Indonesia has the fourth largest population in a country throughout the world. So that in turn make Indonesian Population among the highest list of users of languages that are used. Indonesian regarded its language as the official language of Indonesia. Then, Indonesian Language commonly known as Bahasa Indonesia. Its a member of the Malay-Polynesian language family along with usage in Malaysia and Philippines.
Bahasa Indonesia is known as a language that’s made official in 1928 during youth of pledge movement. In the 1930s, as part of the independence movement, the Indonesian language was finalized and the term Bahasa Indonesia was adopted as the name of the language.
See also :
Bahasa Indonesia is a standardized dialect that came from Malay. It has been used as a default language in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries. The language achieved the status of an official usage with the declaration of independence of Indonesia from the Japan in 1945.
See also: Indonesia Flag – Indonesian coral reef
Bahasa Indonesia, a basic version of Malay, is the sixth most widely spoken language in the world (after Mandarin, English, Hindi, Spanish and Arabic). Therefore, Indonesian is a second language for another 250 million people. More than 800 local languages are spoken in Indonesia. Bahasa Indonesia literally means the language of Indonesia, and is often shortened by foreign speakers as Bahasa. Although this word just means language, it is understood that it refers to the Indonesian language specifically.
Living in Indonesia and speaking with the people will finally make you better understand how to use the spoken language. Bahasa is quite complex than other languages because it evolves over time.
See also: Indonesia Military Power – Indonesian Red Cross Society
Useful Daily Phrases in Indonesia
Beyond being able to comprehend you, the locals will be better appreciate your attempt and they’ll usually gave you greater respect. To achieve successful communication with Indonesian people, you should have at least fundamentals knowledge of daily phrases. Then, the reason I compiled you a table of words and phrases in Indonesian below which enable you to perform adequate normal daily conversation in the local language Bahasa.
See also :
Bahasa is a very easy language to study because its verbs normally do not have many forms for grammatical gender, tenses, or plural. In addition, with just a little bit of practice, the pronunciation should not be problematic at all.
Most of the sentences below are used for everyday life conversations as Daily Phrases in Indonesia, so they might come useful if you get to know them.
| English Phrases | Indonesian Phrases |
|---|---|
| By the Way | Sambil Lalu/Ngomong-ngomong |
| English Greetings | Indonesian Greetings |
| Hi! | Hai! |
| Good morning! | Selamat pagi |
| Good evening! | Selamat malam |
| Welcome! (to greet someone) | Selamat datang |
| How are you? | Apa kabar? |
| I’m fine, thanks! | Baik, terima kasih |
| And you? | Dan kamu? |
| Good/ So-So. | Baik / Biasa saja |
| Thank you (very much)! | Terima kasih (banyak)! |
| You’re welcome! (for “thank you”) | Kembali (complete form: Terima kasih kembali) |
| Hey! Friend! | Hei teman! |
| I missed you so much! | Saya/ aku sangat or Saya/ aku kangen kamu (informal) |
| What’s new? | Ada kabar baru? |
| Nothing much | Tidak banyak |
| See you later! | Sampai jumpa |
| Good bye! | Selamat tinggal |
| Asking for Help and Directions | Indonesian Phrases |
| I’m lost | Saya tersesat |
| Can I help you? | Bisa saya bantu? |
| Can you help me? | Bisa bantu saya? |
| Where is the (bathroom/ pharmacy)? | Kamar (mandi/apotik) dimana? |
| Go straight! then turn left/ right! | lurus terus! lalu belok kiri/kanan! |
| I’m looking for john. | Saya mencari John |
| One moment please! | Tunggu sebentar! |
| Hold on please! (phone) | Tunggu sebentar! |
| How much is this? | ini harganya berapa? |
| Excuse me …! (to ask for something) | Permisi! |
| Excuse me! ( to pass by) | Permisi! |
| Come with me! | ikutilah saya |
See also :
Grammar
Normally in Bahasa, there are no plurals, or grammatical-based gender, or verb conjugation for person, number or tense, all of which are expressed with adverbs or tense indicators: saya makan, “I eat” , saya sudah makan, “I already eat” = “I ate”. The basic word order of Indonesian is similar to English, that is subject-verb-object with one basic rule being that the noun or subject comes before the predicate or adjective. For example, Anjing hitam = Black dog; Mobil saya = My car.
