sayah, “I know that you are tired.” - Menawa (also written manawa) does the same work in written and formal ngoko; the Bible and the newspapers use it beside yèn.
Yèn has a second meaning that the learner must keep apart: “if, when”. Yèn udan, aku ora lunga is “If it rains, I won’t go.” The difference is easy to see. After a verb of knowing, saying or thinking, yèn is “that”; at the head of a sentence, before the main clause, it is “if”. Lesson 21 already used the “that” of reported speech: Pak Guru ngendika yèn sésuk kita kabèh kudu teka ésuk-ésuk, “The teacher said that we must all come early tomorrow.”
Javanese, like English, often leaves the conjunction out after verbs of thinking: Aku ngira kowé lunga, “I thought (that) you had gone.” Yèn makes the link explicit, and in careful speech and writing it is usually there.
Vocabulary: bilih belongs to the krama vocabulary, as sampun beside wis and mboten beside ora (Lesson 20). The krama of yèn in its other sense, “if”, is usually menawi.
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 yèn as yen; the Javanese Bible prints it so.
FAQ: How do I say “that” after “know” or “say” in Javanese?
Q: How do I say “I know that …”? A: Aku ngerti yèn …: Aku ngerti yèn kowé lara, “I know that you are ill.”
Q: How do I say “He said that …”? A: Dhèwèké kandha yèn …: Dhèwèké kandha yèn kesel, “He said that he was tired.”
Q: How do I say it politely? A: Use krama verbs and bilih: Kula ngertos bilih …, “I know that …”; Kula mireng bilih …, “I have heard that …”.
Q: Is yèn the same as “if”? A: It is the same word. Yèn after aku ngerti, aku krungu, dhèwèké kandha is “that”; Yèn udan, … at the start is “if”.
Q: Can I use sing for this “that”? A: No. Sing links a description to a noun (“the man that …”). After “know” or “say” the word is yèn.
Key Takeaways:
- The conjunction “that” is yèn in ngoko and bilih in krama - It follows verbs of knowing, saying, hearing, thinking, hoping and forgetting: ngerti yèn, kandha yèn, krungu yèn - Yèn also means “if, when”; at the head of a sentence it is usually “if” - Sing is the relative “that” and kuwi the pointing “that”; neither can replace yèn - Written Javanese also uses menawa (manawa) for “that”
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yèn /jɛn/ — one syllable: y as in “yes”, an open è as in “bed”, then n. The e is open, never the close é of kowé.
bilih /bilɪh/ — bi-lih: the second i is short and lax, as in “bit”, because the syllable ends in a consonant; the h at the end is breathed.
menawa /mənɔwɔ/ — me-na-wa: the first e is the neutral vowel of “about”; both a’s are the open [ɔ] of British “hot”.
menawi /mənawi/ — me-na-wi: the a stays a clear [a], because the final vowel is not a.
ngerti /ŋərti/ — nger-ti: ng at the start, as in “singer”.
ngertos /ŋərtɔs/ — nger-tos: the o in a closed final syllable is open [ɔ].
kandha /kɔndɔ/ — kan-dha: both a’s are [ɔ]; dh is the retroflex d, tongue tip curled back.
krungu /kruŋu/ — kru-ngu.
mireng /mirəŋ/ — mi-reng: the e is the neutral vowel.
Final k is a glottal stop: Bapak [bapaʔ], sésuk [sesʊʔ], and before a suffix: dhèwèké [ɖɛwɛʔe].
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22.1a Aku I ngerti know yèn that kowé you lara are-ill
22.1b Aku /aku/ 1SG ngerti /ŋərti/ AV-know yèn /jɛn/ COMP kowé /kowe/ 2SG lara /lɔrɔ/ ill
22.2a Dhèwèké he kandha said yèn that kesel tired
22.2b Dhèwèké /ɖɛwɛʔe/ 3SG kandha /kɔndɔ/ say yèn /jɛn/ COMP kesel /kəsəl/ tired
22.3a Aku I krungu heard yèn that Bapak Father wis already mulih come-home
22.3b Aku /aku/ 1SG krungu /kruŋu/ hear yèn /jɛn/ COMP Bapak /bapaʔ/ father wis /wɪs/ PERF mulih /mulɪh/ go.home
22.4a Ibu Mother ngira thought yèn that aku I lunga had-gone
22.4b Ibu /ibu/ mother ngira /ŋirɔ/ AV-suppose yèn /jɛn/ COMP aku /aku/ 1SG lunga /luŋɔ/ go.away
22.5a Kula I ngertos know bilih that panjenengan you sayah are-tired
22.5b Kula /kulɔ/ 1.KR ngertos /ŋərtɔs/ AV-know.KR bilih /bilɪh/ COMP.KR panjenengan /panɟənəŋan/ 2.KI sayah /sajah/ tired.KR
22.6a Aku I lali forgot yèn that dina day iki this dina day Setu Saturday
