Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Kasir menawarkan tukar ukuran tanpa biaya kepada pembeli perempuan itu. - The cashier offered a size exchange at no cost to that female buyer.

menawarkan [thing] kepada [person] = offer something to someone. Example: Kasir menawarkan penukaran ukuran tanpa biaya kepada pembeli perempuan itu.
menawari [person] [thing] = offer someone something. Example: Kasir menawari pembeli perempuan itu penukaran ukuran tanpa biaya.

In the passive:

Focus on the recipient: Pembeli perempuan itu ditawari penukaran ukuran tanpa biaya (oleh kasir).
Focus on the thing: Penukaran ukuran tanpa biaya ditawarkan oleh kasir kepada pembeli perempuan itu.

Is tukar ukuran really a noun-like phrase here, or should it be penukaran ukuran?

In this sentence, tukar ukuran functions as a nominal phrase meaning “a size exchange.” It’s common in shop language and signage (e.g., Tukar ukuran gratis). For more formal/neutral style, use the true noun:

penukaran ukuran = a size exchange (most formal). You could also say ganti ukuran (“change size”), which is everyday and natural.

Can I say menawarkan untuk menukar ukuran?

Yes, but it shifts the nuance:

menawarkan untuk menukar ukuran suggests “offered to change the size (for her),” focusing on the action the cashier will do.
menawarkan (penukaran/tukar) ukuran treats it as a service being offered (“a size exchange”). In stores, the service-noun approach is more typical.

What’s the difference between tanpa biaya, gratis, and tanpa biaya tambahan?

tanpa biaya = “without cost”; neutral/formal.
gratis = “free”; very common and slightly informal but widely acceptable.
tanpa biaya tambahan = “no additional cost,” useful if the base service is already paid for.

Why use kepada instead of untuk, ke, or pada?

kepada marks a human recipient after verbs like “offer, say, give”: menawarkan … kepada [orang].
untuk means “for (the benefit/purpose of),” not the recipient of an offer.
ke is colloquial for “to,” but better used for physical direction; in speech you’ll hear nawarin ke pembeli, but kepada is safer.
pada can overlap with kepada in formal writing, but kepada is the go-to with people as recipients.

What’s the nuance between pembeli and pelanggan?

pembeli = a buyer (anyone who buys, even once).
pelanggan = a customer/client, often implies a regular or service relationship, but is widely used in retail too. Either works here; pick based on context.

Why pembeli perempuan itu and not pembeli wanita itu or something else?

perempuan = neutral, common in media and everyday speech; widely preferred as the neutral term for “woman.”
wanita = also common; traditional/formal in some contexts (e.g., organizations), but some prefer perempuan for gender-neutrality reasons.
cewek = very informal/slang (“girl, chick”). If gender isn’t important, just say pembeli itu or pelanggan itu.

What does itu do here, and where does it go?

itu marks a specific, known referent—roughly “that/the.” It goes after the entire noun phrase:

pembeli perempuan itu = “that female buyer / the female buyer (we both know).” Without itu, it would be more generic.

Can I change the word order and put the recipient earlier?

Yes. Both are acceptable:

Typical: menawarkan [thing] kepada [person]
- Kasir menawarkan penukaran/tukar ukuran tanpa biaya kepada pembeli perempuan itu.
Alternative: menawarkan kepada [person] [thing]
- Kasir menawarkan kepada pembeli perempuan itu penukaran/tukar ukuran tanpa biaya. With menawari, the person comes right after the verb: Kasir menawari pembeli perempuan itu penukaran ukuran tanpa biaya.

If I want “a female customer” (not “that”), what should I say?

Use the numeral classifier seorang and drop itu:

seorang pembeli perempuan / seorang pelanggan perempuan = “a female customer/buyer.” Don’t combine seorang with itu.

Could/should I omit the gender?

Often, yes—Indonesian doesn’t mark gender unless relevant:

pembeli itu / pelanggan itu = “the customer.”

How do I make this passive correctly?

Two good options:

Recipient-focused (use ditawari): Pembeli perempuan itu ditawari penukaran/tukar ukuran tanpa biaya (oleh kasir).
Offer-focused (use ditawarkan): Penukaran/tukar ukuran tanpa biaya ditawarkan oleh kasir kepada pembeli perempuan itu.

Is kepada one word? I’ve seen ke pada.

Write kepada as one word. Ke pada as two words is incorrect in this meaning.

What’s the difference between biaya, bayar, and pembayaran?

biaya = cost/fee/charge (a noun).
bayar = pay (a verb); noun form bayaran is “pay, wage, fee.”
pembayaran = payment (the act of paying). So tanpa biaya = “without (any) cost,” while tanpa membayar = “without paying.”

Are there other verb forms related to tukar I should know?

menukar (sesuatu) = to exchange/replace something: menukar ukuran = change the size (of an item).
menukarkan (A dengan B) = exchange A for B: menukarkan baju ini dengan ukuran M.
bertukar = exchange with each other (reciprocal): mereka bertukar baju. In signage/object position, the bare tukar ukuran works as a noun-like label for the service.

How would this sound in everyday shop talk?

Some natural options:

Neutral/polite to a woman: Kami bisa tukar ukuran gratis, Bu.
Very casual: Mau tukar/ganti ukuran? Gratis kok.
Colloquial with -i form: Kasir nawarin tukar/ganti ukuran gratis ke pembeli itu. (spoken style)

Can I replace itu with tersebut?

Yes, but tersebut is more formal and means “the aforementioned”:

pembeli perempuan tersebut = “the said female buyer.” It fits written/formal contexts better than speech.

Pronunciation tips for key words?

kasir: kah-SEER
menawarkan: meh-nah-WAR-kahn
tukar ukuran: TOO-kar oo-KOO-rahn
tanpa biaya: TAHN-pah bee-YAH
kepada: kuh-PAH-dah
pembeli: puhm-BUH-lee
perempuan: puh-ruhm-POO-ahn