Photography

1. Buliah ambo ambiak foto di siko?

   May I take a photo here?

   Usage

   Asks permission to take a photo at a market, mosque or someone's home

   Grammar Note

   "Ambiak" is a dictionary word. This is a sentence composed from dictionary-verified words

2. Buliah ambo ambiak foto Pak?

   May I take your photo? (to a man)

   Usage

   Always ask before photographing a person; address a woman as "Bu" and an older man as "Pak"

   Grammar Note

   The address term (Pak/Bu) stands in for the object, meaning "your photo"; never use ang or kau to an older person. This is a sentence composed from dictionary-verified words by regular grammar

3. Tolong ambiakan foto kami.

   Could you take a photo of us?

   Usage

   Asks a passer-by to take a picture of your group

   Grammar Note

   "Tolong" marks a request; the suffix -an adds a "for someone" sense; "kami" is a dictionary word. This is a sentence composed from dictionary-verified words

4. Dilarang ambiak foto di siko.

   Photography is prohibited here.

   Usage

   A sign or an attendant's wording; stop taking photos when you hear it

   Grammar Note

   "Dilarang" is the di- passive. This is a sentence composed from dictionary-verified words

5. Pamandangan iko rancak bana. Ambo harus ambiak fotonyo!

   This view is amazing — I must take a photo of it!

   Usage

   Said at a lake or canyon view such as Maninjau or Ngarai Sianok

   Grammar Note

   -nyo means "of it". This is a sentence composed from dictionary-verified words

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