22.6b Aku /aku/ 1SG lali /lali/ forget yèn /jɛn/ COMP dina /dinɔ/ day iki /iki/ this.PROX dina /dinɔ/ day Setu /sətu/ Saturday
22.7a Adhiku my-little-brother percaya believes yèn that kucingé his-cat bisa can ngomong talk
22.7b Adhiku /aɖiku/ younger.sibling-POSS.1SG percaya /pərcɔjɔ/ believe yèn /jɛn/ COMP kucingé /kuciŋe/ cat-POSS.3 bisa /bisɔ/ can ngomong /ŋɔmɔŋ/ AV-speak
22.8a Kowé you ngerti know yèn that pasar the-market tutup is-closed dina day iki this
22.8b Kowé /kowe/ 2SG ngerti /ŋərti/ AV-know yèn /jɛn/ COMP pasar /pasar/ market tutup /tutʊp/ closed dina /dinɔ/ day iki /iki/ this.PROX
22.9a Pak Mr Guru teacher ngendika said yèn that ujiané the-exam diundur is-put-back
22.9b Pak /paʔ/ father.HON Guru /ɡuru/ teacher ngendika /ŋəndikɔ/ say.KI yèn /jɛn/ COMP ujiané /uɟiane/ exam-DEF diundur /diundʊr/ PASS-postpone
22.10a Aku I ora not lali forget yèn that Mbah Grand- Putri -mother seneng likes tèh tea legi sweet
22.10b Aku /aku/ 1SG ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG lali /lali/ forget yèn /jɛn/ COMP Mbah /mbah/ grandparent Putri /putri/ female seneng /sənəŋ/ like tèh /tɛh/ tea legi /ləɡi/ sweet
22.11a Dokter the-doctor kandha said yèn that Bapak Father kudu must ngaso rest telung three dina days amarga because isih still lara ill
22.11b Dokter /dɔktər/ doctor kandha /kɔndɔ/ say yèn /jɛn/ COMP Bapak /bapaʔ/ father kudu /kudu/ must ngaso /ŋaso/ AV-rest telung /təlʊŋ/ three-LK dina /dinɔ/ day amarga /amarɡɔ/ because isih /isɪh/ still lara /lɔrɔ/ ill
22.12a Bocah-bocah the-children durung not-yet ngerti know yèn that sekolahé their-school prei is-on-holiday sésuk tomorrow
22.12b Bocah-bocah /bɔcah bɔcah/ RED-child durung /durʊŋ/ not.yet ngerti /ŋərti/ AV-know yèn /jɛn/ COMP sekolahé /səkolahe/ school-DEF prei /prei/ holiday sésuk /sesʊʔ/ tomorrow
22.13a Aku I janji promise yèn that sésuk tomorrow aku I bakal will teka come luwih more ésuk early
22.13b Aku /aku/ 1SG janji /ɟanɟi/ promise yèn /jɛn/ COMP sésuk /sesʊʔ/ tomorrow aku /aku/ 1SG bakal /bakal/ FUT teka /təkɔ/ come luwih /luwɪh/ more ésuk /esʊʔ/ morning
22.14a Nyuwun I-beg pangapunten forgiveness Bu madam kula I kesupen forgot bilih that Ibu you-Mother sampun already nengga waited wiwit since énjing morning
22.14b Nyuwun /ɲuwʊn/ request.KR pangapunten /paŋapuntən/ PA-forgive.KR Bu /bu/ mother.VOC kula /kulɔ/ 1.KR kesupen /kəsupən/ forget.KR bilih /bilɪh/ COMP.KR Ibu /ibu/ mother sampun /sampʊn/ PERF.KR nengga /nəŋɡɔ/ AV-wait.KR wiwit /wiwɪt/ since énjing /enɟɪŋ/ morning.KR
22.15a Sawisé after maca reading layang the-letter saka from kakangé her-elder-brother Rina Rina lagi only-then ngerti knew yèn that kulawargané her-family arep would pindhah move menyang to Surabaya Surabaya taun year ngarep next
22.15b Sawisé /sawise/ after maca /mɔcɔ/ read layang /lajaŋ/ letter saka /sɔkɔ/ from kakangé /kakaŋe/ elder.brother-POSS.3 Rina /rinɔ/ Rina lagi /laɡi/ only.then ngerti /ŋərti/ AV-know yèn /jɛn/ COMP kulawargané /kulawarɡane/ family-POSS.3 arep /arəp/ FUT pindhah /pɪnɖah/ move menyang /məɲaŋ/ to Surabaya /surabajɔ/ Surabaya taun /taun/ year ngarep /ŋarəp/ front
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22.1 Aku ngerti yèn kowé lara. → “I know that you are ill.”
22.2 Dhèwèké kandha yèn kesel. → “He said that he was tired.”
22.3 Aku krungu yèn Bapak wis mulih. → “I heard that Father has come home.”
22.4 Ibu ngira yèn aku lunga. → “Mother thought that I had gone out.”
22.5 Kula ngertos bilih panjenengan sayah. → “I know that you are tired.” (polite)
22.6 Aku lali yèn dina iki dina Setu. → “I forgot that today is Saturday.”
22.7 Adhiku percaya yèn kucingé bisa ngomong. → “My little brother believes that his cat can talk.”
22.8 Kowé ngerti yèn pasar tutup dina iki? → “Did you know that the market is closed today?”
22.9 Pak Guru ngendika yèn ujiané diundur. → “The teacher said that the exam has been put back.”
22.10 Aku ora lali yèn Mbah Putri seneng tèh legi. → “I haven’t forgotten that Grandma likes sweet tea.”
22.11 Dokter kandha yèn Bapak kudu ngaso telung dina, amarga isih lara. → “The doctor said that Father must rest for three days, because he is still ill.”
