Based on the Malay trade dialect, Bahasa Indonesia is the national language of the Republic of

Indonesia. It unites the over 237 million people of Indonesia (May 2010), whose native tongue
may be one of the over 300 distinct languages or regional dialects. Older people may speak some
Dutch and English is the foreign language of choice for business, tourism and study.
While it may be technically possible for foreigners to live in Jakarta without learning/speaking
Bahasa Indonesia, it is highly recommended that you obtain a working knowledge of the
Indonesian national language. An inability to communicate in Bahasa Indonesia will cut you off
from the mainstream of society, and dealing with those Indonesians who don't speak your foreign
language will be very difficult. By not learning the language, you also deny yourself the rich
cultural experience of fully communicating with those from another culture. Indonesians are
appreciative of foreigners that make the effort to learn Bahasa Indonesian and build relationships
with them. Both business and personal relationships with Indonesians will improve because of
the effort made to learn their language.
To get you started and introduce you to the Indonesian national language, are some basic phrases
in Bahasa Indonesia.
Click on the link to the Indonesian phrase below to hear the phrases in Indonesian:

Greetings:
Good morning
Good mid-day
Good evening
Good-bye
Thank you
You're welcome
How are you?
Excuse me

Selamat Pagi
Selamat siang
Selamat malam
Selamat tinggal (if you're leaving)
Selamat jalan (to someone who is leaving you)
Terima kasih
Kembali or sama-sama
Apa kabar?
Permisi or maaf

Communicating:
Do you speak English?
I don't speak Indonesian.
I don't understand.

Bisa bicara Bahasa Inggris?

Saya tidak bisa bicara bahasa Indonesia.
Saya tidak mengerti.

Requesting basic assistance:

Can you help me?
Where is the bathroom?

Bisa bantu saya?

Di mana kamar kecil?

Where is . . .
How much is this?
I want this.
I want to eat.

Di mana . . .
Berapa harganya ini?
Saya mau ini.
Saya mau makan.

Getting home:
My address is ...
Please take me to ...

Alamat saya...
Tolong, antar saya ke ...

[Download All Sound Clips (514 Kb)] This is a zipped file.

Learning Bahasa Indonesia

The best time to start learning Bahasa Indonesia is before you even make your move to
Indonesia, however it may be difficult to find language materials in your home country. You may
want to ask your sponsoring company to help you obtain tapes and books several months before
you move, so that you can start becoming used to the sound of the language and start
familiarizing yourself with its structure and vocabulary.
Bahasa Indonesia is not as difficult to learn as many other foreign languages as verbs aren't
conjugated as in English and French. Bahasa Indonesia also uses the same alphabet as English,
making it much easier to learn when compared to other Asian languages where tonal differences
and pictograph written languages are common.

Formal Courses
Soon after your arrival in Indonesia, you may want to make it a priority to register for a Bahasa
Indonesia course. Often your sponsoring company will pay for at least 40 hours of instruction.
There are several excellent schools and community organizations in Jakarta (and other cities)
which have comprehensive, structured programs to help you begin learning Indonesian. Learning
Indonesian properly from the beginning cannot be stressed enough.

An advantage of signing up for a course is that it's a great place to meet other newcomers and
make friends. The people that you will be taking the course with will also be facing many of the
settling in and adjustments challenges that you too face as a newcomer. Advice and shared
resources with help to ease your transition. Some people find they are more committee to attend
a class rather than arrange for a private tutor.
Several schools offer 3 and 4 week intensive programs, in Bali or Yogyakarta, where you can
study for the full day and have some enjoyable cultural experiences as well. These schools are
suited for expats who need to learn Bahasa Indonesia quickly, such as diplomats or those with
jobs where they have a lot of interaction with Indonesians who don't speak English (or another
foreign language).

Tutors
Some expats opt for private lessons in their home or office from private tutors because of their
time restrictions or wanting to save on travel time. This option tends to be the most expensive,
however gives the opportunity for the instruction to be tailored to specifically meet your needs.
Even though the tutor may come highly recommended from other expats, that does not ensure
the quality of their instruction. Teachers that are employed from quality schools may be the most
qualified and have a proven curriculum that they will follow. You many however just want to
cover specific sections of the course that best meet your needs. You may also find it useful to
meet with a tutor for a period after you have completed several levels of a formal course. That
way they can help you with any special problems or requirements you may have.

Self-Taught Bahasa Indonesia

Some expats opt to learn Bahasa Indonesia on their own. Excellent books to learn Bahasa
Indonesia are available in bookstores in the major cities. Once you are in Indonesia, you will
have the opportunity to practice your fledgling Indonesian with your household staff, driver,
vendors, people you meet in the stores, and social encounters. The diligent will quickly pick up
enough Bahasa Indonesia to feel comfortable interacting with Indonesians on a daily basis.
The Bahasa Indonesian that is used on a daily basis by Indonesians is quite different than what
you may learn in a formal course. Look at your needs and who you will be speaking with to
determine the best method for you to learn the language.

Pen Pals and Indonesian Friends

True fluency in a language requires active use of

the language. Many expats find it helpful to get a pen pal or have a "language buddy"
relationship with an Indonesian where you help each other to learn a desired language by sharing
your skills. This can be as simple as setting up a time to meet once or twice a week where you
focus on learning language and developing a friendship over coffee or email each other any
questions you have about the language.
Many Indonesians want to learn English, or French, or German ... so if you want to learn Bahasa
Indonesia, offer to "trade" skills by investing time in each other's language studies. Obviously
you can pay a private tutor to do the same thing, but this type of a relationship is based on mutual
benefit and doesn't involve payment. One time you focus on helping the expat to learn
Indonesian, and the next time you meet you focus on helping the Indonesian to learn the foreign
language.
Two great places to chat with Indonesians wanting to learn English or to find an Indonesian pen
pal is on the Living in Indonesia Expat Forum.