Saisa
"orang tua" Selamat pagi/sore/malam, I've just started to learn bahasa Indonesia. I've learn the phrase "orang tua". The book says it means "parent". I checked in a dictionary, it says "orang" means "person" and "tua" means "old". Since "orang tua" means "parent", how do you say "old person" when he/she is just an old person, not a parent? I hope my question is not too silly. ^^" Terima kasih!
Feb 8, 2015 11:36 AM
Answers · 7
2
Saisa, it's not silly question at all since it's just your first time learning a new language. yep, "orang tua" in its literal meaning (like when you translate it word by word) is "old person". but it can also be interpreted as both "parent" and "old person", depending on the context. for example: 1. my parents are taking me to a carnival = orang tuaku mengajakku ke karnaval. 2. that old man is walking slowly = orang tua itu berjalan pelan-pelan. I hope it helps. happy learning. :)
February 8, 2015
Hi saisa, i hope im not too late to answer this. In writing : Parents : orangtua (one word) The eldest : orang tua (2 words) Maybe it would be easier if you just change parents with bokap nyokap (i think its jakartans' slang). Good luck :)
March 6, 2015
Hi there, Hopefully i can complete the other answers just to let you know the difference. There are several conditions on how you can use "orang tua" in many sentences. But the regular use of "orang tua" terms are commonly for people who are over 50 years old. For your information it's different from "Adult" because it means "dewasa", but maybe you already know about it. So back to the "orang tua" terms for "old person", you can use it like: 1. Orang tua itu sedang berjalan kaki di trotoar (that old person is walking at the side walk) 2. Orang tua itu terlihat sangat sehat (that old person looks very healthy) But if you want to use it for "parent", you just have to put "saya/aku, anda/kamu or dia/ia " (i.e. my parents, your parents, atau his/her parents) after the "orang tua" for showing ownership. So the key is whether you use the ownership words or not.
February 16, 2015
Hi Saisa, Nice to meet you here. That's not silly question. Let's learn Indonesian language. Yeah orang tua = parents. Mom = Ibu Dad = Ayah My parents live in Jakarta Orang tuaku tinggal di Jakarta Semangat belajar bahasa Indonesia! :)
February 16, 2015
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Saisa
Language Skills
Chinese (Mandarin), Dutch, German, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Thai
Learning Language
Dutch, German, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Thai