See also: Indonesian National Flower – Indonesian Mythology
- Daily Structures
The use of singular form doesn’t guarantee a single object. The phrase “Ada truk di depan” (There is; truck; in; front) may mean 1 or more cars. Some words don’t exhibit plural forms. The meaning can be for “to be safe”, simply use the singular form. The repetitive plural form is most often found in writing.
When plurals are in use, they’re often simply a repetition of the singular form, connected by a dash (or, in shortened informal Indonesian, indicated with a “2” at the end). For example, “truk-truk” (trucks) is simply the plural form of “mobil” (truck). One can also choose to use other words, especially in informal situations, such as “banyak” (many) instead: “banyak truk”.
See also: Indonesian Traditional Transportation – Indonesia Orangutan
- Characteristics
A characteristic of Indonesian called agglutinative language, which means that affixes are all attached to a word stem. So a word can become very long. For example, there is a base word hasil which means “result” or “success”. However, it can be extended as far as ketidakgagalannya, which means his /her success: “ke”(the state of)-“tidak”(not)-“ber”(-ing)-“gagal”(failure)-“an”(the state of, with ke)-“nya”(his/her). These are largely modular; “gagal” means “to fail”.
Then, if all else fails, simply using standard subject-verb-object form and common particles, while disregarding prefixes and suffixes, is generally unambiguous. For example, to state your intention to find a wet market, simply “saya mau pergi ke pasar basah” (I; want to; go; to; the wet market) is both clear and polite.
See also :
- Introducing yourself
There are many way to introduce yourself with using Indonesian daily phrases, As follows:
| How to Introduce Yourself | Indonesian Phrases |
|---|---|
| I’m Scared | Saya takut |
| Do you speak any language? | Apakah kamu bisa berbahasa? |
| Just a little. | Sedikit. |
| What’s your name? | Siapa namamu? |
| My name is | Nama saya |
| Mr…/ Mrs.…/ Miss… | Tuan../ Nyonya../ Nona… |
| Nice to meet you! | Senang bertemu denganmu |
| You’re very kind! | Kamu baik sekali |
| Where are you from? | Dari mana asal kamu? |
| I’m from the USA | Saya dari Amerika |
| I’m American | Saya orang Amerika |
| Where do you live? | Kamu tinggal dimana? |
| I live in the U.S | Saya tinggal di Amerika |
| Did you like it here? | Kamu suka disini? |
| Indonesia is a wonderful country | Indonesia adalah negara yang indah |
| What do you do for a living? | Apa pekerjaanmu? |
| I work as a translator | Saya bekerja sebagai penerjemah |
| I like Indonesian | Saya suka orang Indonesia |
| I’ve been learning Indonesian for 1 year | Saya telah belajar bahasa Indonesia selama setahun |
| Oh! That’s good! | Oh, bagus sekali! |
| How old are you? | Berapa umurmu? |
| I’m twenty years old. | Saya dua puluh tahun |
| I have to go | Saya harus pergi |
| I will be right back! | Saya akan segera kembali |
| Wish Someone Something | Indonesian Phrases |
| Good luck! | Semoga sukses |
| Happy birthday! | Selamat ulang tahun |
| Happy new year! | Selamat tahun baru |
| Merry Christmas! | Selamat hari natal |
| Congratulations! | Selamat |
| Enjoy! | Selamat menikmati |
| I’d like to visit Indonesia one day | Saya ingin mengunjungi Indonesia suatu hari nanti |
| Say hi to Luana for me | Salam untuk Luana dariku |
| Bless you (when you sneeze) | no reaction whatsoever in Indonesia |
| Good night and sweet dreams! | Selamat malam, mimpi indah |
| Solving a Misunderstanding | Indonesian Phrases |
| I’m Sorry! (when you don’t hear anything) | Maaf… |
| Sorry (for a mistake you made) | Maaf |
| No Problem! | Tidak apa-apa |
| Can You Say It Again? | Bisa tolong diulangi? |
| Can You Speak Slowly? | Bisa bicara pelan-pelan? |
| Write It Down Please! | Tolong tulis |
| I Don’t Understand! | Saya tidak mengerti |
| I Don’t Know! | Saya tidak tahu |
| I Have No Idea. | Saya tidak tahu |
| What’s That Called In Indonesian? | Apa maksudnya dalam bahasa Indonesia? |
| What Does “maaf” Mean In English? | Apa maksudnya “Maaf” dalam bahasa Inggris? |
| How Do You Say “Please” In Indonesian? | Bagaimana kamu berkata “please” dalam bahasa Indonesia? |
| What Is This? | ini apa? |
