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Questions & Answers about Biar saya tanya manajer sekarang.
What does the word biar mean here?
In this sentence, biar means let/allow, as in Let me ask the manager now. It’s a common, conversational way to volunteer to do something. Here it does not mean so that or even if.
Is Biar saya... polite? What are more formal alternatives?
- Biar saya... is neutral and common in everyday speech; it’s fine with colleagues or customers in casual settings.
- Softer/polite: Boleh saya tanya manajer sekarang? (May I ask the manager now?)
- Very formal: Izinkan saya menanyakan kepada manajer sekarang.
- Biarkan saya... can sound brusque or like leave me (to do it); avoid it as a politeness formula.
What’s the difference between tanya, bertanya, and menanyakan?
- tanya [orang]: colloquial, transitive. Example: Saya tanya manajer sekarang.
- bertanya (kepada [orang]): intransitive, a bit more formal. Example: Saya bertanya kepada manajer.
- menanyakan [hal] (kepada [orang]): ask about something (more formal/explicit). Example: Saya menanyakan harga kepada manajer. Note: menanya exists but is rare in modern use.
Do I need a preposition before manajer? (tanya manajer vs tanya ke/kepada manajer)
All are possible:
- tanya manajer (very common, casual)
- tanya ke manajer (casual)
- tanya kepada manajer (formal) Adding ke/kepada makes the recipient explicit; without it is perfectly natural in conversation.
Why is there no akan (will) here?
Indonesian usually relies on context. sekarang already indicates immediate time, so akan is unnecessary and would clash with sekarang. For the future you could use nanti (later) or akan without sekarang.
Where can I put sekarang?
- Most natural: Biar saya tanya manajer sekarang.
- With emphasis on time: Sekarang biar saya tanya manajer. Both are fine; putting sekarang at the end is most common.
Should I use saya or aku?
- saya is polite/neutral and works in most situations.
- aku is informal/intimate (friends, peers). Example: Biar aku tanya manajer sekarang. Avoid aku with customers or in formal contexts.
Why is it spelled manajer, and how do I address a manager politely?
- Standard Indonesian spelling is manajer (from English manager).
- Pronunciation: ma-na-jer, with j like English j in jam.
- To refer to your manager specifically, say manajer saya. To address a person politely, use Pak (Mr./Sir) or Bu (Ms./Ma’am) plus their name: tanya Pak Andi; or simply tanya manajer saya if you mean my manager as a role.
How can I soften the sentence to sound friendlier or more natural?
Add common softeners:
- Biar saya tanya manajer dulu, ya. (Let me ask the manager first, okay?)
- Sebentar, biar saya tanya manajer. (One moment, let me ask the manager.)
- Boleh saya tanya manajer dulu? (May I ask the manager first?)
How do I say “my manager”?
Use a possessive after the noun: manajer saya. Example: Biar saya tanya manajer saya sekarang.
How do I say “ask the manager about it/that”?
- Casual: tanya manajer tentang itu / tanya manajer soal itu
- More formal/explicit: menanyakan hal itu kepada manajer Examples:
- Biar saya tanya manajer tentang itu sekarang.
- Izinkan saya menanyakan hal itu kepada manajer.
Can biar also mean “even if/even though”? Is that the same biar?
Yes, biar can mean even if/even though (synonymous with biarpun/walaupun) in other contexts:
- Biar hujan, kami tetap berangkat. (Even though it’s raining, we’ll still leave.) In your sentence it means let/allow, not even though.
Can I drop saya and say Biar tanya manajer sekarang?
It’s possible in very casual speech, but it sounds ambiguous (let [someone] ask the manager now). To clearly volunteer yourself, keep saya: Biar saya tanya manajer sekarang.
How do I emphasize that I, specifically, will be the one to ask?
Use yang for focus:
- Biar saya yang tanya manajer (sekarang). = Let me be the one who asks the manager (now).