Indonesian Phrases for Bali at A1: Greetings, Food, Scooters and Markets
Indonesian is the friendliest language in Southeast Asia to start. It has no tones, it uses the same alphabet as English, and words are mostly read the way they are written. Learn twenty phrases before you land in Bali and you will use every one of them in your first two days.
In Bali people speak Indonesian with visitors and Balinese with each other. Indonesian is all you need, and it is a gentle language to begin with. There are no tones, and the spelling is regular. The one letter to watch is c, which is always said like the ch in church.
Every phrase below comes with a pronunciation in plain English letters. It is a guide, not an exact transcription, and you will be understood. The full set is in our list of basic Indonesian phrases for Bali and beyond.
Greetings change with the time of day
Indonesian greetings start with selamat and end with the time of day. Selamat pagi is for the morning, selamat siang for around midday, selamat sore for the afternoon and selamat malam for the evening. Using the right one is a small thing that people notice.
Terima kasih, tuh-ree-mah kah-see, is thank you, and the answer you will hear is sama-sama, you are welcome.
| English | Indonesian | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| Good morning | Selamat pagi | suh-lah-maht pah-gee |
| Good evening | Selamat malam | suh-lah-maht mah-lum |
| Thank you | Terima kasih | tuh-ree-mah kah-see |
| You are welcome | Sama-sama | sah-mah sah-mah |
| Excuse me (to pass or ask) | Permisi | per-mee-see |
| How are you? | Apa kabar? | ah-pah kah-bar |
| I do not understand | Saya tidak mengerti | sah-yah tee-dak muh-ngur-tee |
Two Balinese words
Om Swastiastu, said ohm swus-tee-us-too, is the Balinese Hindu greeting, and locals smile when a visitor uses it. Suksma, sook-smah, is thank you in Balinese. Both are a friendly extra, not a requirement: terima kasih works everywhere on the island.
At a warung
A warung is a small family restaurant, and it is where the best food in Bali often is. Tidak pedas, tee-dak puh-das, means not spicy, and sedikit pedas means a little spicy. Enak, eh-nak, means delicious.
For drinks, tanpa es is no ice and tanpa gula is no sugar, which is worth knowing because iced tea often comes very sweet. When you are ready to pay, minta bonnya asks for the bill.
| English | Indonesian | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| Not spicy | Tidak pedas | tee-dak puh-das |
| A little spicy | Sedikit pedas | suh-dee-kit puh-das |
| Delicious | Enak | eh-nak |
| Bottled water | Air mineral | ah-eer mee-neh-ral |
| No ice | Tanpa es | tun-pah es |
| No sugar | Tanpa gula | tun-pah goo-lah |
| The bill, please | Minta bonnya | min-tah bon-nyah |
Getting around
Whether you are on the back of a scooter or in a car, four phrases cover most directions: lurus, go straight; belok kiri, turn left; belok kanan, turn right; and berhenti di sini, stop here. Di mana asks where something is, so di mana toilet is a sentence you will use more than once.
If something goes wrong
Most trips need none of these, but they are worth having ready. Tolong, toh-long, is help. Saya perlu dokter, sah-yah per-loo dok-ter, means I need a doctor, rumah sakit is a hospital and apotek is a pharmacy. If you lose your way on a scooter ride, saya tersesat means I am lost, and almost anyone will stop to point you in the right direction.
Prices and bargaining
Berapa harganya, buh-rah-pah har-gah-nyah, asks how much it is. Rupiah prices are large numbers, and people say them in thousands: 50,000 rupiah is lima puluh ribu. At a market, terlalu mahal means too expensive and boleh kurang asks whether the seller can go lower. Keep it light and smile; bargaining is normal at markets but not in shops with price tags.
To make the phrases stick, choose the ten you will need first, say each one aloud, and test yourself again over the next few days before you fly. The full Indonesian list has numbers, health phrases and the rest.