| My Indonesian is bad. | Bahasa Indonesia saya buruk |
| I need to practice my Indonesian | Saya harus berlatih bahasa Indonesia saya |
| Don’t worry! | Jangan kuatir |
| Indonesian Expressions and Words | Indonesian Phrases |
| Good/ Bad/ So-So. | Baik/ Buruk/ Biasa saja |
| Big/ Small | Besar/ Kecil |
| Today/ Now | Hari ini/ Sekarang |
| Tomorrow/ Yesterday | Besok/ Kemarin |
| Yes/ No | Ya/ Tidak |
| Here you go! (when you’re giving something) | Ya/ Tidak |
| Do you like it? | Kamu suka ini? |
| I really like it! | Saya suka sekali! |
| I’m hungry/ thirsty. | Saya lapar/haus |
| In The Morning/ Evening/ At Night. | Pada pagi hari/ Sore hari/ Malam hari |
| This/ That. Here/There | ini/ itu. Disini/ Disana |
| Me/ You. Him/ Her. | Saya/ Kamu. Dia/ Dia |
| Really! | Benar! |
| Look! | Lihat! |
| Hurry up! | Cepat! |
| What? Where? | Apa? Dimana? |
| What time is it? | Jam berapa sekarang? |
| It’s 07:30pm. | Jam setengah delapan malam |
| Give me this! | Berikan pada saya |
| I love you! | Saya cinta kamu |
| I feel sick. | Saya merasa tidak sehat |
| I need a doctor | Saya perlu dokter |
| One, Two, Three | Satu, dua, tiga |
| Four, Five, Six | Empat, lima, enam |
| Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten | Tujuh, delapan, sembilan, sepuluh |
See also: Indonesian Tea – Indonesian politics
Common signs
| Indonesian | English |
| TARIK | Pull |
| DORONG | Push |
| KELUAR | Exit |
| MASUK | Entrance |
| TUTUP | Closed |
| BUKA | Open |
| DILARANG | Forbidden |
| AWAS | Caution |
| WANITA | Women |
| PRIA | Men |
| WC | Toilet |
| TEKAN | Press |
See also: Poverty in Indonesia – Best Airports in Indonesia
Indonesian language is easy to be spoken. Then, Daily Phrases in Indonesia become common to use with only a small number of simple consonants and relatively few vowel sounds. In Indonesia, the spelling reforms have officially destroy several vestiges of Dutch’s influence in spelling, and the writing method is now almost similar to Bahasa Malaysia.
See also: endangered animals in Indonesia – Bird of Paradise
- The shorter the better
Indonesian shortens commonly used words.
| Tidak → Tak → Nggak → Gak | No |
| Tidak ada →Tiada → Gak ada/Gaada | Not have |
| Sudah → Udah → Dah | Already |
| Bapak → Pak | Father; you (polite, for men) |
| Ibu → Bu | Mother; you (polite, for older women) |
| Aku, Gue, Saya → Ku | I (informal) |
| Kamu, Lo, Kau, Anda → Mu | You (informal) |
See also: Balinese Dance – Indonesian Wedding Culture
-ku and -mu also act as suffixes: motorku is short for motor aku, “my motorcycle”. Note that shortened words are often less formal, and for clarity the standard form may be preferred.
It is also safe to call people by their name or their title, such as “Pak pengacara” (a male lawyer). In some areas, local terms are in use, such as “Abang” for older males in the local region. Using the standard Indonesian phrases are also fine in these situations.
- Bargaining using Numbers
Knowing a few words and phrases of the language will always help you to get better deals in Indonesia. As an advice, try to bargain around 30% off the initial price offered when you negotiate, especially in tourism areas:
[table]
[tr][th]Number[/th] [th]Pronouns[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]1[/td] [td]Satu[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]50[/td] [td]Lima puluh[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]100[/td] [td]Seratus[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]1000[/td] [td]Seribu[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]10.000[/td] [td]Sepuluh ribu[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]100.000[/td] [td]Seratus Ribu[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]1.000.000[/td] [td]Sejuta[/td][/tr]
[/table]
See also : Indonesian democracy – Indonesian Martial Arts
- Bargaining Conversation
| Indonesian | English |
| Harga | Price |
| Berapa harganya? | How much does it cost? |
| Harga nya mahal | Price is expensive |
| Lebih murah bisa? | Cheaper possible? |
| Saya tidak ada cukup | I don’t have enough |
| Mahal sakali | Very expensive! |
See also : Indonesian cultures – Unique Facts about Indonesia
- No means No
Indonesian has a number of ways to say “no”.
