For a trip to Sumatra, you should know some basic Indonesian vocabulary. The goal is not to be fluent in Indonesian, of course, but rather to know a few simple words and phrases to communicate with the locals. You will be all the more warmly and hospitably received. Many locals in Sumatra in particular speak little or no English. It helps if you know a a little Indonesian vocabulary for your trip to Sumatra. You will also stand out from the many travellers who don’t even want to learn a simple hello or thank you.
Indonesian is not as difficult as you think
The good news first: Indonesian has the same Latin alphabet as many languages in Europe. You don’t have to learn complicated writing symbols, as you do with Thai or Vietnamese, for example. In addition, some words also come from Dutch or English, which makes learning a little easier, and the pronunciation is exactly as you read it. There are no silent letters or anything like that.
There are also no articles and no real tenses. The latter also reflects the way many Indonesians live. They live in the now. No matter what happened yesterday or what will happen tomorrow. We Europeans can take a leaf out of their book.
Basic Indonesian vocabulary/Common expressions
| Englisch | Indonesisch |
| Hello | Hai |
| Good morning/day/evening/night | Selamat pagi/siang/sore/malam |
| Yes | Ya |
| No | Tidak |
| Thanks | Terima kasih |
| How are you? | Apa kabar? |
| I am fine. Thank you. | Kabar baik. Terima kasih. |
| And you? | Dan kamu? |
| Good | baik |
| I don’t understand | Tidak mengirti |
| Sorry | Maaf |
| Goodbye | Selamat tinggal |
| My name is… | Nama saya… |
| Do you speak English? | Anda bisa bicara bahasa inggris? |
| Yes a little | Ya, sedikit |
| You’re welcome | Sama sama |
| See you later/tomorrow | Sampai jumpa (lagi / besok)! |
Bargain/Buy
| Englisch | Indonesisch |
| How much? | Berapa harganya? |
| That’s a good price | Itu adalah harga yang bagus |
| That’s too expensive | Itu mahal. |
| Can you make it cheaper? | Bisakah Anda menurunkan harganya? |
| I want to buy that? | Saya ingin membeli ini. |
| I like it/I don’t like it | Saya suka / saya tidak suka |
| GeldMoney | Uang |
| Price | Harga |
| I just have a look. | Saya lihat saja. |
Transport
| English | Indonesisch |
| Airplane | Pesawat |
| Bus | Bis |
| Taxi | Taksi |
| Boat | Kapal |
| Scooter | Sepeda Motor |
| Car | Mobil |
| Train | Kereta Api |
| Bus station | Stasiun bis |
Directions
| English | Indonesisch |
| Where is…?/ I wan to go to… | Mana…? Mau ke… |
| Bank | Bank |
| Station | Stasiun |
| City center | Pusat Kota |
| Hotel | Hotel |
| Hospital | Rumah Sakit |
| Is it far? | Apakah itu jauh? |
| Straight ahead | Turus |
| Left/Right | Ke kiri/ke kanan |
Numbers
| English | Indonesisch |
| one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten | satu, dua, tiga, empat, lima, enam, tujuh, delapan, sembilan, sepuluh |
| twenty, thirty, forty… | dua puluh, tiga puluh, empat puluh… |
| Hundred, two hundred, three hundred… | Se ratus, dua ratus, tiga ratus… |
| Hundred thousand, two hundred thousand, three hundred thousand… | Seratus ribu, dua ratus ribu, tiga ratus ribu… |
Time, Date, Days
| English | Indonesisch |
| What time is it? | Berapa jam? |
| When? | Jam berapa? |
| Yesterday | Kemarin |
| Today | Hari ini |
| Tomorrow | Besok |
| Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday | Senin, Selasa, Rabu, Kamis, Jumat, Sabtu, Minggu |
| I am on vacation | Saya berlibur di sini |
| Day/s | Hari/Hari-Hari |
| Week/s | Minggu/Minggu-Minggu |
| Month/s | Bulan/Bulan-Bulan |
Eat and dring
| English | Indonesisch |
| Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner | Sarapan/makan siang/makan malam |
| to eat | makan |
| to drink | minum |
| I want… | Saya mau… |
| I don’t eat meat/fish/egg/cheese | Saya tidak makan daging/ikan/telur/keju |
| with | dengan |
| without | tanpa |
| sugar | Gula |
| salt | Garam |
| Vegetables | Sayuran |
| Soy sauce | Kecap (pronounced like Ketchup!) |
| Ketchup | Saus tomat |
| cold/hot | dingin/panas |
| Tasty | Enak sekali |
| Spicy/not spicy | pedas/tidak pedas |
| Rice/fried rice | Nasi/Nasi goreng |
| Noodles/fried noodles | Mie/Mie goreng |
| French fries | Kentang goreng |
| Potato | Kentang |
| Fruit | Buah |
| Tomato | Tomat |
| Banana | Pisang |
| Pineapple | Nanas |
| Papaya | Pepaya |
| Avocado | Alpukat |
| Mango | Mangga |
| Coconut | Kelapa |
| Peanut | Kacang |
| Water | Air |
| Coffee/tea | Kopi/Teh |
| Ice | Es |
| Juice | Jus |
| Beer | Bir |
| I want to pay | Mau bayar |
We have also put together a dedicated article on Sumatra for vegetarians and vegans.
We hope that these Indonesian vocabulary words will help you on your Sumatra trip. If anything is missing or you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at any time.
