Learning Bahasa Indonesia

[elzyech]

Based on the Malay trade dialect, Bahasa Indonesia is the national language of the Republic of Indonesia. It unites the over 242 million people (2005 estimate) of Indonesia, 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/Bali 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.

To get you started and introduce you to the Indonesian national language, are some basic phrases in Bahasa Indonesia.


Greetings:
Good morning Selamat Pagi
Good mid-day Selamat siang
Good evening Selamat malam
Good-bye Selamat tinggal (if you're leaving)
Selamat jalan (to someone who is leaving you)
Thank you Terima kasih
You're welcome Kembali or sama-sama
How are you? Apa kabar?
Excuse me Permisi or maaf
Communicating:
Do you speak English? Bisa bicara Bahasa Inggris?
I don't speak Indonesian. Saya tidak bisa bicara bahasa Indonesia.
I don't understand. Saya tidak mengerti.
Requesting basic assistance:
Can you help me? Bisa bantu saya?
Where is the bathroom? Di mana kamar kecil?
Where is . . . Di mana . . .
How much is this? Berapa harganya ini?
I want this. Saya mau ini.
I want to eat. Saya mau makan.
Getting home:
My address is ... Alamat saya...
Please take me to ... Tolong, antar saya ke ...

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. 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.

Formal Courses
Soon after your arrival in Indonesia, make it a priority to register for a Bahasa Indonesia course. There are several excellent schools and community organizations in Jakarta/Bali (and other cities) which have comprehensive, structured programs to help you begin learning Indonesian. Learning Indonesian properly from the beginning can not be stressed enough.

Another 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.

Several schools offer intensive programs, in Bali or Yogyakarta, where you can study for the full day and have some enjoyable cultural experiences as well.

[Verena]

Thank you for all the information about the Indonesian language . Do you know any good schools, courses or teachers in Bali to study Bahasa Indonesia? How much do you think does a course normally cost? And does anybody know a good book to study Bahasa Indonesia?

[vema123]

Below are also some common phrases used in Bali:

Greetings:
Good morning Selamat Pagi
Good mid-day Selamat siang
Good evening Selamat malam
Good-bye Selamat tinggal (if you're leaving)
Selamat jalan (to someone who is leaving you)
Thank you Terima kasih
You're welcome Kembali or sama-sama
How are you? Apa kabar?
Excuse me Permisi or maaf
Communicating:
Do you speak English? Bisa bicara Bahasa Inggris?
I don't speak Indonesian. Saya tidak bisa bicara bahasa Indonesia.
I don't understand. Saya tidak mengerti.
Requesting basic assistance:
Can you help me? Bisa bantu saya?
Where is the bathroom? Di mana kamar kecil?
Where is . . . Di mana . . .
How much is this? Berapa harganya ini?
I want this. Saya mau ini.
I want to eat. Saya mau makan.
Getting home:
My address is ... Alamat saya...
Please take me to ... Tolong, antar saya ke ...

source:
http://indonesianlanguage.net/online-indonesian