| Tidak (tak, nggak) | “Not” — used to negate verbs and adjectives. Ada daging babi? (Do you) have a prok? Tidak ada. (No, I) don’t have. daging babi enak? (Is it a) good pork? Tidak baik. (No, it’s) not good. |
| Bukan (kan) | “No” — used to negate nouns. Ini daging babi? Is this a pork? Bukan. Ini ayam. No, it’s not. It’s a chicken |
| Belum | “Not yet” — used when something has not happened (yet). Sudah makan daging babi? (Did you) already eat the pork? Belum. No, not yet. |
| Jangan | “Don’t” — to tell somebody not to do something. Jangan makan babi! Don’t eat the pork |
| Dilarang | “Forbidden” — used mostly on signs. Dilarang makan babi. Eating pork is forbidden. |
Living in Indonesia and speak with the people will end you up understand the slang language. Bahasa is quite complex than other languages. Well, a professional tutor (usually language students) and read good Indonesia books or newspaper (in term of its grammar) will show you a better improvement.
See also: Gamelan Facts – Luwak Coffee
- Referring to others politely
Terms for “you” are considered impolite in Indonesia. To call anyone “kamu” is in itself often condescending; opt for the title instead.
| Bapak/Pak (male)/Ibu/Bu (female) | adults. Defaulting to this is usually safe. |
| Kakak/Kak | slightly older people, but still in the same age group. E.g. school seniors, college seniors |
| Adik/Dik | younger people. |
See also:
Indonesian List of Phrases
List of phrases reach more than billion language. Those are spread around all over territory in every archipelago. Below are several phrases are commonly used by Indonesian people. As follows:
| Card # | Indonesian | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Anda bilang apa?
|
What did you say?
|
| 2 |
Anda bisa berbahasa Inggris?
|
Do you speak English?
|
| 3 |
Anda mengerti?
|
Do you understand?
|
| 4 |
Anda mengerti bahasa Inggris?
|
Do you understand English?
|
| 5 |
Apa?
|
What?
|
| 6 |
Apa ini?
|
What is this?
|
| 7 |
Apa kabar?
|
How are you?
|
| 8 |
Bagus.
|
Good.
|
| 9 |
Benar?
|
Is this correct?
|
| 10 |
Berapa harganya?
|
How much is it?
|
| 11 |
Berapa harga ini?
|
How much is this?
|
| 12 |
Bicaralah pelan-pelan.
|
Please speak slowly.
|
| 13 |
Di mana …?
|
Where is …?
|
| 14 |
Di mana itu?
|
Where is it?
|
| 15 |
Kapan …?
|
When is …?
|
| 16 |
Kembali.
|
You’re welcome.
|
| 17 |
Kok mahal?
|
Why is it so much?
|
| 18 |
Maaf.
|
I’m sorry.
|
| 19 |
Nama saya …
|
My name is …
|
| 20 |
Permisi.
|
Excuse me.
|
| 21 |
Saya luka.
|
I am hurt.
|
| 22 |
Saya mau …
|
I would like …
|
| 23 |
Saya mengerti.
|
I understand.
|
| 24 |
Saya perlu …
|
I need …
|
| 25 |
Saya sedih.
|
I am sad.
|
| 26 |
Saya senang.
|
I am happy.
|
| 27 |
Saya tidak mengerti.
|
I don’t understand.
|
| 28 |
Saya tidak tahu.
|
I don’t know.
|
| 29 |
Siapa nama anda?
|
What is your name?
|
| 31 |
Terlalu mahal.
|
It is too expensive.
|
| 32 |
Tolong.
|
Please.
