Convenience Store

1. Mau dihangatkan?

   Would you like it heated up?

   Usage

   Said by staff. At Indomaret or Alfamart you will be asked this when you bring a rice box, sausage or frozen item to the counter. Answer "Iya, tolong" (yes please) or "Tidak usah" (no need)

   Grammar Note

   The "di- … -kan" frame builds a passive, which sounds polite in service speech because it leaves the agent unmentioned. The chain is "hangat" (warm) → "hangatkan" (to warm) → "dihangatkan" (to be warmed). Indonesian verbs never inflect for tense

2. Perlu sendok?

   Do you need a spoon?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Indonesians eat with a spoon and fork, so a boxed meal prompts this question first. Reply "Iya" (yes) or "Tidak, terima kasih" (no thanks)

   Grammar Note

   Indonesian turns a statement into a question purely by rising intonation — no word order change. "Perlu sendok?" drops both subject and auxiliary; the formal version is "Apakah Anda perlu sendok?"

3. Perlu sedotan?

   Do you need a straw?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Straws are given on request only under the plastic-reduction push and many stores have switched to paper. Jakarta enforces single-use plastic rules tightly, so declining is well received

   Grammar Note

   The suffix "-an" derives an instrument or result noun from a verb: "sedot" (suck) → "sedotan" (straw), "makan" (eat) → "makanan" (food), "minum" (drink) → "minuman" (beverage). The pattern is highly regular

4. Mau pakai kantong plastik? Kantongnya berbayar.

   Do you want a plastic bag? The bag is chargeable.

   Usage

   Said by staff. Jakarta, Bali and Bandung have banned or charged for single-use plastic bags by local ordinance, and stores sell reusable "kantong belanja" instead. Decline with "Tidak usah, terima kasih"

   Grammar Note

   The prefix "ber-" forms intransitive verbs and adjectives meaning "having / being in the state of": "bayar" (pay) → "berbayar" (chargeable), "warna" (colour) → "berwarna" (coloured). The "-nya" suffix specifies "the" particular item

5. Yang ini beli satu gratis satu.

   This one is buy-one-get-one-free

   Usage

   Said by staff. "Beli 1 gratis 1" is the most common promotion at Indomaret and Alfamart and is printed on shelf tags. If you only took one, staff will point it out so you can fetch the second

   Grammar Note

   "Yang" is a relativiser that turns what follows into a noun-like phrase: "yang ini" (this one), "yang murah" (the cheap one), "yang di sana" (the one over there). "Gratis" is a Dutch loanword

6. Struknya diambil?

   Would you like the receipt?

   Usage

   Said by staff. If you decline it is thrown away immediately. A receipt is required for returns or exchanges, so keep it when buying electronics or anything expensive

   Grammar Note

   "Struk" is the till slip, while "kuitansi" — from Dutch "kwitantie" — is the formal receipt you need for expense claims. The "-nya" suffix specifies "the" receipt in question

7. Punya kartu member?

   Do you have a membership card?

   Usage

   Said by staff. You will be asked about Alfamart's Ponta card, Indomaret's points card or the chains' apps at nearly every purchase. Say "Tidak punya" if you have none — visitors can buy without signing up

   Grammar Note

   "Punya" is the colloquial "to have"; the formal equivalents are "mempunyai" or "memiliki", but everyday speech overwhelmingly prefers the short form. "Kartu" comes from Dutch "kaart": "kartu kredit", "kartu SIM"

8. Tolong dihangatkan di microwave.

   Please heat this up in the microwave

   Usage

   Use this to ask before staff offer. In Indonesian convenience stores the microwave sits behind the counter and staff operate it — few branches let customers use it themselves

   Grammar Note

   "Tolong + passive verb" is the standard request pattern. "Tolong hangatkan" also works, but the passive "dihangatkan" sounds softer and more polite. Note that the locative preposition "di" and the passive prefix "di-" are different things — the preposition is written separately

9. Minta garpunya, ya.

   A fork, please

   Usage

   Indonesians eat with a spoon and fork; chopsticks appear mainly in Chinese restaurants and with instant noodles. Convenience stores give a spoon with rice boxes and a fork with cup noodles, so name whichever you are missing

   Grammar Note

   "Minta + noun" asks for an object, paralleling "tolong + verb" for asking someone to do something. The final "ya" invites agreement and softens the tone — it is one of the most frequent particles in Indonesian conversation

10. Tolong dipisah kantongnya.

    Could you put them in separate bags?

