Eager to know Indonesian phrases basic? Well, Indonesian basic phrases are widely used in everyday conversation in both formal and informal occasion. After learning Indonesian alphabets and pronunciation, it is crucial to learn about basic phrases to use in everyday conversation.
In general, Indonesian phrases basic consists or greeting, permission, asking for help, direction, shopping, at school, and more. Depends on your needs, you may find these phrases important.
Also learn Indonesian Popular Phrases.
Indonesian Greeting phrases basic
- Selamat pagi – good morning
- Selamat siang – good afternoon
- Selamat malam – good evening (from 7 to 9 pm)
- Selamat malam – good night (after 9 pm)
- Apa kabar? – how are you?
- Bagaimana kabar anda hari ini? – how are you doing today?
- Kabar baik – I am good
Learn more on how to say How are You in Indonesia.
- Terima kasih – thank you (sometimes shorten to ‘makasih’)
- Sama-sama – you are welcome
- Iya – yes
- Tidak – no
- Senang berkenalan dengan anda – nice to meet you
- Sampai jumpa lagi – see you later
- Selamat tinggal – good bye
- Nama saya Edo – My name is Edo
- Siapa nama anda? – what is your name
Also learn more about How to Say Hello in Indonesia.
Permission (permisi) and asking for help in Indonesian Language
Indonesians are helpful in nature, but they demand politeness. If you need help from the local people, do not hesitate to ask. But first, make sure you understand the etiquette such as say tolong ‘please’ and terima kasih ‘thank you’. It is kind of standard etiquette to ask for permission or help.
- Permisi – excuse me
- Saya mau tanya – I would like to ask
- Tolong – help
- Keadaan gawat – emergency
- Bisakah kamu membantuku? – can you help me?
- Tolong bantu saya – please, help me
- Terima kasih Sudha membantu saya – thank you for helping me
Indonesian Sentence examples:
Edo : permisi, pak
Beni : iya, ada yang bisa saya bantu?
Edo : Saya ingin memberikan naskah ini kepada editor. Bisa tolong antar saya ke ruang editor?
Beni : tentu saja.
Translation:
Edo: Excuse me, sir.
Beni: Yes, is there anything I can help you with?
Edo: I want to give this draft to editor. Can you get me to editor’s room?
Beni: Sure
In the street and asking direction in Indonesian
People of Indonesia are communication and friendly at nature. There will be some people asking you where to go such as ‘mau kemana?’, ‘dari mana?’. This does not mean that they want to meddle in your business, but they just want to be friendly. You do not have to answer your destination in detail; just general place will be fine.
In general, ‘mau kemana?’ means where are you going? and ‘mau kemana?’ where are you from?. So, it is important to familiarize yourself with this basic phrase and do not get too surprised when someone asking you the question. Take a look at below examples of some basic phrases related to asking direction.
- Saya mau ke Surabaya – I want to go to Surabaya
- Saya dari Hongkong – I am from Hongkong
Also learn Indonesian words for direction.
Indonesian Words related to direction
Knowing Indonesian phrase for direction is crucial. It helps you get around in the country. Here are some words related to direction.
- Jalan – street, road
- Kanan – right
- Kiri – left
- Depan – front
- Belakang – behind
- Samping – side
- Lampu lalu lintas – traffic light
- Hati – hati di jalan – be careful on your way
- Hati-hati – be careful
Shopping Phrases in Indonesian
- Berapa harga baju ini? – how much is this clothes?
- Bisa ditawar? – can I bargain?
- Berbelanja – shopping
- Membeli – buy, purchase
- Menjual – sell
- Pasar – market
- Tunai – cash
- Tas kresek – plastic bag
- Apa ada ukuran yang lebih kecil? – do you have smaller size?
- Mahal – expensive
- Murah – cheap
- Penjual – seller
- Kios – stall
- Ruang ganti – fitting room
- Uang kecil – small change
- Uang kembalian – returned money
- Uang kertas – note
Also learn more about Indonesian bargaining words.
Indonesian phrases In public places
- Maaf, dilarang merokok di ruangan ini – Sorry, no smoking in this room.
- Tempat tunggu – waiting room
- Jam berapa sekarang? – what time is it now?
- Bolehkah saya duduk di sini? – can I sit here?
- Ruang menyusui – nursery room
- Buang sampah pada tempatnya – throw trash in the trash bin
- Silahkan antri – please queue
At school using Indonesian phrases
- Pekerjaan rumah – homework
- Guru – teacher
- Siswa – student
- Seragam – uniform
- Jadwal – schedule
- Buku pelajaran – text book
- Sekolah – school
- Universitas – university
- Kampus – campus
Those are the Indonesian phrases basic to learn. You can use the phrases for everyday conversation and sound more like Indonesians. Also check out our articles to help you improve understanding in Bahasa Indonesia.