Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Basic Bahasa Indonesian Words and Phrases

Bahasa Indonesia is the national language of the Republic of Indonesia. Just like any other country with many dialects, the Bahasa language unites all of its people. Bahasa Indonesian also has its similarities with the Malaysian Bahasa language. Although they are almost the same, they are not entirely similar. In fact there are other words or phrases, which are used differently in both languages. Nevertheless, Bahasa is one language that is truly worthwhile to learn.

If you have plans of visiting Indonesia, or perhaps plan to stay there indefinitely, you will be doing yourself a great favor if you take some time to learn the Bahasa Indonesian language. The best time to learn it is before you arrive in Indonesia, of course. If you're unable to communicate with the locals, you might see yourself singled out from the mainstream of society. While many also know how to speak a few English words, most Indonesians still do not know how to speak English fluently. You might find yourself in a difficult situation in dealing with them if you are faced with a language barrier.

Bahasa Indonesian is a very interesting language and is easy to learn. You just have to be mindful of the stress and intonation of certain words here and there. Apart from that, you will be good to go.

To help you get through your Bahasa Indonesian lessons, here are some of the basic words or phrases that you need to keep in handy:

Good morning - Selamat Pagi

Good afternoon - Selamat Siang

Good evening - Selamat Malam

If you are leaving, you can say:

Good-bye - Selamat Tinggal

Or if you want to say goodbye to a person leaving:

Good-bye - Selamat Jalan

Here are some more important phrases:

Thank you - Terima Kasih

You're welcome - Sama-Sama

How are you? - Apa kabar?

Excuse me - Permisi / Maaf

After learning these few words, and when you land in Indonesia, you may opt to enrol yourself in a formal Bahasa Indonesian language school to help you polish your newly acquired dialect. This will help you in dealing with the locals, and every day living as well. You can also find other foreigners who have stayed in Indonesia for years and you can ask them to help you get around the locality.

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