We created a list of what we anticipated would be frequently used words in the Indonesian language, and shared it with the fellow participants.
Frequently Used Words
Personal Pronouns
On personal pronouns and respect: see this link.
| English | Indonesian |
|---|---|
| I | Saya (formal) Aku (in between formal and informal) Gue (among teenagers ok, but otherwise considered impolite) |
| You | Anda (formal) Kamu (in between formal and informal, but usually instead of using kamu, will use another pronoun e.g. Pak / Ibu / Mas / Mbak / Abang / Kak) |
| To male > 20 years old | Pak (formal) |
| To female > 20 years old | Ibu (formal) |
| To male (same age / younger) | Mas (informal, used in most of Indonesia, especially Java) Abang Bung (informal, used in some parts of Indonesia, including Sumatra and the areas nearer to Malay speakers) |
| To female (same age / younger) | Mbak (informal, used in most of Indonesia, especially Java) Kakak Kak (informal, used in some parts of Indonesia, including Sumatra and the areas nearer to Malay speakers) |
Introductions
| English | Indonesian |
|---|---|
| Hello / How are you? | Apa kabar? (what news?) |
| Reply to ‘How are you?’ | Baik (fine) Baik-baik saja (all fine) Sehat (healthy) Bagaimana denganmu? (how about you?) |
| What’s your name? | Siapa nama Anda? (Who name you?) Anda namanya siapa? (You name is who?) |
| My name is … | Nama saya … (Name me …) Saya bernama … (I have a name of …) |
| Where are you from? | Anda berasal dari mana? (You originate from where?) |
| I’m from … | Saya dari … (I from …) |
| Pleased to meet you | Senang bertemu dengan Anda (Good to meet with you) |
| Thank you | Terima kasih (Receive love) / Makasih (very informal) |
| Reply to ‘Thank you’ | Sama-sama (Same-same) |
Greetings
| English | Indonesian |
|---|---|
| Good morning | Selamat pagi (Good morning; 0300H - 1100H) |
| Good afternoon | Selamat siang (Good afternoon; 1100H - 1500H) |
| Good evening | Selamat sore (Good afternoon / evening; 1500H - 1800H) |
| Good night (time) | Selamat malam (Good night; 1800H - 2400H) |
| Good night (when sleeping) | Selamat tidur (Good sleep) |
| Goodbye (to person staying) (to person leaving) |
Selamat tinggal (Safe stay) Selamat jalan (Safe journey) |
Mealtimes
| English | Indonesian |
|---|---|
| Bon appetit | Jemput makan (Pick-up eat) / Silakan (Carry on) |
| Spicy | Pedas |
| Less spicy | Kurang pedas (Less spicy) |
| Tastes sweet Tea (by default is sweet) |
Rasanya manis (It tastes sweet) Teh |
| Tastes salty | Rasanya asin (It tastes salty) |
| Tastes sour | Rasanya asam (It tastes sour) |
| Tastes sweet | Rasanya manis (It tastes sweet) |
| Tastes bitter | Rasanya pahit (It tastes bitter) |
| Plain Tea (slightly sweet) |
Tawar Teh tawar (Tea tasteless) |
| Iced | Ais |
| Water Hot water Cold water |
Air Air panas (Water hot) Air dingin (Water cold) |
| Rice | Nasi |
| Noodles | Mi |
| Fried | Goreng |
| Mixed | Campur |
| Add-on | Tambah |
| Chicken | Ayam |
| Fish | Ikan |
| Vegetables | Sayur |
| Special | Istimewa |
Directions
| English | Indonesian |
|---|---|
| Excuse me | Maaf (Excuse me) Permisi (Permission) |
| Where’s the toilet? | Kamar kecil / WC di mana? (Toilet at where?) Di manakah kamar kecil / WC? (At where is the toilet?) WC - pronounced as “way-ceh” |
| Harbour / Port | Pelabuhan |
| Building | Bangunan |
| How to get to … | Bagaimana pergi ke … (*How go to … *) |
| Van | Mobil van |
| Car | Mobil |
| Motorcycle | Sepada motor |
| Bicycle | Sepada |
 |
Mikrolet / Bemo |
 |
Bajaj |
| Tricycle | Becak |
| Taxi | Taksi |
| Bus | Bis |
Discounts
| English | Indonesian |
|---|---|
| Money | Uang (in Indonesian) / Wang (in Malay) |
| Price | Price |
| How much … price? | Harganya berapa? (Price it’s how much?) Ongkosnya berapa? (Fee it’s how much?) |
| Expensive | Mahal |
Asking Questions
| English | Indonesian |
|---|---|
| Who … | Siapa … |