22.12 Bocah-bocah durung ngerti yèn sekolahé prei sésuk. → “The children don’t know yet that there is no school tomorrow.”
22.13 Aku janji yèn sésuk aku bakal teka luwih ésuk. → “I promise that tomorrow I will come earlier.”
22.14 Nyuwun pangapunten, Bu, kula kesupen bilih Ibu sampun nengga wiwit énjing. → “I am so sorry, madam, I forgot that you have been waiting since the morning.” (polite)
22.15 Sawisé maca layang saka kakangé, Rina lagi ngerti yèn kulawargané arep pindhah menyang Surabaya taun ngarep. → “Only after reading the letter from her elder brother did Rina learn that her family would be moving to Surabaya next year.”
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22.1 Aku ngerti yèn kowé lara.
22.2 Dhèwèké kandha yèn kesel.
22.3 Aku krungu yèn Bapak wis mulih.
22.4 Ibu ngira yèn aku lunga.
22.5 Kula ngertos bilih panjenengan sayah.
22.6 Aku lali yèn dina iki dina Setu.
22.7 Adhiku percaya yèn kucingé bisa ngomong.
22.8 Kowé ngerti yèn pasar tutup dina iki?
22.9 Pak Guru ngendika yèn ujiané diundur.
22.10 Aku ora lali yèn Mbah Putri seneng tèh legi.
22.11 Dokter kandha yèn Bapak kudu ngaso telung dina, amarga isih lara.
22.12 Bocah-bocah durung ngerti yèn sekolahé prei sésuk.
22.13 Aku janji yèn sésuk aku bakal teka luwih ésuk.
22.14 Nyuwun pangapunten, Bu, kula kesupen bilih Ibu sampun nengga wiwit énjing.
22.15 Sawisé maca layang saka kakangé, Rina lagi ngerti yèn kulawargané arep pindhah menyang Surabaya taun ngarep.
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These are the grammar rules for yèn and bilih, “that”, in Javanese:
1. Position. Yèn stands between the main verb and the clause it introduces, exactly where English puts “that”: Aku ngerti yèn kowé lara, “I know that you are ill” (22.1). The clause after yèn is an ordinary sentence, with its own subject and predicate: yèn Bapak wis mulih, “that Father has come home” (22.3).
2. The verbs that take yèn. Verbs of knowing: ngerti (22.1, 22.12, 22.15), sumurup (F.1); of saying: kandha (22.2, 22.11), ngendika (22.9), ngomong (22.20); of hearing: krungu (22.3, 22.16); of thinking and believing: ngira (22.4), percaya (22.7), yakin (22.24); of forgetting: lali (22.6, 22.10, 22.26); of promising and hoping: janji (22.13), ngarep-arep (22.22).
3. No change of tense. Javanese verbs do not change for time, so the clause after yèn keeps the form the speaker would have used: Dhèwèké kandha yèn kesel, “He said that he was tired”, literally “he said that tired” (22.2). Wis, “already”, arep, “will”, and bakal, “will”, carry time where it is needed (22.3, 22.13, 22.15).
4. The subject can drop. When the subject of the clause is the same as the subject of the main verb, Javanese usually leaves it out: Dhèwèké kandha yèn kesel (22.2), not *Dhèwèké kandha yèn dhèwèké kesel, which is heavy and may suggest that someone else is meant. Where it would be unclear, it is kept: Aku janji yèn sésuk aku bakal teka (22.13).
5. Yèn, “that”, and yèn, “if”. The same word means “if, when”. After a verb of knowing, saying or thinking it is “that”; at the head of the sentence, before the main clause, it is “if”: Yèn udan, aku ora lunga, “If it rains, I won’t go.” Compare Aku krungu yèn udan, “I heard that it is raining.” Where a speaker wants “if” to be unmistakable, umpamané, “supposing”, can take its place.
6. Bilih in krama. In krama the verb and the conjunction both change: Kula ngertos bilih panjenengan sayah, “I know that you are tired” (22.5); Kula kesupen bilih Ibu sampun nengga, “I forgot that you had been waiting” (22.14). Bilih can also mean “if” in krama, as yèn does in ngoko; the krama word chiefly used for “if” is menawi.
7. The verbs at the levels. A krama sentence needs the krama verb before bilih:
- ngerti → ngertos, “know” - weruh, sumurup → sumerep, “see, know” - krungu → mireng, “hear” - ngira → nginten (kula kinten, “I thought”), “suppose” - lali → kesupen, “forget” - percaya → pitados, “believe” - kandha → matur (humble, of oneself), ngendika (honorific, of others), “say”
8. Not sing, not kuwi. Sing is the relative “that” of Lesson 13: tèh sing legi, “the tea that is sweet”. Kuwi is the pointing “that”: tèh kuwi, “that tea”. After a verb of knowing or saying, neither will do: Aku ngerti yèn tèhé legi, “I know that the tea is sweet.”
