Indonesian Phrases

Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia, one of Asia's most populous countries. It's estimated that there are approximately 230 million Indonesian speakers in the world. If you've decided to learn the language but aren't sure where to get started, here's a helpful overview and some basic phrases you'll need to know.

Reasons to study Indonesian

Studying Indonesian phrases offers a number of advantages. Learning languages enhances memory recall and cognitive development, serving as a defense against degenerative diseases like dementia. Indonesian, being relatively easy compared to other Asian languages, lacks tenses or tones and uses the Roman alphabet, making it accessible for English-speaking learners.

Enriching your travel experiences is another compelling reason to study Indonesian. The beautiful country and friendly people become more accessible when you can speak a few phrases, fostering authentic interactions and friendships. Embracing a new language also showcases your identity as a global citizen, potentially opening doors to overseas work opportunities. While traditional classes in Indonesian may be scarce depending on where you live, an app like Babbel proves to be an ideal choice for a quick, easy, and flexible learning experience.

Basic Indonesian phrases

  • Good morning/good evening — Selamat pagi/selamat malam

  • Hello, my name is... — Halo, namaku adalah...

  • Thank you — Terima kasih

  • I'm sorry — Maafkan saya

  • Please can you repeat that? — Tolong bisakah kamu mengulanginya?

Indonesian Sentences for Travel

  • Where is the bus station/train station/ATM? — Di mana terminal bus/stasiun kereta api/ ATM?

  • How can I get to …? — Bagaimana saya bisa ke …?

  • Is there a restaurant nearby? — Apaka ada restoran terdekat?

  • How much is this? — Ini berapa?

  • Can I have a discount? — Saya bisa diskon?

Get started

How to learn Indonesian phrases

It's important not to limit your learning of Indonesian phrases to a single method. You can attend a language course, take lessons online, talk to native Indonesian speakers, read Indonesian books or newspapers that are available online, or even move to Indonesia to take an immersion course. Remember that the more methods you use, the faster you will learn.

Learning Indonesian phrases with Babbel

Babbel can help you make real progress with your Indonesian. Babbel courses cover the four skills of language learning (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) in an interactive and entertaining manner. Other special features include voice recognition software to help you work on pronunciation, numerous thematic courses covering business, idioms, colloquial speech, etc., academic support, and the fact that over 7 million language learners worldwide have chosen Babbel to help them learn a language. What are you waiting for? Test Babbel for free.

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