    Usage

    Use it to keep cold drinks away from hot food or to split the purchase between two people. In Jakarta and Bali bags are charged or banned, so remember that an extra bag costs money

    Grammar Note

    The "-nya" suffix marks a referent both speakers already have in mind, so "kantongnya" means "the bag (we are talking about)". To split the bill instead, say "Bayarnya dipisah, ya"

11. Di sini bisa bayar pakai QRIS?

    Can I pay with QRIS here?

    Usage

    QRIS is the unified QR standard set by Bank Indonesia — one code works with GoPay, OVO, DANA, ShopeePay and any other wallet. Virtually every convenience store accepts it, and some foreign wallets are now interoperable

    Grammar Note

    "Bisa + verb" expresses ability or permission; answers are "Bisa" or "Tidak bisa". "Pakai" is literally the verb "to wear / to use", but in speech it works as the preposition "with / by means of". The formal equivalent is "dengan"

12. Boleh makan di sini?

    Can I eat here?

    Usage

    Indomaret Point and some Alfamart branches have tables where you can eat in. Ordinary small outlets often have no seating at all, so it is worth asking first

    Grammar Note

    Use "boleh" for permission and "bisa" for ability. Eating in is a matter of permission, so "boleh" is the right choice. The three core locative prepositions are "di" (at), "ke" (to) and "dari" (from)

13. Microwave-nya di mana?

    Where is the microwave?

    Usage

    Branches with an eat-in area sometimes have a customer-operated microwave. In most outlets it is behind the counter, so asking simply prompts staff to heat the food for you

    Grammar Note

    Colloquially the question word "di mana" sits at the end; fronting it as "Di mana microwave-nya?" sounds slightly more formal. When "-nya" attaches to an English loanword, the convention is to join it with a hyphen

14. Air panasnya di mana?

    Where is the hot water?

    Usage

    Indonesian convenience stores keep a hot water dispenser for cup noodles such as Pop Mie so you can make them on the spot. Forks and a bin are usually set out beside the dispenser

    Grammar Note

    Indonesian adjectives follow the noun, so it is "air" + "panas". Cold water is "air dingin" and drinking water "air minum". Note that "air" is pronounced as two syllables, "a-ir"

15. Di sini bisa isi pulsa?

    Can I top up my phone credit here?

    Usage

    Every Indomaret and Alfamart handles prepaid top-ups ("isi pulsa") for Telkomsel, XL, Indosat, Tri and the rest. Just give your number and the amount; data packages ("paket data") are sold at the same counter

    Grammar Note

    "Isi" is both the noun "contents" and the verb "to fill": "isi pulsa" (top up), "isi bensin" (refuel), "isi ulang" (refill). "Pulsa" is a distinctively Indonesian word covering what English calls phone credit

16. Di sini bisa bayar token listrik?

    Can I pay for electricity tokens here?

    Usage

    Indomaret and Alfamart double as PPOB (online bill payment) agents, handling electricity — PLN prepaid "token listrik" — water, BPJS health insurance premiums, online-shopping payments and even flight tickets. Mostly relevant if you rent a place for a longer stay

    Grammar Note

    Most Indonesian homes run on prepaid electricity: you enter the 20-digit "token" printed on the receipt into the meter. Dutch-derived words such as "listrik", "bensin" and "apotek" remain common in everyday vocabulary

17. Ini kedaluwarsanya kapan?

    When does this expire?

    Usage

    Indonesian convenience-store rice boxes and bread have a short shelf life and the label is in Indonesian only. "Baik digunakan sebelum" marks the best-before date and "Exp" or "Kedaluwarsa" the expiry date. Same-day items are sometimes discounted

    Grammar Note

    The "ke- … -an" frame forms abstract nouns; "kedaluwarsa" comes from Old Javanese. The same frame gives "keamanan" (safety) and "kesehatan" (health). In casual speech people often just say the English word "expired"

18. Di sini jual bir?

    Do you sell beer here?

    Usage

    A 2015 trade ministry regulation bans beer sales in Indonesian minimarkets such as Indomaret and Alfamart, so the answer is almost always "Tidak ada". Alcohol is sold in supermarkets, licensed liquor shops, hotels and restaurants. Tourist areas like Bali are a partial exception. In a majority-Muslim society, raise the subject discreetly

    Grammar Note

    Colloquial Indonesian often leaves voice unmarked, so "Di sini jual bir?" is a natural subject-less construction. Alcohol collectively is "minuman keras", abbreviated "miras" — a word you will see on signage and in the news

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