9. Leaving yèn out. After ngira, “suppose”, and in quick speech after ngerti and krungu, yèn is often dropped: Aku ngira kowé lunga, “I thought you had gone.” Learners should keep it: it is never wrong.
10. Questions. Kowé ngerti yèn pasar tutup dina iki? (22.8) is a yes-no question by intonation alone; Javanese needs no extra word.
Common Mistakes:
- Using sing for the conjunction: *Aku ngerti sing kowé lara. Correct: Aku ngerti yèn kowé lara. - Mixing levels: Kula ngerti bilih … or Aku ngertos yèn …. In krama both the verb and the conjunction move: Kula ngertos bilih …. - Repeating the pronoun of the main clause: *Dhèwèké kandha yèn dhèwèké kesel, when one person is meant. Say Dhèwèké kandha yèn kesel. - Reading yèn as “if” after ngerti or kandha. After those verbs it is “that”. - Pronouncing yèn with a close e. The è is open, as in “bed”.
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Reported news. Much Javanese conversation passes on what others have said, and yèn carries it: Bulikmu kandha yèn …, “your aunt said that …”. For hearsay with no named source, Javanese uses jaré (Lesson 21): Jaré, pasar tutup, “They say the market is closed.” Jaré reports a rumour; kandha yèn names who said it.
Children speak krama to their parents. In many Javanese families, especially in Yogyakarta and Surakarta and among older generations, a child speaks krama to a parent, and the parent answers in ngoko. The dialogue below follows that pattern: the mother says yèn, the daughter says bilih. In many homes today children speak ngoko to their parents, and a mixed, simpler krama is common among the young.
Weddings. A wedding in Java is a family occasion, often held in the bride’s home village, and relatives travel from the cities to attend. Mantenan is the celebration; manten is the bride or groom. The dialogue mentions gudheg, the slow-cooked young jackfruit dish of Yogyakarta, sweet with palm sugar.
Sepur. The train is sepur, from Dutch spoor, “rail”. The family, the wedding and the telephone call below are invented for the lesson.
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Romans 8:28 and John 11:42 (first sentence), from the Javanese Bible published by alkitab.mobi as version “Jawa”, the version quoted in Lessons 20 and 21. The text is given exactly as printed, without accents. Paul writes that we know that God works in all things for the good of those who love him; the first verse uses the ngoko yen. At the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus speaks to the Father in krama, the level in which one addresses God, and so the same “that” becomes bilih.
F.1a Saiki now kita we padha all sumurup know yen that Gusti the-Lord Allah God uga also makarya works ana being ing in samubarang things kabeh all
F.1b Saiki /saiki/ now kita /kitɔ/ 1PL.INCL padha /pɔɖɔ/ PL sumurup /sumurʊp/ know yen /jɛn/ COMP Gusti /ɡusti/ lord Allah /allah/ God uga /uɡɔ/ also makarya /makarjɔ/ work ana /ɔnɔ/ be.at ing /ɪŋ/ in samubarang /samubaraŋ/ everything kabeh /kabɛh/ all
F.2a njalari bringing-about becike the-good-of wong people kang who padha all tresna love marang to Panjenengane Him yaiku namely para those kang who tinimbalan are-called miturut according-to ing in pepesthening the-decree-of Allah God
F.2b njalari /ɲɟalari/ AV-cause becike /bəcike/ good-DEF wong /wɔŋ/ person kang /kaŋ/ REL.LIT padha /pɔɖɔ/ PL tresna /trəsnɔ/ love marang /maraŋ/ to Panjenengane /panɟənəŋane/ 3.KI-DEF yaiku /jaiku/ namely para /pɔrɔ/ PL.HUM kang /kaŋ/ REL.LIT tinimbalan /tinimbalan/ call.HON-PASS-AN miturut /miturʊt/ according.to ing /ɪŋ/ in pepesthening /pəpəsʈənɪŋ/ RED-fate-GEN Allah /allah/ God
F.3a Kawula I sumerep know bilih that Paduka You tansah always nyembadani grant-the-prayer dhateng to Kawula Me
F.3b Kawula /kawulɔ/ 1.HUM.LIT sumerep /sumərəp/ know.KR bilih /bilɪh/ COMP.KR Paduka /padukɔ/ 2.HON.LIT tansah /tansah/ always nyembadani /ɲəmbadani/ AV-fulfil-APPL dhateng /ɖatəŋ/ to.KR Kawula /kawulɔ/ 1.HUM.LIT
Saiki kita padha sumurup, yen Gusti Allah uga makarya ana ing samubarang kabeh, njalari becike wong kang padha tresna marang Panjenengane, yaiku para kang tinimbalan miturut ing pepesthening Allah. (Romans 8:28)
Kawula sumerep, bilih Paduka tansah nyembadani dhateng Kawula. (John 11:42)
Now we know that God works in all things for the good of those who love him, who are called according to God’s purpose.
