What Indonesian phrases should travellers know?

Bahasa Indonesia has no verb conjugation, no tenses, no genders and no articles. Plurals are made by saying the word twice. It is one of the easiest major languages for an English speaker to get started in, and using twenty words of it changes how people respond to you.

The essentials

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Terima kasih is the one that matters most and is the most consistently mangled. It is pronounced roughly "tree-ma ka-see". Shortened to makasih in casual speech.

Useful in a warung

• Saya mau... — I want...
• Tanpa daging — without meat
• Tidak pedas — not spicy
• Pedas sedikit — a little spicy
• Air putih — plain drinking water
• Es — ice
• Bungkus — takeaway, to wrap
• Bon, please or minta bon — the bill

Numbers

Satu, dua, tiga, empat, lima, enam, tujuh, delapan, sembilan, sepuluh. Then ribu for thousand, which is all you need for money: lima puluh ribu is 50,000.

In practice people say "50" and mean 50,000, because everything is in thousands.

Pronunciation

Almost entirely phonetic, and stable.

• c is "ch": cabe is "cha-bay".
• j is as in English: jalan is "ja-lan".
• ng as in "singer".
• Vowels are pure: a as in father, i as in machine, u as in moon, e is either "eh" or a soft schwa.
• r is rolled lightly.

Balinese, which is different

Balinese is a separate language from Indonesian, with speech levels that change depending on who you are talking to. Almost nobody expects a visitor to use it, which is exactly why a couple of words land so well.

• Om Swastiastu — the Balinese greeting, used formally and at ceremonies.
• Suksma — thank you.
• Matur suksma — thank you, more polite.
• Rahajeng semeng — good morning.

Say suksma to a Balinese person and watch what happens to the conversation.

Manners that matter more than vocabulary

• Use the right hand to give, receive and eat. The left is considered unclean.
• Do not touch anyone's head, including children's.
• Point with the thumb or an open hand, not a single finger.
• Smile and stay calm. Losing your temper in public here means you lose the argument and the respect of everyone watching.
• Take your shoes off entering a home or a temple building where others have.

Getting around in Indonesian

• Ke... berapa? — How much to...?
• Belok kiri / kanan — Turn left / right
• Lurus — Straight on
• Berhenti di sini — Stop here
• Pelan-pelan — Slowly
• Jauh / dekat — Far / near
• Kamar kecil or toilet — Bathroom

The words you will hear constantly

Sudah — already, done, finished. Used for everything: have you eaten, are you finished, is it done.

Belum — not yet, which is the polite negative for anything that might happen eventually.

Jam karet — "rubber time", the cheerful acknowledgement that punctuality is flexible here.

Bule — a foreigner, usually a Westerner. Not an insult, and used constantly.

Sayang — a term of affection, and also "what a shame".

Adat — customary law and tradition, which governs a great deal in a Balinese village.

Banjar — the village association that runs community life, ceremonies and local disputes.