Daily Phrases in Indonesia – Most Common and Useful

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 :

• Indonesian theater
• deforestation in Indonesia

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 :

• Largest Cities In Indonesia
• Indonesian Tribes

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 :

• Indonesian education system
• National Library Of Indonesia

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 :

• Saman Dance
• Hinduism In Bali

• 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:

• Indonesia Wildlife
• Biggest Earthquake in Indonesia
• Indonesian military power

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.