I know that you always hear me.
Saiki kita padha sumurup, yen Gusti Allah uga makarya ana ing samubarang kabeh, njalari becike wong kang padha tresna marang Panjenengane, yaiku para kang tinimbalan miturut ing pepesthening Allah.
Kawula sumerep, bilih Paduka tansah nyembadani dhateng Kawula.
Yen after a verb of knowing. Kita padha sumurup, yen Gusti Allah … makarya, “we know that God works” (rule 2). The printed text puts a comma before yen, as older Javanese and Indonesian writing often does before “that”; modern usage leaves it out. Sumurup is a more literary word for “know” than ngerti; its krama is sumerep, which appears in the second verse.
The same “that” in krama. Kawula sumerep, bilih Paduka tansah nyembadani dhateng Kawula, “I know that you always hear me”. Jesus addresses the Father in krama, so the verb is sumerep and the conjunction bilih (rules 6 and 7). Kawula, the humble “I” of prayer (Lesson 21), and Paduka, the highest “you”, reserved for God and kings, mark the same respect. Nyembadani is “to grant, fulfil”: the Father grants what the Son asks, which the English Bible renders “hear”.
Bilih twice. The verse goes on: … supados sami pitados bilih Paduka ingkang ngutus Kawula, “… so that they may believe that you sent me.” Here bilih follows pitados, the krama of percaya, “believe”: the krama of 22.7. (The printed text of that second sentence has samu where sami, the krama of padha, is evidently meant, so it is not quoted in full above.)
Literary words. Kang is the literary form of sing (Lesson 13), and it is the relative “that”, not the conjunction: wong kang padha tresna, “people who love”. One verse thus shows both kinds of “that” (rule 8): yen after sumurup, kang after wong. Makarya is “work, be at work”; samubarang kabeh, “all things”; njalari, “cause, bring about”; tinimbalan, “those who are called”, is a passive with the infix -in- from timbal, a respectful word for “call, summon”; pepesthen, from pesthi, “certain, fated”, is “what is decreed”, linked to Allah by -ing.
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Rina works in Yogyakarta. Her mother telephones her from the village with family news. The people are invented for the lesson. The mother speaks ngoko to her daughter, and says yèn; Rina answers her mother in krama, and says bilih.
22.16a Ibu Mother Rina Rina kowé you wis already krungu heard yèn that Mas brother Bayu Bayu arep is-going-to rabi marry
22.16b Ibu /ibu/ mother Rina /rinɔ/ Rina kowé /kowe/ 2SG wis /wɪs/ PERF krungu /kruŋu/ hear yèn /jɛn/ COMP Mas /mas/ elder.brother.HON Bayu /baju/ Bayu arep /arəp/ FUT rabi /rabi/ marry
22.17a Rina Rina Dèrèng not-yet Bu Mother Kula I mboten not ngertos know bilih that Mas brother Bayu Bayu badhé is-going-to nikah marry
22.17b Rina /rinɔ/ Rina Dèrèng /dɛrɛŋ/ not.yet.KR Bu /bu/ mother.VOC Kula /kulɔ/ 1.KR mboten /mbotən/ NEG.KR ngertos /ŋərtɔs/ AV-know.KR bilih /bilɪh/ COMP.KR Mas /mas/ elder.brother.HON Bayu /baju/ Bayu badhé /baɖe/ FUT.KR nikah /nikah/ marry
22.18a Ibu Mother Bulikmu your-aunt kandha said yèn that Mas brother Bayu Bayu rabi marries wulan month ngarep next
22.18b Ibu /ibu/ mother Bulikmu /bulɪʔmu/ aunt-POSS.2 kandha /kɔndɔ/ say yèn /jɛn/ COMP Mas /mas/ elder.brother.HON Bayu /baju/ Bayu rabi /rabi/ marry wulan /wulan/ month ngarep /ŋarəp/ front
22.19a Rina Rina Lho oh kula I kinten thought bilih that Mas brother Bayu Bayu taksih still kuliah at-university
22.19b Rina /rinɔ/ Rina Lho /lo/ SURPRISE kula /kulɔ/ 1.KR kinten /kintən/ suppose.KR bilih /bilɪh/ COMP.KR Mas /mas/ elder.brother.HON Bayu /baju/ Bayu taksih /taʔsɪh/ still.KR kuliah /kuliah/ study.at.university
22.20a Ibu Mother Wis already lulus graduated Bulikmu your-aunt ngomong says yèn that dhèwèké he wis already nyambut taking-up gawé work ing in Semarang Semarang
22.20b Ibu /ibu/ mother Wis /wɪs/ PERF lulus /lulʊs/ graduate Bulikmu /bulɪʔmu/ aunt-POSS.2 ngomong /ŋɔmɔŋ/ AV-speak yèn /jɛn/ COMP dhèwèké /ɖɛwɛʔe/ 3SG wis /wɪs/ PERF nyambut /ɲambʊt/ AV-take.up gawé /ɡawe/ work ing /ɪŋ/ in Semarang /səmaraŋ/ Semarang
