Bukan vs. nggak

[0stsee]

Hey guys!!

My flatmate is learning spoken Indonesian, and I'm trying to find a way to explain him the difference between "bukan" and "ngga" ("tidak" in Standard Indonesian).
Both "not" and "no" can be translated with either bukan or ngga; depending on the context.

Have you any idea how to explain the difference between the two?


One thing I found out as a start:

To negate personal pronouns you use bukan. So you say bukan dia instead of [s]ngga dia[/s].

Makasih banyak!


Mark

PS: I think this forum about Indonesian language is great!

[Marg]

Hey Mark,

Pretty simple, use 'bukan' to negate noun, otherwise use 'tidak' or 'nggak'

example:
Dia bukan ibuku.
Aku tidak/nggak tahu.

Cheers,
Marg

[0stsee]

It's actually that easy??

You're pretty right.

Unfortunately In Indonesian you cannot group the words in nouns, adjectives, or verbs as easily as English does.

But your answer is really helpful. Thanks a lot!!


Mark

PS: Just a thought: In Germany, our names would be pronounced the same way..

[vema123]

Hello, let me try to answer your question:

We use "bukan" if it is followed by a noun, e.g:
I am not a doctor = saya bukan doctor
It is not a book = ini bukan buku

And we use "tidak" or "nggak" (for coll. of tidak) if it is followed by a verb, e.g:
I don't go to school = saya nggak pergi ke sekolah

Source:
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