#EngProverb: Indonesian proverbs and their English equivalents

June 1, 2013 · by EnglishTips4U · in English, proverb. ·

Proverbs are not always easy to translate as a literal translation might alter their meanings. However, some English proverbs do have similar meanings. Here is a list of Indonesian proverbs and their English equivalents.

“Air tenang menghanyutkan.”
- English: Still water runs deep.
“Alah bisa karena biasa.”
- English: Practice makes perfect.
“Berakit-rakit ke hulu, berenang-renang ke tepian. Bersakit-sakit dahulu bersenang-senang kemudian.”
- English: No pain no gain.
“Dimana ada kemauan, di situ ada jalan.”
- English: Where there is a will, there is a way.
“Dikasih hati, minta jantung.”
- English: Give him an inch and he will take a yard.
“Di mana bumi dipijak di situ langit di junjung.”
- English: When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
“Lebih baik satu burung di tangan daripada sepuluh burung di pohon.”
- English: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
“Pikir dahulu pendapatan, sesal kemudian tidak berguna.”
- English: Look before you leap.
“Rajin pangkal pandai.”
- English: Persevere and never fear.
“Sepandai-pandai tupai meloncat, akhirnya jatuh juga.”
- English: A good marksman may miss.
“Sudah jatuh, tertimpa tangga pula.”
- English: Rub salt into the wound.
“Buruk rupa cermin dibelah.”
- English: A bad worksman blames his tools.
“Tong kosong nyaring bunyinya.”
- English: Empty vessels make the most noise.
“Nasi sudah menjadi bubur.”
- English: It’s no use crying over spilt milk.
“Rumput tetangga selalu lebih hijau.”
- English: The grass is always greener on the other side.
“Bersatu kita teguh, bercerai kita runtuh.”
- English: United we stand, divided we fall.

From fellas

Here are some Indonesian proverbs and their English equivalents contributed by our followers (fellas).

@wooncrush: “To eat a crow = Bagai menelan empedu, Pass the buck = lempar batu sembunyi tangan”
@Teguh_Sukmono: “setiap perbuatan akan kembali ke diri sendiri”. English: what goes around, comes around.
@ci_lin: Dancing with elephants = bagai telur di ujung tanduk
@MithaFajar: kalo “when I thought I reached the bottom, somebody threw me a shovel”? | Admin: bisa jadi sama seperti “Sudah jatuh tertimpa tangga pula.”
@Aulia_Rhmi: Buah jatuh tidak jauh dari pohonnya. English : like father like soon.
@citnasution: “Sekali berenang, dua tiga pulau terlampaui.” English: Killing two birds with one stone.