22.21a Rina Rina Kula I bingah glad sanget very mireng to-hear bilih that Mas brother Bayu Bayu sampun already nyambut taking-up damel work
22.21b Rina /rinɔ/ Rina Kula /kulɔ/ 1.KR bingah /biŋah/ glad.KR sanget /saŋət/ very.KR mireng /mirəŋ/ hear.KR bilih /bilɪh/ COMP.KR Mas /mas/ elder.brother.HON Bayu /baju/ Bayu sampun /sampʊn/ PERF.KR nyambut /ɲambʊt/ AV-take.up damel /daməl/ work.KR
22.22a Ibu Mother Bulikmu your-aunt ngarep-arep hopes yèn that kowé you bisa can mulih come-home kanggo for mantenan the-wedding
22.22b Ibu /ibu/ mother Bulikmu /bulɪʔmu/ aunt-POSS.2 ngarep-arep /ŋarəp arəp/ AV-RED-front yèn /jɛn/ COMP kowé /kowe/ 2SG bisa /bisɔ/ can mulih /mulɪh/ go.home kanggo /kaŋɡo/ for mantenan /mantənan/ bride-AN
22.23a Rina Rina Kula I kuwatos am-afraid bilih that kula I mboten not pikantuk will-get prei leave saking from kantor the-office
22.23b Rina /rinɔ/ Rina Kula /kulɔ/ 1.KR kuwatos /kuwatɔs/ worried.KR bilih /bilɪh/ COMP.KR kula /kulɔ/ 1.KR mboten /mbotən/ NEG.KR pikantuk /pikantʊʔ/ get.KR prei /prei/ holiday saking /sakɪŋ/ from.KR kantor /kantɔr/ office
22.24a Ibu Mother Wis come-now ora not apa-apa anything Aku I yakin am-sure yèn that bosmu your-boss ngerti understands
22.24b Ibu /ibu/ mother Wis /wɪs/ PERF ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG apa-apa /ɔpɔ ɔpɔ/ RED-what Aku /aku/ 1SG yakin /jakɪn/ sure yèn /jɛn/ COMP bosmu /bɔsmu/ boss-POSS.2 ngerti /ŋərti/ AV-know
22.25a Rina Rina Inggih yes Bu Mother Kula I badhé will matur tell dhateng to bos boss kula my bilih that sedhèrèk relative kula my nikah is-marrying
22.25b Rina /rinɔ/ Rina Inggih /ɪŋɡɪh/ yes.KR Bu /bu/ mother.VOC Kula /kulɔ/ 1.KR badhé /baɖe/ FUT.KR matur /matʊr/ say.HUM dhateng /ɖatəŋ/ to.KR bos /bɔs/ boss kula /kulɔ/ 1.KR bilih /bilɪh/ COMP.KR sedhèrèk /səɖɛrɛʔ/ relative.KR kula /kulɔ/ 1.KR nikah /nikah/ marry
22.26a Ibu Mother Aja don’t lali forget yèn that Mbah Grand- Kakung -father saiki now ora not bisa can mlaku walk adoh far
22.26b Ibu /ibu/ mother Aja /ɔɟɔ/ PROH lali /lali/ forget yèn /jɛn/ COMP Mbah /mbah/ grandparent Kakung /kakʊŋ/ male.KR saiki /saiki/ now ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG bisa /bisɔ/ can mlaku /mlaku/ walk adoh /adɔh/ far
22.27a Rina Rina Inggih yes Bu Mother Mas brother Andi Andi sampun already matur said bilih that piyambakipun he badhé will ngeteraken take Mbah Grand- Kakung -father
22.27b Rina /rinɔ/ Rina Inggih /ɪŋɡɪh/ yes.KR Bu /bu/ mother.VOC Mas /mas/ elder.brother.HON Andi /andi/ Andi sampun /sampʊn/ PERF.KR matur /matʊr/ say.HUM bilih /bilɪh/ COMP.KR piyambakipun /pijambaʔipʊn/ 3.KR badhé /baɖe/ FUT.KR ngeteraken /ŋətərakən/ AV-accompany-CAUS.KR Mbah /mbah/ grandparent Kakung /kakʊŋ/ male.KR
22.28a Ibu Mother Syukur thank-God Aku I krungu heard yèn that sepurmu your-train teka arrives jam hour lima five sore afternoon
22.28b Ibu /ibu/ mother Syukur /sukʊr/ thanks Aku /aku/ 1SG krungu /kruŋu/ hear yèn /jɛn/ COMP sepurmu /səpurmu/ train-POSS.2 teka /təkɔ/ come jam /ɟam/ hour lima /limɔ/ five sore /sore/ afternoon
22.29a Rina Rina Leres right Bu Mother Mugi-mugi I-hope Ibu you-Mother mboten not kesupen forget bilih that kula I remen love sanget very-much gudheg gudheg
22.29b Rina /rinɔ/ Rina Leres /lərəs/ right.KR Bu /bu/ mother.VOC Mugi-mugi /muɡi muɡi/ RED-may.KR Ibu /ibu/ mother mboten /mbotən/ NEG.KR kesupen /kəsupən/ forget.KR bilih /bilɪh/ COMP.KR kula /kulɔ/ 1.KR remen /rəmən/ like.KR sanget /saŋət/ very.KR gudheg /ɡuɖəɡ/ jackfruit.stew
22.30a Ibu Mother Ora not bakal will lali forget Ibu Mother ngerti knows yèn that kowé you seneng like gudheg gudheg wiwit since cilik small
22.30b Ibu /ibu/ mother Ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG bakal /bakal/ FUT lali /lali/ forget Ibu /ibu/ mother ngerti /ŋərti/ AV-know yèn /jɛn/ COMP kowé /kowe/ 2SG seneng /sənəŋ/ like gudheg /ɡuɖəɡ/ jackfruit.stew wiwit /wiwɪt/ since cilik /cilɪʔ/ small
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22.16 Ibu: “Rina, kowé wis krungu yèn Mas Bayu arep rabi?” → Mother: “Rina, have you heard that Bayu is getting married?”
