Indonesian/Important Phrases
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The text in its current form is incomplete.
These are some of the most commonly used words and phrases.
Contents |
[edit] Common phrases
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesian | bahasa Indonesia | /bahasa indoˈnesia/ | bah-HAH-sah in-doh-NEH-syah |
| hello | halo (casual and on telephone) | /ˈhalo/ | HAH-loh |
| welcome | selamat datang | /səˈlamat ˈdatang/ | suh-LAH-maht DAH-tongue |
| good morning | selamat pagi | /səˈlamat ˈpagi/ | suh-LAH-maht PAH-gee |
| good afternoon | selamat siang (from 12 o'clock in the afternoon) | /səˈlamat ˈsiaŋ/ | suh-LAH-maht SI-ang |
| good evening | selamat sore (from 3 p.m.) | /səˈlamat ˈsore/ | suh-LAH-maht SOH-reh |
| good night | selamat malam (from 6 p.m.) | /səˈlamat ˈmalam/ | suh-LAH-maht MAH-lahm |
| good-bye | dadah (usual, informal) | /ˈdadah/ | DAH-dahh |
| good-bye | selamat tinggal (said by person leaving) | /səˈlamat ˈtiŋgal/ | suh-LAH-maht TING-gahl |
| good-bye | selamat jalan (said by person staying) | /səˈlamat ˈʥalan/ | suh-LAH-maht JAH-lahn |
| please | tolong | /ˈtoloŋ/ | TOH-long |
| thank you | terima kasih | /təˈrima ˈkasih/ | tuh-REE-mah KAH-see |
| you're welcome | terima kasih kembali | /təˈrima ˈkasih kəmˈbali/ | tuh-REE-mah KAH-see kuhm-BAH-lee |
| this one | ini | /ˈini/ | EE-nee |
| that one | itu | /ˈitu/ | EE-too |
| How much? | Berapa? | /bəˈrapa/ | buh-RAH-pah? |
| yes | ya | /ja/ | yah |
| no | tidak | /ˈtidaʔ/ | TEE-dah' |
| generic toast | selamat minum | /səˈlamat ˈminum/ | suh-LAH-maht MEE-num |
| Sorry | maaf | /maˈʔaf/ | mah-AHF |
| I don't understand. | Saya tidak mengerti. | /ˈsaja ˈtidaʔ məŋərˈti/ | SAH-yah TEE-dah' muh-nger-TEE. |
| I don't know. | Saya tidak tahu. | /ˈsaja ˈtidaʔ ˈtahu/ | SAH-yah TEE-dah' TAH-hoo. |
| English | bahasa Inggris | /baˈhasa ˈiŋgris/ | bah-HAH-sah ing-GRIS |
| Do you speak English? | Bisa bahasa Inggris? | /ˈbisa baˈhasa ˈiŋgris/ | BEE-sah bah-HAH-sah ing-GRIS? |
| I cannot speak Indonesian. | Saya tidak bisa berbicara bahasa Indonesia. | /ˈsaja ˈtidaʔ ˈbisa bərbiˈʨara baˈhasa indoˈnesia/ | SAH-yah TEE-dah' BEE-sah ber-bee-CHAH-rah bah-HAH-sah in-doh-NEH-syah. |
| I want to go to... | Saya mau pergi ke... | /ˈsaja mau̯ pərˈgi kə/ | SAH-yah mao per-GEE keh... |
| Where is the restroom? | Di mana toilet? | /di ˈmana ˈtoilet/ | dee MAH-nah TOY-let? |
| Happy birthday! | Selamat ulang tahun! | /səˈlamat ˈulaŋ ˈtahun/ | suh-LAH-maht OO-lahng TAH-hoon! |
[edit] Useful words for learning
When looking for a word, these can help:
- same → sama
- almost the same → hampir sama / mirip
- antonym → lawan kata
If you forget these, you can fall back on:
- sinonim → synonym
- antonim → antonym
Sinonim and antonim are not common words, but they are easy to remember, many Indonesian speakers understand them, and they can be helpful in your early stages of trying to communicate.
[edit] Kata-kata Penting (Important Phrases)
Lost traveller's guide for important phrases.
- Thank you → Terima kasih
- Yes → Ya
- No → Tidak
- Not X → Bukan X
- Sorry → Maaf
- Excuse me → Permisi
- Never mind / It's okay → Tidak apa-apa
- Okay → Baik
- Please (to let other people pass) → Silahkan
- Please (to order something) → Tolong
- Please give me X → Tolong berikan saya X
- My name is X → Nama saya X
- I am from Y → Saya dari Y
- Where is Z? → Di mana Z?
- Where is X embassy? → Di mana kedutaan X?
- I lost my passport → Paspor saya hilang (Literally = my passport is lost)
- Taxi → Taksi (almost the same pronunciation)
- Where are you going? → Ke mana? (Literally = to where?)
- To X? → Ke X
- Turn left → Belok kiri
- Turn right → Belok kanan
- Go straight ahead → Lurus (Terus)
- There / Over there → Di situ
- What's this/that? → Apa ini/itu? (point your finger to something)
- I want to see it. → Saya mau lihat itu
- How much? → Berapa?
- How much is this/that? → Berapa ini/itu?
- Too expensive → Kemahalan
- Give me less price → Kurang sedikit harganya
- Cannot → Tidak bisa
[edit] Time
- sudah (already)
- belum (not yet)
These are the words used to deal with almost any situation involving past or future. If neither word is used, it likely means that the action is happening around now.