| What … | Apa … |
| When … | Kapan … (in Indonesian) Bila … (in Malay) |
| Where … | Di mana … (at where …) |
| Why … | Mengapa … |
| How … | Bagaimana … |
Sailing
| English | Indonesian |
|---|---|
| Deep (of water) | Air dalam (Water deep) |
| Shallow (of water) | Air dangkal (Water shallow) |
| Wave | Ombak / Gelombang (can also mean tide) |
| Tide | Gelombang (can also mean wave) / Pasang |
| Choppy | Berombak (To have waves) |
| Calm | Tenang |
| Sunny | Cerah (Clear) |
| Cloudy | Berawan |
| Rain | Hujan |
| Heavy rain | Hujan deras / Hujan lebat |
| Danger | Bahaya |
| Left | Left |
| Left side | Di sebelah kiri (At left side) |
| Right | Kanan |
| Right side | Di sebelah kanan (At right side) |
| Turn | Belok |
| Stop | Berhenti |
| Anchor | Berlabuh (Berth) / Terapung (Afloat) |
| Continue | Meneruskan |
| In front | Di depan (At front) |
| Backward | Ke belakang (Go backward) |
| Behind | Di belakang (At backward) |
| Arah | Direction |
| North | Utara |
| Northeast | Timur laut |
| East | Timur |
| Southeast | Tenggara |
| South | Selatan |
| Southwest | Barat daya |
| West | Barat |
| Northwest | Barat laut |
| Degrees | Derajat |
| Latitude | Garis lintang (ketinggian) |
| Longitude | Garis bujur (panjang) |
| Pole | Kutub |
| Equator | Khatulistiwa |
| Mangrove | Bakau |
| Beach | Pantai |
Measurements & Days of the week
| English | Indonesian |
|---|---|
| Zero | Nol (in Indonesian) Sifar (in Malay) |
| One | Satu |
| Two | Dua |
| Three | Tiga |
| Four | Empat |
| Five | Lima |
| Six | Enam |
| Seven | Tujuh |
| Eight | Delapan (in Indonesian) Lapan (in Malay) |
| Nine | Sembilan |
| Ten | Sepuluh |
| Eleven | Sebelas |
| Twelve | Dua belas |
| Thirteen | Tiga belas |
| Fourteen | Empat belas |
| Fifteen | Lima belas |
| Sixteen | Enam belas |
| Seventeen | Tujuh belas |
| Eighteen | Delapan belas |
| Nineteen | Sembilan belas |
| Twenty | Dua puluh |
| Thirty | Tiga puluh |
| Fourty | Empat puluh |
| Fifty | Lima puluh |
| Sixty | Enam puluh |
| Seventy | Tujuh puluh |
| Eighty | Delapan puluh |
| Ninety | Sembilan puluh |
| One Hundred | Seratus |
| One Thousand | Seribu |
| One Million | Sejuta |
| English | Indonesian |
|---|---|
| Monday | hari Senin (in Indonesian) hari Isnin (in Malay) |
| Tuesday | hari Selasa |
| Wednesday | hari Rabu |
| Thursday | hari Kamis |
| Friday | hari Jumat |
| Saturday | hari Sabtu |
| Sunday | hari Minggu (in Indonesian) hari Ahad (in Malay) |
Miscellaneous
| English | Indonesian |
|---|---|
| NUS | Universiti Kebangsaan Singapura (in Malay) |
| University student | Mahasiswa |
| Professor | Profesor / Guru besar (Teacher big) |
| Research | Riset / Studi |
| Schooner | Kapal sekunar (Boat schooner) |
| Voyage | Pelayaran (Sailing) / Perjalanan (Journey) |
| Alumnus | Lulusan |
| English | Indonesian |
|---|---|
| Computer Science | Ilmu Komputer (Science Computer) |
| Accountancy | Akuntansi |
| Business | Perusahaan (Company) / Urusan (Management) |
| Political Science | Ilmu Politik (Science Political) |
| Geography | Geografi / Ilmu Bumi (Science Earth) |
| English Literature | Literatur Inggris (Literature English) / Sastra (Literature / Humanities) |
| Southeast Asian Studies | Studi Asia Tenggara |
| Biological Sciences | Ilmu Biologi (Science Biology) |
| Engineering | Insinyur (Engineer) |
| Ecology | Ekologi |
| Diversity | Perbedaan |
| Electricity | Listrik |
| Supply | Persediaan |
| Generate | Menghasilkan (To produce) |
| Coal | Batu bara (Stone coal) |
| Solar power | Tenaga surya (Energy sun) |
| History | Sejarah |
| Heritage | Warisan / Pusaka |
| Culture | Kebudayaan |
| Religion | Agama |
| Tradition | Adat / Tradisi |
Pronunciation
Indonesian language (Bahasa Indonesia) is written in A-Z. Pronunciation is similar, except:
- ‘J’ is pronounced as ‘Y’. e.g. Jogjakarta pronounced as Yogyakarta; Johanna (a name) pronounced as ‘Yohanna’.