22.17 Rina: “Dèrèng, Bu. Kula mboten ngertos bilih Mas Bayu badhé nikah.” → Rina: “No, Mother. I didn’t know that Bayu was getting married.”
22.18 Ibu: “Bulikmu kandha yèn Mas Bayu rabi wulan ngarep.” → Mother: “Your aunt said that Bayu is getting married next month.”
22.19 Rina: “Lho, kula kinten bilih Mas Bayu taksih kuliah.” → Rina: “Oh! I thought that Bayu was still at university.”
22.20 Ibu: “Wis lulus. Bulikmu ngomong yèn dhèwèké wis nyambut gawé ing Semarang.” → Mother: “He has graduated. Your aunt says that he is already working in Semarang.”
22.21 Rina: “Kula bingah sanget mireng bilih Mas Bayu sampun nyambut damel.” → Rina: “I’m very glad to hear that Bayu has a job.”
22.22 Ibu: “Bulikmu ngarep-arep yèn kowé bisa mulih kanggo mantenan.” → Mother: “Your aunt hopes that you can come home for the wedding.”
22.23 Rina: “Kula kuwatos bilih kula mboten pikantuk prei saking kantor.” → Rina: “I’m afraid that I won’t get leave from the office.”
22.24 Ibu: “Wis, ora apa-apa. Aku yakin yèn bosmu ngerti.” → Mother: “Come now, never mind. I’m sure that your boss will understand.”
22.25 Rina: “Inggih, Bu. Kula badhé matur dhateng bos kula bilih sedhèrèk kula nikah.” → Rina: “Yes, Mother. I’ll tell my boss that a relative of mine is getting married.”
22.26 Ibu: “Aja lali yèn Mbah Kakung saiki ora bisa mlaku adoh.” → Mother: “Don’t forget that Grandpa can’t walk far now.”
22.27 Rina: “Inggih, Bu. Mas Andi sampun matur bilih piyambakipun badhé ngeteraken Mbah Kakung.” → Rina: “Yes, Mother. Andi has said that he will take Grandpa.”
22.28 Ibu: “Syukur. Aku krungu yèn sepurmu teka jam lima sore.” → Mother: “Thank goodness. I heard that your train gets in at five in the afternoon.”
22.29 Rina: “Leres, Bu. Mugi-mugi Ibu mboten kesupen bilih kula remen sanget gudheg.” → Rina: “That’s right, Mother. I hope you won’t forget that I love gudheg.”
22.30 Ibu: “Ora bakal lali. Ibu ngerti yèn kowé seneng gudheg wiwit cilik.” → Mother: “I won’t forget. I’ve known that you love gudheg since you were little.”
