When you come to Bali for holiday or travelling, most of the people will speak English. In the touristic places like Kuta, Seminyak, Sanur and Nusa Dua everyone in the tourism sector will speak proper English, especially the younger people. But when you leave these areas and go more to the east or middle of the island, it can be hard to communicate in English with the locals. To make it easier, we made a list with some Indonesian words and sentences that can be very helpful during your stay in Bali, Indonesia.
Greetings in Bahasa Indonesia:
Good morning = Selemat Pagi
Good day = Selamat Siang
Good afternoon = Selamat Sore
Good evening = Selamat Malan
Good bye ( to a leaving person) = Selamat Jalan
Good bye (if you are the person leaving) = Selamat tinggal
How are you? = Apa Kabar
I’m great = Baik baik
Useful Indonesian Words
Good = Bagus
Very good = Bagus Sekali
Not good = Tidak Bagus
Fine = Baik
Yes = Ya
No = Tidak
Like = Suka
Don’t Like = Tidak Suka
I want = Mau
Don’t want = Tidak mau
Expensive = Mahal
Cheap = Murah
Indonesian Pronouns:
Me = Saya
You = Anda
You (to adult man, sir) = Pak
You (to adult woman, madam) = Ibu
He/she = Dia
We = Kita
Them/They = Mereka
Questions:
Who? = Siapa?
Why? = Kenapa?
What? = Apa?
When? = Kepan?
Where? = Kemana?
How? = Bagaimana?
How many? = Berapa?
How much is this? = Berapa ini?
How much is that? = Berapa Itu?
How long? = Berapa lama?
How far? = Berapa Jauh?
How old? = Berapa umur?
Manners:
Please (can I have?) = Minta
Please (help me) = Tolong
Thank you = Terima Kasih
You’re Welcome = Sama Sama
I’m Sorry = Saya minta ma’af
Food:
Eat = Makan
Cow = Sapi
Chicken = Ayam
Goat = Kambing
Fish = Ikan
Pork = Babi
Shrimps = Udang
Crab = Kepiting
Vegetables = Sayuran
Family:
Family = Keluarga
Relative = Famili
Friend = Kawan
Lover = Kekasih
Married = Nikah
Husband = Suami
Wife = Isteri
Father = Bapak
Mother = Ibu
Grandmother = Nenek
Grandfather = Kakek
Son = Anak laki
Daughter = Anak perempuan
Child = Anak
Older brother = Abang
Older sister = Kakak
Younger sibling = Adik
Uncle = Paman
Aunt = Bibi
Cousin = Misan
Niece/Nephew = Keponakan
Numbers and counting:
0 = Batal
1 = Satu
2 = Dua
3 = Tiga
4 = Empat
5 = Lima
6 = Enam
7 = Tujuh
8 = Delapan
9 = Sembilan
10 = Sepuluh
11 = Sebelas
12 = Dua Belas
13 = Tiga Belas
14 = Empat Belas
15 = Lima Belas
16 = Enam Belas
17 = Tuju Belas
18 = Delapan Belas
19 = Sembilan Belas
20 = Dua Puluh
21 = Dua Puluh Satu
22 = Dua Puluh Dua
30 = Tiga Puluh
40 = Empat Puluh
50 = Lima Puluh
100 = Seratus
1.000 = Seribu
1.000.000 = Se Juta
With this easy words and sentence you can come pretty far with the communication with the locals. They will like it if you speak first in bahasa Indonesia instead of English and it can help you with bargaining. The Indonesian people are overall very friendly by nature, especially when you talk in their language. We hope to help you a little bit with these simple but useful words and sentences. If you have any questions or comments, don’t be shy and share them with us.