- ‘C’ is pronounced as ‘ch’. e.g. Candi (temple) pronounced as ‘chandi’.
Word Construction
Each word is based on a root word (kata dasar). Prefixes and suffixes may be added to the root word to modify its meaning. e.g.:
| Root word + Prefix / Suffix | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| makan | makan | eat |
| me + makan | memakan | consume / use up |
| ter + makan | termakan | eaten accidentally |
| di + makan | dimakan | be eaten |
| makan + an | makanan | food |
| Root word + Prefix / Suffix | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| main | main | play |
| ber + main | bermain | to play |
| main + an | mainan | toy |
| per + main + an | permainan | game |
Each prefix and suffix generally have certain functions. For instance,
- ‘me-’ and ‘ber-’ generally describes action in the active.
- ‘-an’ generally makes the word a noun.
- ‘di-’ generally describes an action in the passive.
- ‘ter-’ generally is used for superlatives or accidental actions.
Sentence Structure
On sentence structures, see this useful link.
Generally, a sentence contains a subject, followed by a verb and then an object. There are no tenses in Indonesian. Whether an action will occur, is occurring, or has occurred is easily understood from auxiliary verbs placed before the verb. Here are some examples:
| To denote | Subject | Auxiliary Verb | Verb | Object |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Future tense | Saya (I) | akan (will) | makan (eat) | nasi (rice). |
| Present tense | Saya (I) | Sedang (am now) | makan (eating) | nasi (rice). |
| Past tense | Saya (I) | Sudah (already) | Makan (eaten) | nasi (rice). |
We can also use a time expression:
| Subject | Verb | Object | Time Expression |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saya (I) | makan (eat) | nasi (rice) | sekarang (now). |
| Saya (I) | makan (eat) | nasi (rice) | besok (tomorrow). |
| Saya (I) | makan (eat) | nasi (rice) | kemarin (yesterday). |
Here are some examples of Subject-Verb-Object sentences.
| Subject | Verb | Object |
|---|---|---|
| Ini (This) | - (is) | kapal saya (my ship). |
| Itu | - (are) | teman saya (my friends). |
| Mereka | - | mahasiswa NUS (NUS students). |
| Wanita itu (That lady) | - | cantik (pretty). |
| Baju dia (His/her shirt) | - | mahal (expensive). |
| Kakak laki-laki saya (My older brother) | tinggal (lives) | di pulau Lingga (in Lingga island). |
| Adik perempuan saya (My younger sister) | kuliah (goes to university) | di Universitas Gadjah Mada (at University Gadjah Mada). |
| Guru saya (My teacher) | baca (reads) | Batam Pos (Batam Post). |
| Keluarga mereka (Their family) | datang (comes) | dari pulau Singkep (from Singkep island). |
| Kami (We; excluding listener) | mau bertidur (want to sleep) | di dek kapal (on the ship’s deck). |
| Kita (We; including listener) | makan (eat) | nasi goreng (fried rice). |
| Mereka (They) | akan pulang (will return) | ke kapal (to the ship). |