Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Indonesia [chapter 3]: language

It might be worth speaking a bit of Bahasa. Bahasa means language, and Bahasa Indonesia is the lingua franca of the archipelago, a good lingua franca is clearly necessary… When pronounced or spoken sentences in Bahasa Indonesia (Bahasa) are generally not as lively as English, and like Deutsche (Germany), Bahasa words are pronounced more or less as are written. Compared with European languages, grammar is very simple.

It's good to talk a bit about the language of a country you're visiting or at least understand the term commonly used or greetings - this will allow you to get a better game, with people and culture. It also helps to speak a little of the language when negotiating memories in the tourist areas, as a little knowledge goes a long way to get a better price!

Here are some common expressions be able to use:
Selamat datang ----> welcome
Apa kabar? --------> how are you ?
Selamat pagi -------> good morning
Selamat siang ------> good may
Selamat sore -------> good afternoon
Selamat malam ----> good evening
Selamat makan ----> have a nice meal
Selamat jalan ------> have a nice trip / goodbye (if someone is leaving)
Selamat tinggal ----> goodbye (if you are leaving)
Terima kasih ------> thank you
Sama sama --------> don't mention it
Tidak terimah kasih ---> no, thanks
Berapa harganya? -----> how much does it cost / what's the price?
Mahal! -------------> expensive!
Murah! ------------> cheap
Boleh tawar? ------ > can I bargain
Harga pas ---------> fixed price

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