|
| 33 |
Ukuran saya …
|
My size is …
|
| 34 |
Ada
|
to be
|
| 35 |
Air
|
water
|
| 36 |
Anak perempuan
|
daughter
|
| 37 |
Anggur
|
wine
|
| 38 |
Bagus
|
good
|
| 39 |
Bahasa
|
language
|
| 40 |
Baju kaus
|
tee shirt
|
| 41 |
Beras
|
rice
|
| 42 |
Berkuda
|
horseback riding
|
| 43 |
Besar
|
big
|
| 44 |
Bon
|
bill
|
| 45 |
Cabe
|
chili
|
| 46 |
Celana pendek
|
shorts
|
| 47 |
Cepat
|
fast
|
| 48 |
Cumi-cumi
|
squid
|
| 49 |
Dan
|
and
|
| 50 |
Dengan
|
with
|
| 51 |
Di
|
in
|
| 52 |
Dingin
|
cold
|
| 53 |
Di dekat
|
near
|
| 54 |
Dua puluh ribu
|
twenty thousand
|
| 55 |
Dua ratus ribu
|
two hundred thousand
|
| 56 |
Duduk
|
to sit
|
| 57 |
Es krim
|
ice cream
|
| 58 |
Gula
|
sugar
|
| 59 |
Halo
|
hello
|
| 60 |
Ikuti
|
follow
|
| 61 |
Ingin
|
to want
|
| 62 |
Jalan
|
walking
|
| 63 |
Kamar
|
room
|
| 64 |
Kamar kecil
|
toilet
|
| 65 |
Kamar kecil
|
restroom
|
| 66 |
Kanan
|
right
|
| 67 |
Kartu kredit
|
credit card
|
| 68 |
Ke
|
to
|
| 69 |
Kecil
|
small
|
| 70 |
Kemeja
|
shirt
|
| 71 |
Ketimun
|
cucumber
|
| 72 |
Kiri
|
left
|
| 73 |
Kunci
|
key
|
| 74 |
Lapar
|
hungry
|
| 75 |
Letih
|
tired
|
| 76 |
Limun
|
lemonade
|
| 77 |
Makan
|
to eat
|
| 78 |
Makan malam
|
dinner
|
| 79 |
Makan pagi
|
breakfast
|
| 80 |
Makan siang
|
lunch
|
| 81 |
Malam
|
night
|
| 82 |
Melihat
|
to see
|
| 83 |
Membeli
|
to buy
|
| 84 |
Memesan
|
to order
|
| 85 |
Mencoba
|
to try
|
| 86 |
Mengerti
|
to understand
|
| 87 |
Mengulangi
|
to repeat
|
| 88 |
Mentega
|
butter
|
| 89 |
Minum
|
to drink
|
| 90 |
Miskin
|
poor
|
| 91 |
Muda
|
young
|
| 92 |
Ongkos
|
fare
|
| 93 |
Pakaian
|
clothing
|
| 94 |
Panas
|
to be hot
|
| 95 |
Pelan
|
slow
|
| 96 |
Pisang
|
banana
|
| 97 |
Pulang-pergi
|
round trip
|
| 98 |
Punya
|
to have
|
| 99 |
Reservasi
|
reservation
|
| 100 |
Rok
|
skirt
|
| 101 |
Roti
|
bread
|
| 102 |
Ruang servis
|
room service
|
| 103 |
Sakit
|
sick
|
| 104 |
Sampai
|
until
|
| 105 |
Sampai jumpa
|
goodbye
|
| 106 |
Se-
|
per
|
| 107 |
Sedih
|
sad
|
| 108 |
Segelas air
|
glass of water
|
| 109 |
Segera
|
soon
|
| 114 |
Senang
|
happy
|
| 115 |
Sepatu
|
shoes
|
| 116 |
Sepuluh ribu
|
ten thousand
|
| 117 |
Seratus ribu
|
one hundred thousand
|
| 118 |
Sopir taksi
|
taxi driver
|
| 119 |
Susah
|
hard
|
| 120 |
Susu
|
milk
|
| 121 |
Tarif
|
rate
|
| 122 |
Terima kasih
|
thank you
|
| 123 |
Tidak
|
no
|
| 124 |
Toko mainan
|
toy store
|
| 125 |
Toko roti
|
bakery
|
| 126 |
Untuk
|
for
|
| 127 |
Warna
|
color
|
| 128 |
Ya
|
yes
|
In general, all of countries have their own language as their identity. Language mostly helps human for able to communicate with each other, making new friends also contribute at work for a better life. Therefore, the existence of language is important in the world.
See also : Indonesian heroes – Indonesian human rights
In addition to these phrases, we recommend you to get a good pocket dictionary which you can have on you whenever you need it. Another useful option is to download a mobile dictionary application which you can consult without any need for internet access.
See also: Bali Facts – Bali Tribes
However you must study Indonesian by reading and writing to achieve improvement result. Then, attempt to speak Daily Phrases in Indonesia with other which can further strengthened your comprehension about what you say in Bahasa. I hope the content of this page was useful to you, and that you studied some Indonesian daily phrases, idioms and words. Do try to memorize them to be able to use them in your daily conversation with one another in Indonesia.