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Kabar saka Désa
22.16 Ibu: “Rina, kowé wis krungu yèn Mas Bayu arep rabi?”
22.17 Rina: “Dèrèng, Bu. Kula mboten ngertos bilih Mas Bayu badhé nikah.”
22.18 Ibu: “Bulikmu kandha yèn Mas Bayu rabi wulan ngarep.”
22.19 Rina: “Lho, kula kinten bilih Mas Bayu taksih kuliah.”
22.20 Ibu: “Wis lulus. Bulikmu ngomong yèn dhèwèké wis nyambut gawé ing Semarang.”
22.21 Rina: “Kula bingah sanget mireng bilih Mas Bayu sampun nyambut damel.”
22.22 Ibu: “Bulikmu ngarep-arep yèn kowé bisa mulih kanggo mantenan.”
22.23 Rina: “Kula kuwatos bilih kula mboten pikantuk prei saking kantor.”
22.24 Ibu: “Wis, ora apa-apa. Aku yakin yèn bosmu ngerti.”
22.25 Rina: “Inggih, Bu. Kula badhé matur dhateng bos kula bilih sedhèrèk kula nikah.”
22.26 Ibu: “Aja lali yèn Mbah Kakung saiki ora bisa mlaku adoh.”
22.27 Rina: “Inggih, Bu. Mas Andi sampun matur bilih piyambakipun badhé ngeteraken Mbah Kakung.”
22.28 Ibu: “Syukur. Aku krungu yèn sepurmu teka jam lima sore.”
22.29 Rina: “Leres, Bu. Mugi-mugi Ibu mboten kesupen bilih kula remen sanget gudheg.”
22.30 Ibu: “Ora bakal lali. Ibu ngerti yèn kowé seneng gudheg wiwit cilik.”
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Two levels, one conjunction. Every line of the call has a “that”. The mother uses ngoko verbs and yèn: krungu yèn (22.16, 22.28), kandha yèn (22.18), ngomong yèn (22.20), ngarep-arep yèn (22.22), yakin yèn (22.24), lali yèn (22.26), ngerti yèn (22.30). Rina uses krama verbs and bilih: ngertos bilih (22.17), kinten bilih (22.19), mireng bilih (22.21), kuwatos bilih (22.23), matur bilih (22.25, 22.27), kesupen bilih (22.29). This is rule 7 of Section D at work.
The same thing at two levels. Mother says rabi, Rina nikah, “marry” (22.16, 22.17); arep and badhé, “will”; wis and sampun, “already”; nyambut gawé and nyambut damel, “work” (22.20, 22.21); lali and kesupen, “forget” (22.26, 22.29); seneng and remen, “like” (22.30, 22.29); ora and mboten, “not”.
Matur. Rina uses matur, the humble “say”, both of herself (22.25) and of Andi, a young man of the family (22.27): to her mother she speaks of her own family humbly. The honorific ngendika is kept for those one honours, such as the teacher (22.9).
Ibu for “you” and “I”. Rina says Ibu, “Mother”, for “you” (22.29), and the mother calls herself Ibu (22.30). Kinship words replace pronouns in polite and affectionate speech.
Kinship words: Mas, “elder brother”, used for any young man of one’s own generation a little older than oneself, cousins included; Bulik, “aunt” (a parent’s younger sister); Mbah Kakung, “Grandfather”; sedhèrèk, “sibling, relative” (krama).
Other words: rabi, “marry”; dèrèng, “not yet” (krama of durung); wulan ngarep, “next month”; lho, a cry of surprise; taksih, “still” (krama of isih); kuliah, “study at university”; lulus, “graduate, pass”; bingah, “glad” (krama of seneng); sanget, “very” (krama of banget); ngarep-arep, “hope”; mantenan, “wedding celebration”; kuwatos, “worried, afraid” (krama of kuwatir); pikantuk, “get, receive” (krama of olèh); prei, “day off, holiday”; kantor, “office”; yakin, “sure”; aja, “don’t”; mlaku, “walk”; adoh, “far”; piyambakipun, “he, she” (krama, Lesson 16); ngeteraken, “accompany, take” (krama of ngeteraké); syukur, “thank God”; sepur, “train”; sore, “late afternoon”; leres, “right, true”; mugi-mugi, “may it be, I hope”; gudheg, the jackfruit stew of Yogyakarta; wiwit cilik, “since childhood”.
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Yèn. [jɛn], with the open è of “bed”. Everyday writing and the Javanese Bible print yen; this course writes yèn to show the vowel. It is one syllable; do not say ye-en.
Bilih. [bilɪh]: a full i in the first syllable, a short lax i in the second, which is closed by h. The final h is breathed audibly, as in all Javanese words: sayah [sajah], tansah [tansah].
Menawa and menawi. [mənɔwɔ] and [mənawi]. In menawa the a before the final a is rounded too; in menawi it is not, because the last vowel is i.
The a’s. Final a is [ɔ]: lara [lɔrɔ], kandha [kɔndɔ], lunga [luŋɔ], percaya [pərcɔjɔ]. An a in a closed final syllable, or before another vowel, stays [a]: pasar, ngarep, kakangé.
The three e’s. é /e/ is close (kowé, dhèwèké’s last vowel, kucingé, ujiané, sekolahé, sésuk, ésuk, énjing, sawisé, badhé, gawé), è /ɛ/ is open (yèn, tèh, dèrèng, sedhèrèk, dhèwèké’s first two vowels), and plain e is the neutral vowel /ə/ (ngerti, ngertos, kesel, seneng, legi, telung, sekolahé, pangapunten, kesupen, nengga, mireng, sanget, damel, leres, remen, mantenan, Semarang, gudheg). Everyday writing prints them all as e.
Retroflex dh and th. Kandha [kɔndɔ], dhèwèké [ɖɛwɛʔe], adhiku [aɖiku], pindhah [pɪnɖah], dhateng [ɖatəŋ], gudheg [ɡuɖəɡ], pepesthening [pəpəsʈənɪŋ]: curl the tongue tip back.
Final k is a glottal stop: Bapak [bapaʔ], sésuk [sesʊʔ], pikantuk [pikantʊʔ], cilik [cilɪʔ], sedhèrèk [səɖɛrɛʔ], and before a suffix: Bulikmu [bulɪʔmu], piyambakipun [pijambaʔipʊn].
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 22 Javanese complete — yèn, bilih (that)
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