Useful Terms In The Indonesian Language

 

Indonesians are extremely proud of their National Language, which they refer to as BAHASA INDONESIA. Its one of the most important factors inifying them as a nation. Although English is widely understood in the places that most jakarta visitors are likely to go, you'll always win some extra points from local people if you make an attempt to speak at least a few words of indonesian. You'll be happy to learn that its grammatical rules are far simpler than those for english. For example, there are no articles (a, an, the) to worry about. The verb "to be" is rarely used. There are no word-endings to indicate plurals. (sometimes a noun is doubled -- but more often the number is understood because of context.) Moreover, verbs in Bahasa Indonesia are not conjugated. Instead, tense is communicated through context or with specific words indicating time. Simple, right? So why not make it a point to work a few of these basic words and phrases into your conversations around Jakarta?.

 

 

English Bahasa Indonesia
 
I, You, They, She/He Saya, Anda/Kamu, Mereka, Dia
What is your name? Siapa nama Anda?
My Name is............ Nama saya.............
Can you help me? Dapatkah Anda menolong saya?
How do I get there? Bagaimana caranya sampai di sana?
I cannot speak Bahasa Indonesia Aku nggak bisa ngomong bahasa indonesia
Thank You Terima Kasih
Yes/No Ya/Tidak
Avenue, Boulevard, Street Jalan (Jl.)
Why?, What?, When? Mengapa?, Apa?, Kapan?
Sorry/Excuse me Maaf/ Permisi
You are welcome/ it's alright Sama-sama/ tidak apa-apa
Welcome Selamat Datang
How are you? Apa Khabar?
Fine Baik
Please have a seat Silahkan duduk
Good Morning Selamat Pagi
Good Afternoon (11-3pm) Selamat Siang
Good Afternoon Selamat Sore
Good evening/ Good Bye Selamat Malam/ Selamat Tinggal
Eat/ Drink Makan/ Minum
Restroom (male) Toilet (laki-laki)
Restroom (female) Toilet (wanita)
Children Anak-anak
How Much? Berapa harganya?
Expensive/ Cheap Mahal/ Murah
One, Two, Three Satu, Dua, Tiga,
Four, Five, Six Empat, Lima, Enam
Seven, Eight Tujuh, Delapan
Nine, Ten Sembilan, Sepuluh
One Hundred Seratus
Two Hundred Dua ratus
One Thousand Seribu
Two Thousand Dua ribu

  See also http://www.discover-jakarta.com/spices/spices.html in this site You can listen to the Indonesian pronunciation, you need a RealAudio 2.0..

 

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