What is the main language in Indonesia?
Bahasa Indonesia is the official and national language spoken in Indonesia. It is the official language of communication, used in the learning process in schools as well as in broadcasting on digital and electronic media. Most Indonesians have their own regional languages and dialects, the most common being Javanese and Sundanese. In addition, Chinese in Indonesia also still use some Chinese dialects, most notably Hokkien in Medan and Teochew in Pontianak.
Do Indonesians understand and speak English?
English is not widely spoken in Indonesia, but in major cities and tourist destinations including Bali, Batam, Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya and Yogyakarta, a basic level of English can be understood by local people. In addition, most hotel and airline staff can also communicate in basic to moderate English.
What are some phrases in Indonesian that can help me?
Indonesian pronunciation is relatively easy to master, as each letter represents the same sound and most letters are pronounced like English letters.
Here are some examples of common phrases in Indonesian that can be used in conversation:
- Good Morning = Selamat Pagi
- Good Day = Selamat Siang
- Good Afternoon = Selamat Sore
- Good Evening/Good Night = Selamat Malam
- Goodbye = Selamat Tinggal
- How are you? = Apa Kabar
- I’m Fine/Good/Great = Baik-baik (as an answer to Apa Kabar)
- Excuse me = Permisi
- Sorry = Maaf
- Please = Silahkan
- Help! = Tolong!
- Thank You = Terima Kasih
- You’re Welcome = Terima kasih Kembali
- Yes = Ya
- Tidak = No
- Mr/Sir = Bapak
- Ms/Ms/Madam = Ibu
- Miss = Nona
- How much/many = Berapa
- How much is it (price)? = Berapa Harganya?
- Where is… = Dimana….
- How to get There = bagaimana caranya kesana?
- I want… = Saya Mau…
- I don’t want… = Saya Tidak Mau…..