These are the 50 Indonesian phrases you will use most in your first weeks, whether on a trip to Bali or in your first month of study. Each one is given twice where it matters: the textbook form that is correct everywhere, and the spoken form that Indonesians actually say. Learning only the first is why so many learners can read a menu but cannot follow the waiter.
Pronunciation is easier than it looks: Indonesian is spelled the way it sounds, c is always "ch", and the stress falls on the second-last syllable of a word. The letter e is usually the weak "uh" of "the".
Greetings
| English | Indonesian | Spoken | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello | Halo | Hai (friends) | more |
| Good morning | Selamat pagi | Pagi! | until about 10 or 11; more |
| Good midday | Selamat siang | Siang! | about 11 to 3 |
| Good afternoon | Selamat sore | Sore! | about 3 to sunset |
| Good evening | Selamat malam | Malam! | after dark; more |
| Good night (to sleep) | Selamat tidur | Met bobo (texting) | not selamat malam |
| How are you? | Apa kabar? | Gimana kabarnya? | more |
| Fine, and you? | Baik, terima kasih. Anda? | Baik-baik aja. Kamu? | |
| Eaten yet? (a greeting) | Sudah makan? | Udah makan? | answer udah or belum |
| Welcome | Selamat datang | di + place; more |
Being polite
| English | Indonesian | Spoken | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thank you | Terima kasih | Makasih | more |
| Thank you very much | Terima kasih banyak | Makasih banyak | |
| You're welcome | Sama-sama | Sip / oke (friends) | |
| Please (do this) | Tolong | Bisa tolong...? | which please? |
| Please (go ahead) | Silakan | ||
| Sorry | Maaf | Maaf, ya | more |
| Excuse me | Permisi | passing, entering, leaving | |
| It's fine / no problem | Tidak apa-apa | Nggak apa-apa / gapapa | |
| Yes | Ya | Iya | |
| No / not | Tidak | Nggak | more |
| Not yet | Belum | the answer to any sudah? question | |
| May I? / Sure | Boleh? / Boleh. | also "yes please" |
Getting by
| English | Indonesian | Spoken | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| I don't understand | Saya tidak mengerti | Aku nggak ngerti | |
| Do you speak English? | Apakah Anda bisa bahasa Inggris? | Bisa bahasa Inggris? | |
| I speak a little Indonesian | Saya bisa sedikit bahasa Indonesia | Bisa dikit-dikit | the reply everyone loves |
| Slowly, please | Tolong pelan-pelan | Pelan-pelan, ya | |
| What is this? | Ini apa? | ||
| What does ... mean? | ... artinya apa? | ||
| How do you say ... in Indonesian? | Bahasa Indonesianya ... apa? | ||
| My name is ... | Nama saya ... | Aku ... | |
| Where are you from? | Anda dari mana? | Dari mana? | also "where have you been?" as a greeting |
| I'm from ... | Saya dari ... | Aku dari ... |
Food and shopping
| English | Indonesian | Spoken | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| One ... please | Minta ... satu | ... satu, ya | not tolong |
| I'd like ... | Saya mau ... | Mau ... | |
| How much is this? | Ini berapa harganya? | Berapa? | |
| Too expensive | Terlalu mahal | Mahal banget | the start of bargaining |
| Can you lower it? | Bisa kurang? | Kurangin dong | friends and markets only |
| The bill, please | Minta bonnya | Bon, ya | |
| Delicious | Enak | Enak banget | never bagus for food |
| Not spicy | Tidak pedas | Nggak pedes | say it before they cook |
| Water | Air putih | literally "white water", plain water | |
| Enough / that's all | Cukup | Udah |
Directions and getting around
| English | Indonesian | Spoken | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where is ...? | ... di mana? | the thing comes first | |
| Left / right / straight | Kiri / kanan / lurus | terus is "keep going" | |
| Stop here | Berhenti di sini | Stop di sini | to a driver |
| Take care / safe trip | Hati-hati | the farewell to anyone leaving | |
| Goodbye / see you | Sampai jumpa | Duluan, ya / dadah | more |
| See you tomorrow | Sampai besok | Sampe besok | |
| Help! | Tolong! | ||
| Beautiful | Indah (place) / cantik (person) | Keren (cool) | which word? |
How to learn these
Do not memorise the table. Pick the ten you will say tomorrow, say each out loud twenty times with the stress on the second-last syllable, then use them. The spoken column matters more than the textbook column for understanding what comes back; the textbook column matters for anyone older than you or behind a desk. Our beginner's guide to learning Indonesian puts these phrases into a first-week plan, the Indonesian grammar guide explains the patterns behind them, and is Indonesian hard to learn explains why the sounds are the easy part.
FAQ
What are the most basic Indonesian phrases?
Halo (hello), terima kasih / makasih (thank you), maaf (sorry), permisi (excuse me), ya and nggak (yes, no), berapa? (how much?), di mana? (where?), enak (delicious) and sampai jumpa (goodbye).
What Indonesian phrases do I need for Bali?
The greetings, makasih, permisi, berapa?, mahal banget, nggak pedes, minta bon and hati-hati will carry you through most of a trip. Balinese is a separate language, but everyone on Bali speaks Indonesian.
Is it bahasa or Indonesian?
Bahasa just means "language". The language is Bahasa Indonesia, Indonesian in English. Saying "I speak bahasa" is like saying "I speak language".
Why are there two forms of each phrase?
Indonesian has a formal, written standard and an everyday spoken form, and the gap is wide: tidak / nggak, sudah / udah, terima kasih / makasih. Textbooks teach the first; conversations use the second.
How do I pronounce Indonesian phrases?
As written. Every letter is said, c is "ch", ng is as in "sing", and the stress is on the second-last syllable: te-RI-ma KA-sih, se-LA-mat PA-gi.
From 50 phrases to conversation
Fifty phrases get you through a day. A conversation needs the spoken language underneath them, and that is what JADI teaches: daily lessons written by Yohana, a native Indonesian teacher, around the Indonesian people actually speak, with audio for every sentence and spaced repetition so it stays. The first 6 lesson days are free.
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