Indonesian Phrasebook
Bahasa Indonesia — The Basics
Bahasa Indonesia (literally: “Language of Indonesia") is the official national language — and a linguistic marvel: An artificially created unifying language, based on Malay trade pidgin, that connects over 270 million people with 700+ different native languages.
Most Balinese people speak Balinese (Basa Bali) among themselves in everyday life — a completely different language with its own writing system and three language levels (high, medium, low). Bahasa Indonesia is the second language that everyone understands and uses in public communication.
Why Bahasa is so easy:
- No conjugation: “I go" = saya pergi. “You go" = kamu pergi. “He/she went" = dia pergi. “We will go" = kita pergi. The verb never changes!
- No articles: No “the," no “a/an"
- No grammatical genders: dia = he/she/it
- Plural by duplication: anak = child, anak-anak = children
- Latin alphabet: Written as spoken. C = “ch," J = “j," and that's it for exceptions.
Pronunciation: Almost phonetic. Vowels like in German (a, i, u, e, o). “r" is rolled. Stress is usually on the penultimate syllable.
Tipp
Just a few words of Bahasa Indonesia at the market or in the warung will be rewarded with a beaming smile. Balinese people are incredibly appreciative when tourists make the effort to learn their language — even if it's just “Terima kasih" (Thank you).
Greetings & Courtesy
Basic Greetings:
- Selamat pagi (sö-LA-mat PA-gi) — Good morning (until about 11 AM)
- Selamat siang (sö-LA-mat SI-ang) — Good day (11 AM-3 PM)
- Selamat sore (sö-LA-mat SO-re) — Good afternoon (3-6 PM)
- Selamat malam (sö-LA-mat MA-lam) — Good evening/night
- Apa kabar? (A-pa KA-bar) — How are you?
- Baik, terima kasih (BA-ik, tri-MA KA-si) — Good, thank you
- Terima kasih — Thank you (the most important words!)
- Sama-sama — You're welcome
- Permisi (per-MI-si) — Excuse me (to get attention / to pass by)
- Maaf (MA-af) — Sorry (to apologize)
- Tidak (TI-dak) — No
- Ya — Yes
- Tolong (TO-long) — Please (to ask for help)
Addressing:
- Pak (Mr.) — for men, before the name or alone. “Pak Wayan, terima kasih!"
- Bu / Ibu (Mrs.) — for women. “Ibu, permisi!"
- Mas — young man (informal, friendly)
- Mbak — young woman (informal, friendly)
In the Restaurant
- Saya mau pesan (SA-ja MAU pö-SAN) — I would like to order
- Nasi goreng, satu — One Nasi Goreng
- Air putih (A-ir PU-tih) — Water
- Bir Bintang, satu — One Bintang beer
- Kopi — Coffee
- Teh — Tea
- Tanpa gula — Without sugar
- Pedas (pö-DAS) — Spicy
- Tidak pedas — Not spicy
- Enak sekali! (ö-NAK sö-KA-li) — Very delicious! (The compliment that makes any chef happy)
- Minta bill — The bill, please
- Berapa? (bö-RA-pa) — How much does it cost?
- Tanpa daging — Without meat
- Tanpa ikan — Without fish
- Saya vegetarian — I am vegetarian
- Saya alergi ... — I am allergic to ...
Shopping & Bargaining
- Berapa harganya? (bö-RA-pa HAR-ga-nja) — How much does it cost?
- Terlalu mahal! (tör-LA-lu MA-hal) — Too expensive!
- Bisa kurang? (BI-sa KU-rang) — Can you lower the price?
- Harga terakhir? — Final price?
- Saya cuma lihat-lihat — I'm just looking
- Saya mau ini — I want this
- Ada yang lain? — Is there something else?
- Bagus! (BA-gus) — Nice/Good!
Numbers (indispensable!):
- Satu, dua, tiga, empat, lima — 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
- Enam, tujuh, delapan, sembilan, sepuluh — 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
- Sebelas — 11, dua belas — 12 (simply number + belas)
- Dua puluh — 20, tiga puluh — 30 (number + puluh)
- Seratus — 100, dua ratus — 200
- Seribu — 1,000, sepuluh ribu — 10,000
- Seratus ribu — 100,000, satu juta — 1,000,000
Tipp
The most important number in Bali: “seratus ribu" (100,000) — this is the amount around which most price negotiations revolve. If you can say numbers in Indonesian, you will be taken more seriously when bargaining.
On the Move
- Di mana ...? (di MA-na) — Where is ...?
- Di mana toilet? — Where is the toilet?
- Saya mau ke ... — I want to go to ...
- Kiri — Left
- Kanan — Right
- Lurus — Straight ahead
- Dekat — Near
- Jauh (DJA-uh) — Far
- Berhenti di sini — Stop here
- Pelan-pelan (pö-LAN pö-LAN) — Slowly, slowly (useful in a taxi!)
- Berapa lama? — How long does it take?
- Jam berapa? — What time is it?
- Hari ini — Today
- Besok — Tomorrow
- Kemarin — Yesterday
Emergencies
- Tolong! (TO-long) — Help!
- Saya butuh dokter — I need a doctor
- Saya sakit — I am sick
- Rumah sakit — Hospital
- Polisi — Police
- Kebakaran! — Fire!
- Pencuri! (pön-TSCHU-ri) — Thief!
- Saya kehilangan paspor saya — I lost my passport
- Saya tidak bisa berbahasa Indonesia — I don't speak Indonesian
- Bisa bicara bahasa Inggris? — Do you speak English?
- Tolong panggil ambulans — Please call an ambulance
Useful Phrases & Balinese Extras
Everyday Phrases:
- Tidak apa-apa (TI-dak A-pa A-pa) — No problem / It's okay
- Saya tidak mengerti — I don't understand
- Saya dari Jerman — I am from Germany
- Saya dari Austria — I am from Austria
- Saya dari Swiss — I am from Switzerland
- Nama saya ... — My name is ...
- Senang berkenalan — Nice to meet you
- Cantik sekali! (TSCHAN-tik sö-KA-li) — Very beautiful!
- Luar biasa! (LU-ar bi-A-sa) — Extraordinary/Amazing!
Balinese Extras:
In Bali, you will also hear Balinese expressions that are good to know:
- Om Swastiastu (om swas-ti-AS-tu) — Balinese Hindu greeting (literally: “God bless you"). Used at formal occasions and in temples. Spoken with folded hands in front of the chest.
- Suksma (SUKS-ma) — Thank you (Balinese). Warmer and more personal than “terima kasih" and highly appreciated by Balinese people.
- Rahajeng semeng — Good morning (Balinese)
- Banjar — The Balinese village community/community hall — the social heart of the village
- Subak — The rice farmers' irrigation cooperative
- Pecalang — The traditional village police in black-and-white clothing
- Ogoh-Ogoh — The giant monster sculptures before Nyepi
- Mepeed — A ceremonial procession
Tipp
If you greet a Balinese person with “Om Swastiastu" or “Suksma," you are guaranteed to receive a beaming smile. These Balinese expressions show genuine respect for the local culture — more than any amount of fluent English.
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