Dalam bahasa Inggris ada phrase yang berasal dari bahasa asing (foreign phrases) yang lumrah dan banyak digunakan dalam percakapan bahasa Inggris. Apa saja foreign phrases tersebut?
Berikut adalah contohnya beserta penggunaannya dalam kalimat bahasa Inggris:
[French] Prancis
A la carte (kata sifat, kata keterangan – dengan harga terpisah untuk setiap item, dicetak pada menu; pada dasarnya digunakan untuk merujuk pada menu, sebagai lawan, katakanlah, prasmanan)
Contoh kalimat:
- Can we eat a la carte?
- Can we order from the a la carte menu?
[Italian] Italia
Alfresco (kata sifat, kata keterangan – udara terbuka; di luar rumah)
Contoh kalimat:
- We’ve been invited to an alfresco dinner at the Mughal Gardens.
- Are we dining alfresco tonight?
[Latin] Latin
Alma mater (kata benda – salah satu lembaga telah lulus dari; dengan kata lain, salah satu Sekolah tua atau universitas)
Contoh kalimat:
- I haven’t returned to my alma mater since the day I graduated.
[French] Prancis
Avant-garde (kata benda – seorang seniman atau kelompok yang terkait dengan penggunaan teknik-teknik baru di bidang mereka)
Contoh kalimat:
Our friend is an avant-garde; we can’t really appreciate his work because it is too modern for us.
[Germany] Jerman
Blitzkrieg (kata benda – cepat, serangan intensif, awalnya digunakan untuk menggambarkan serangan militer mendadak)
Contoh kalimat:
- MS Dhoni’s blitzkrieg at the end of yesterday’s match saved it for India.
[Latin] Latin
Bona fide (kata sifat – otentik, asli, dengan itikad baik)
Contoh kalimat:
- Is the painting by MF Hussain on your wall bona fide?
- He is not a dishonest salesman; his offer is bona fide.
[French] Prancis
c’est la vie (itulah hidup; seperti hidup)
Contoh kalimat:
- I don’t allow myself to get depressed; I just say ‘C’est la vie!’ and move on.
[Latin] Latin
curriculum vitae (CV) (kata benda – melanjutkan, yaitu, garis besar seseorang pendidikan dan profesional kualifikasi, dibuat untuk aplikasi pekerjaan)
Contoh kalimat:
- Have you got your CV ready for the interview tomorrow?
[Spanish] Spanyol
Guerrilla (kata benda – anggota dari tentara yang tidak teratur yang beroperasi di suatu wilayah di bawah kendali pasukan yang bermusuhan, mis musuh; peperangan mereka umumnya hit-and-run, menggunakan serangan tiba-tiba dan sabotase karena mereka lebih sedikit jumlahnya)
Contoh kalimat:
- The guerrillas threatened to overthrow the government of the state.
[Latin] Latin
De facto (kata keterangan – pada kenyataannya, sebenarnya)
Contoh kalimat:
- The result of the elections was, de facto, simply a public verdict on the government’s complacency during the riots; despite the absence of real alternatives, the incumbent government was displaced.
[French] Prancis
déjà vu (kata benda – sensasi setelah sebelumnya mengalami sesuatu yang salah sedang mengalami)
Contoh kalimat:
- I experienced déjà vu when I entered the kitchen, even though I was fully aware that I had never been in that house before.
[French] Prancis
en route (kata keterangan – perjalanan)
Contoh kalimat:
- I’ve just left, I’m en route for the auditorium.
[Yiddish] Yahudi
klutz (kata benda – tolol, orang yang canggung)
Contoh kalimat:
- I behaved like a klutz at the party, tripping and spilling my drinks all over the place.
[Latin] Latin
Ergo (kata hubung – karena itu)
Contoh kalimat:
- Neither side was willing to play in such terrible conditions; ergo, there would no match.
[French] Prancis
faux pas (kata benda – kesalahan/kekeliruan besar)
Contoh kalimat:
- I committed a faux pas the other day when I went to a formal dinner dressed up for a costume party.
[Italian] Italia
Fiasco (kata benda – kegagalan total)
Contoh kalimat:
- The party was a fiasco; the lights went out 10 minutes into the affair, and three people got injured trying to feel their way around in the dark.
[Latin] Latin
per capita (kata sifat, kata keterangan – per orang)
Contoh kalimat:
- The per capita income of the country was very high.
- Indian earning per capita is much higher abroad than it is at home.
[Latin] Latin
per se (kata keterangan – sendiri)
Contoh kalimat:
- The statement was interesting per se; it did not make much sense in context, however.
[French] Perancis
joie de vivre (suka cita dalam hidup)
Contoh kalimat:
- It is rare that one is able to experience true joie de vivre once one is past one’s youth.
[Italian] Italia
lingua franca (kata benda – bahasa umum)
Contoh kalimat:
- English is the lingua franca of the world by virtue of the fact that is spoken in the largest number of countries.
[French] Perancis
Nee (kata sifat – lahir; digunakan untuk nama gadis wanita yang sudah menikah)
Contoh kalimat:
- Aishwarya Bacchan nee Rai
[French] Prancis
par excellence (kata sifat – yang terbaik pada sesuatu)
Contoh kalimat:
- It was clear from the beginning that Sachin Tendulkar was a batsman par excellence.
[Italian] Italia
prima donna (kata benda – penghibur)
Contoh kalimat:
- Be on your best behaviour around her; she’s known to be quite the prima donna.
[Germany] Jerman
Realpolitik (kata benda – politik oportunistik yang menyangkut diri dengan realitas tanah, dengan kemajuan diri sebagai prinsip mengemudi satunya)
Contoh kalimat:
- Considerations of realpolitik drove me to campaign relentlessly, pandering to the masses to garner votes.
[Latin] Latin
tabula rasa (kata benda – batu tulis kosong)
Contoh kalimat:
- A child’s mind is like tabula rasa; it is very important to ensure that it is not exposed to harmful influences.