Bahasa Indonesia or Indonesian is the official language of the Republic of Indonesia and is spoken by over 237 million people. Most islands also have their own indigenous language which is spoken by the locals, however Bahasa Indonesia unites the whole country.
Balinese is spoken in Bali, while in Lombok the local language is called Sasak. Indonesian is fairly easy to learn, as most letters represent the same sound and the pronunciation is very similar to English.
Below is a list of useful phrases that might come in handy on your next trip to Bali.
Greetings / Salam
| Good morning | Selamat pagi |
| Good afternoon | Selamat siang |
| Good evening | Selamat sore |
| Good night | Selamat malam |
| How are you? | Apa kabar? |
| I’m good! | Baik baik saja! |
| Thank you! | Terima kasih! |
| You are welcome! | Sama sama |
| What’s your name? | Siapa nama anda? |
| My name is Emma | Nama saya Emma |
| Do you speak English? | Bisa berbicara Bahasa Inggris? |
| Yes, a little | Ya, sedikit |
| I don’t understand | Saya tidak mengerti |
| Yes / No | Ya / Tidak |
Pronouns / Kata ganti
| I / Me | Saya |
| You | Kamu (informal) / Anda (formal) |
| He / She | Dia |
| Us | Kita (Including the person spoken to) |
| Us | Kami (Not including the person spoken to) |
| You | Kalian |
| They | Mereka |
Asking for something / Meminta tolong kepada seseorang
| Excuse me | Permisi |
| I would like to ask | Saya mau tanya |
| Can you help me? | Bisa bantu saya? |
Where are you from? / Dari mana?
| Where are you from? | Dari mana? |
| I am from (Indonesia / Australia / French / America / etc | Saya dari Indonesia / Australia / Perancis / Amerika / dll |
| Where are you going? | Mau ke mana? |
| I want to go to mall / restaurant / school / market / etc | Saya mau ke mall / restoran / sekolah / pasar / dll |
| I would like to ask | Saya mau tanya |
| Left | Kiri |
| Right | Kanan |
Ordering food / Memesan makan
| Excuse me sir/mam, I want to order | Permisi Pak/Bu, Saya mau pesan makan |
| Fried rice | Nasi goreng |
| Rice | Nasi |
| Noodle | Mie |
| To Eat | Makan |
| Drink | Minum |
| Spicy I like spicy! |
Pedas Saya suka pedas! |
| Delicious! | Enak! |
Bargaining and Numbers / Menawar dan Angka
| 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 | Satu / Dua / Tiga / Empat / Lima / Enam / Tujuh / Delapan / Sembilan / Sepuluh |
| 100 | Se-ratus |
| 500 | Lima-ratus |
| 1000 | Se-ribu |
| 2000 | Dua-ribu |
| 5000 | Lima-ribu |
| 10000 | Se-puluh-ribu |
| 50000 | Lima-puluh-ribu |
| 100000 | Se-ratus-ribu |
| How much does it cost? | Berapa harganya? |
| Expensive! It’s too expensive |
Mahal! Ini terlalu mahal |
| Cheaper possible? | Bisa lebih murah? |
Other easy words that you will use often / Kalimat yang biasa digunakan sehari-hari
| No worries! | Tidak apa-apa! |
| Great! | Bagus! |
| Be careful! | Hati-hati! |
| Can | Boleh / Bisa |
| There is / There is not | Ada / Tidak ada |
| What time is it? | Jam berapa sekarang? |
Useful signs / Petunjuk berguna
| Open | Buka |
| Closed | Tutup |
| Entrance | Masuk |
| Exit | Keluar |
| Toilets | Kamar Kecil |
| Women | Wanita |
| Men | Pria |
You’ll impress the locals in Bali by also knowing a few Balinese phrases, like “Kenken kabare?” (“How are you?”) and “Matur suksma.” (“Thank you.”), and might even get a better deal when bargaining at one of the local markets!
