Riau Malay/Important Phrases
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These are some of the most commonly used words and phrases.
Common phrases[edit | edit source]
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Syllables |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riau Malay | bahase Melayu Riau | // | ba·ha·se Me·la·yu Ri·au |
| Hello! | Helo! (both in casual speech and on the telephone) | // | he·lo |
| Good morning. | Selamat pagi. | /səˌlamat ˈpagi↘/ | se·la·mat pa·gi |
| Good afternoon. | Selamat tengahari. (from 12 o’clock in the afternoon) | /səˌlamat ˈtəŋah hʌɾɪ/ | se·la·mat te·ngah ha·ri |
| Good afternoon. | Selamat petang. (from 3 p.m.) | /səˌlamat ˈpətʌŋ↗/ | se·la·mat pe·tang |
| Good evening. | Selamat melam. (from 6 p.m.) | /səˌlamat ˈməlam↗/ | se·la·mat me·lam |
| Good night. | Selamat rehat. | /səˌlamat rɛhat↘↗/ | se·la·mat re·hat |
| Goodbye! | Jumpe lagi! (commonly-used) | /↘/ | jum·pe la·gi |
| Please. | Bantu. | bʌntʊ↘ | ban·tu |
| Thank you. | Terime kaseh. | /təˌrimə ˈkʌ↗sɛh↘/ | te·ri·me ka·seh |
| You’re welcome. | Same-same. | /sʌ↗mə↘ˈsʌ↗mə↘/ | sa·me sa·me |
| this | ini | /ˈini/ | i·ni |
| that | itu | /ˈitu/ | i·tu |
| How much? | Berape? | /bəˈrʌ↗pə/ | be·ra·pe |
| Yes. | Ye. | /jə↘/ | ye |
| No. | Tak. | /ˈtʌʔ↗/ | tak |
| Sorry. | Maaf. | /maˈʔaf↘/ | ma·af |
| I don’t understand. | Saye tak faham. | // | sa·ye tak fa·ham |
| I don’t know. | Saye tak reti. | // | sa·ye tak re·ti |
| I don’t know. | Saye tak tahu. | /ˈsʌ↗jə↘ ˌtʌʔ↗ ˈtʌ↗ʊ↘/ | sa·ye tak ta·hu |
| The English language | bahase Inggeris | /baˌhasə ˈiŋgərɪs/ | ba·ha·se Ing·ge·ris |
| Do you speak English? | Mike boleh cakap bahase Inggeris? | // | mi·ke bo·leh ca·kap ba·ha·sa Ing·ge·ris |
| I cannot speak Indonesian. | Saye tak boleh cakap bahase Melayu Riau. | // | sa·ye tak bo·leh ca·kap ba·ha·se Me·la·yu Ri·au |
| I want to go to… | Saye nak pergi kat… | /ˈsajə nʌʔ pərˈgi kʌt/ | sa·ye nak per·gi kat |
| Where is the restroom? | Dekat mane ye tandas? | // | de·kat ma·ne yr tan·das |
| Happy birthday! | Selamat hari jadi! | /səˈlamat ˌhʌɾɪ ˈdjadɪ↘↗/ | se·la·mat ha·ri ja·di |
Helpful vocabulary for asking about words[edit | edit source]
When you're trying to find the right word, these can help you ask for suggestions:
- same → same /sʌmə/
- similar → serupe /sərʊpə/
- antonym → ayat lawan /ʌjʌt lʌʷʌn/
If you forget these, you can fall back on:
- synonym → sinonim
- antonym → antonim
Sinonim and antonim are not common words, but they are easy to remember, many Indonesians understand them, and they can be helpful in your early stages of trying to communicate.