Meaning of Empat Mata In Bahasa Indonesia

Halo, semuanya. Apa kabar? Today I want to talk to you about the meaning of empat mata in Bahasa Indonesia. We will also be going to watch a scene that I took from an Indonesian movie called Mimpi Metropolitan to better understand this phrase.

If you have any questions regarding the Indonesian language, you can ask me directly. You can see how to do that on my About Me page. 

If you are a beginner in the Indonesian language, you can learn step by step with My Lesson Here.

So, let's get started!

Empat Mata In Bahasa Indonesia

Empat mata if translated word for word, the literal translation would be,

Four eyes.

But the actual meaning is not four eyes. The actual meaning of empat mata is,

To talk in private.

Every person has 2 eyes right? And then if you add one more person, it would be 4 eyes. So, the meaning of "empat mata" is that you talk in private with someone.

We will understand more when we watch the scene from a movie that I will include in this article.

How to Pronounce Empat Mata

I have recorded my voice, so let's hear how to pronounce empat mata below.


Now let's watch a scene from an Indonesian movie.

Empat Mata In a Movie Scene

Let's watch the scene down below.

Below is the transcript of the conversation from the scene above with the English translation.

Bambang: Mba Pipin, bilangin tuh ama yang baju hitam. Ngga usah ikut niup-niup balon. Urusin aja urusan dia sendiri. (Pipin, could you please say to the woman who wears the black shirt. Please, don’t join us blowing the balloons. Say to her to mind her own business.) 

Melanie: Sini loe ikut gue! (You! Come with me!) 

Pipin: Haduh! (OMG!) 

Alan: Pin, kau mau tengok drama romansa secara langsung, ngga? (Pin, do you want to see a romantic drama in action, won’t you?) 

Pipin: Ha? Mau, mas. (What? Yes, I’d like to.) 

Melanie: Oke. Loe sekarang kelewatan, Bang! Alan, Pipin. Ngga usah ikut-ikutan! Gue cuma mau ngomong empat mata sama Bambang. (Okay. Now, you’ve gone too far, Bang! Alan, Pipin. Please, don’t be here! I just want to speak in person with Bambang.) 

Alan: Siap, Mel! Mata Alan sama mata Pipin ngga jadi ikutan. Sekarang waktu dan tempat, kami persilakan. Pin. Yuk, cabut Pin! (All right, Mel! We won't be involved in your problem. Let's leave, Pin!)

So, as you can see, Melanie asked them to leave so that she can talk in private with Bambang. Empat mata here means that she wants to talk in private with Bambang.

Example Sentences

Now, I'm gonna give you 3 example sentences using the phrase empat mata. The first example sentence is,

Bisa saya berbicara empat mata dengan Anda?

The English translation of this sentence is as follows.

Can I speak with you in private?

The second example is.

Kedua pemimpin negara itu mengadakan pertemuan empat mata.

The English translation of this sentence is as follows.

The two heads of state held a face to face meeting.

The third example is.

Mereka meminta untuk berbicara empat mata saja.

The English translation of this sentence would be.

They ask to talk in person.

I think this is a wrap. I hope you understand what I just explained to you. If you have any questions, you can ask me by making a comment in the comment section below. Thank you very much.