mari / ayo

Inclusive Invitations

Level 1

Mari and ayo introduce invitations or encouragement. Often they mean let’s, including speaker and listener, but they can also urge the listener to act. Mari also occurs in polite leave-taking.

How It Works

In Indonesian, inclusive invitations are marked by two primary particles:

  • Mari: This is the neutral-to-formal choice. It is used in speeches, professional settings, or when speaking respectfully to elders. Beyond 'let's,' it is also a polite way to signal you are leaving (leave-taking) or to invite someone to start a formal proceeding.
  • Ayo: This is the conversational, friendly choice. It carries a persuasive tone, similar to 'come on!' or 'let's go!' A related casual invitation particle is yuk, which can appear at the end of a sentence (e.g., Makan, yuk!).

Grammar Rules:
1. Position: Usually at the start of the sentence.
2. Inclusivity: Use kita when we includes the listener. This is not a ban on kami anywhere in an invitation: Ayolah, ikut dengan kami! invites the listener to accompany the speaker’s existing group.
3. Softening: You may see marilah or ayolah. The suffix -lah makes the invitation sound more persuasive or poetic.

Joint Action and Permission: Mari duduk is a valid invitation. Silakan duduk is useful when offering a guest a seat; the choice depends on the intended invitation or permission, not a blanket rule that mari requires the speaker to sit too.

Examples (5)

  1. Mari kita mulai rapat ini.

    Let us begin this meeting.

    Word by Word: Let's we start meeting this.

    A formal use of 'mari' suitable for a professional environment.

  2. Ayo kita makan siang sekarang!

    Let's have lunch now!

    Word by Word: Come-on we eat lunch now!

    A casual invitation using 'ayo' with friends or peers.

  3. Mari, Pak; saya duluan.

    Goodbye, Sir; I'll be going first.

    Word by Word: Let's, Mr; I first.

    Here, 'mari' is used as a polite formula for leave-taking.

  4. Ayolah, ikut dengan kami!

    Come on, join us!

    Word by Word: Come-on-please, follow with us!

    The suffix '-lah' is added to 'ayo' to sound more persuasive.

  5. Makan, yuk!

    Let's eat!

    Word by Word: Eat, let's!

    The casual invitation particle yuk appears after the action here; it is not necessary to treat it as a shortened spelling of ayo.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the exclusive 'kami' instead of 'kita'.

    Mari kami pergi.
    Mari kita pergi.

    For the intended inclusive Let us go together, kita includes the listener whereas kami excludes them. Kami is not banned from every mari or ayo utterance; in an invitation such as ikut dengan kami it refers to the group being joined.

How It Connects

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mari / ayoLevel 1Inclusive Invitations

Learn This First

To use 'mari' and 'ayo' effectively, learners need to understand the concept of inclusive action (doing something together with the listener) and how Indonesian verbs function in simple imperative or hortative structures without complex conjugation.

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Words in This Pattern

ayoayo