Explaining a refusal that sounds like agreement
In a role-play assessment you are a new employee at an Indonesian office in Surabaya. You ask a senior colleague, Pak Hendra, whether he can review your report by tomorrow morning.
He replies: 'Wah, besok pagi ya… kebetulan besok pagi saya ada rapat dari jam delapan. Tapi nanti saya coba lihat kalau ada waktu. Sepertinya bagian kesimpulannya sudah cukup bagus kok.'
You must decide whether to (a) thank him and assume the review will happen, (b) ask him again more firmly, or (c) find another way to get the report checked. The report is due at 9 a.m. and your supervisor will judge it.
1. Interpret Pak Hendra's reply and justify your interpretation with linguistic evidence.
Read the worked answer
This is an indirect refusal with a face-saving compliment, not a commitment.
Evidence:
- 'Wah, besok pagi ya…' - the trailing ya plus ellipsis marks hesitation. A genuine yes would be Bisa, insya Allah or Siap, saya cek malam ini.
- 'kebetulan besok pagi saya ada rapat dari jam delapan' - a stated prior commitment overlapping the deadline. This is the substance of the refusal, delivered as circumstance rather than as 'no'.
- 'nanti saya coba lihat kalau ada waktu' - coba (try) + kalau ada waktu (if there is time) = explicitly conditional, no promise. 'Nanti' is open-ended.
- 'Sepertinya bagian kesimpulannya sudah cukup bagus kok' - a compliment on the work plus the softening particle kok. This functions as reassurance: 'you probably don't need me'. It is a polite exit, not an evaluation of the whole report.
- He comments on one section only - he has not read it.
So option (a) is a misreading: assuming the review will happen risks a 9 a.m. deadline with no review. Option (b) - pressing again - would force him to refuse explicitly, costing him face and damaging the relationship.
2. Which option do you choose, and how would you respond in Indonesian?
Read the worked answer
Choose (c): find another route, while keeping Pak Hendra's goodwill intact.
Response in Indonesian: 'Baik Pak, terima kasih banyak sudah melihat sepintas. Saya mengerti Bapak besok pagi ada rapat. Kalau begitu saya minta tolong Bu Sari saja untuk memeriksa bagian kesimpulan, supaya Bapak tidak terbebani. Nanti kalau ada waktu, masukan dari Bapak tetap saya tunggu untuk laporan berikutnya ya, Pak.'
Why each move:
- Accept the refusal without naming it (Saya mengerti Bapak besok pagi ada rapat) - lets him keep face; you never say 'so you're saying no'.
- Thank him for what he did do (sudah melihat sepintas) - accurate, not flattering.
- Announce the alternative as a favour to him (supaya Bapak tidak terbebani) - frames your solution as relieving his burden, not as going over his head.
- Keep the door open for the future (masukan dari Bapak tetap saya tunggu) - preserves the relationship, which matters more than one report.
- Solve the deadline problem - the practical risk is addressed, not just the social one.
Exam reasoning: the correct judgement is not 'Indonesians never say no' - it is that refusals are often encoded in circumstances and hedges, and the skilled response reads the hedge, acts on the practical need, and protects the other person's dignity.