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++Indonesian Phrase Book and Dictionary++
LAND OF SMILES
ประเทศไทย / thailand
THAILAND IS MORE THAN A COUNTRY, IT IS A SPIRITUAL ESSENCE, AND A QUALITY OF BEING WHICH CAN BE RECOGNIZED, BUT NEVER REALLY CAPTURED. This is the land of 13 smiles, saffron-robed monks, and golden temples galore. Elephants and stupas and pick-up trucks. Energy drinks at 7-11, and pad thai everywhere. orum/index.php?showtopic=211440">Asia Finest Forums pointed out, probably Maritime Southeast Asia (Indonesia-Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei-Philippines) would composed of 30 something kingdoms and countries similar to small Carribean countries. All of them speaking variants of Bahasa.) Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Malaysia have long been considered two of the easiest
Thailand -- The Land of Smiles
Thailand was the first foreign country I ever visited, and I doubt that I will ever experience culture shock as intense as that again, unless I somehow make it to subSaharan Africa. It began my love affair with Asia.. There are 76 provinces (จ.) in Thailand, and you will never be lacking in finding someone to talk to, so long as you are open enough in nature. Anyway, here is a list of basic expressions and vocab you can use, gleened from my experiences (including TV viewing at a room at the Malaya Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, where I stayed in late April 2005. Specifically they were the Bahasa subtitles of the crappy B-grade Amercian movies that I watched there. Not much of a glorious source for my Bahasa material, I know, but I kind of feel like they represent the real Bahasa that the real people of Indonesia and Malaysia love. There is no culture like popular culture!)
So here is my glossary, gleaned from the depths of Malay TV, walking the streets, and browsing Bahasa textbooks in air-conditioned Malaysian and Indonesia bookshops:
Bangkok
I HAVE SAID it before that I consider Bangkok one of the most intense, intoxicating and infuriating cities in the world. Sure, it may be hot and surly, noisy and polluted -- but prod a little deeper, and you will find an older world. A languid brown river snaking beneath a noontime sun -- that is the real Bangkok. A golden wat shining like a star in the humid dark. A golden wat shining in the humid dark -- that is my vision of Bangkok. Selamat malam .......... Good evening, good night.Selamat jalan .......... Good bye.
Selamat datang .......... Welcome.
Selamat datang ke Kuala Lumpur .......... Welcome to Kuala Lumpur.
Apa kabar? .......... How are you (lit. What's new?)
Apa baru? .......... What's new? (Malaysia).
Terima kasih .......... Thank you.
Sampai bertemu lagi .......... See you later.
Maaf .......... Sorry, pardon me.
Saya tidak mengerti .......... I don't understand.
Apa saudara dapat bicara Bahasa Inggeris? .......... Can you speak English?
Asal saya dari * .......... I'm from *.
Dari mana asal saudara? .......... Where are you from?
Di mana saudara tinggal? .......... Where do you live?
Baik, terima kasih .......... I'm fine, thank you.
Apa-apa .......... Okay, all right.
Kamu dak apa-apa? .......... Are you okay? (Malaysia)
1 .......... Satu.
2 .......... Dua.
3 .......... Tiga.
4 .......... Empat.
5 .......... Lima.
6 .......... Enam.
7 .......... Tujuh.
8 .......... Delapan.
9 .......... Sembilan.
10 .......... Sepuluh.
11 .......... Sebelas.
12 .......... Dua belas.
20 .......... Dua puluh.
21 .......... Dua puluh satu.
30 .......... Tiga puluh.
100 .......... Seratus.
1000 .......... Seribu.
1/2 .......... Setengah.
Monday .......... Hari Senen.
Tuesday .......... Hari Selasa.
Wednesday .......... Hari abu.
Thursday .......... Hari Kamis.
Friday .......... Hari Jum'at.
Saturday .......... Hari Sabtu.
Sunday .......... Hari Minggu.
When? .......... Kapan?
Jam berapa? .......... What time?
Pada jam satu .......... At 1 o'clock.
Hari ini .......... Today.
Besok .......... Tomorrow.
Kemarin .......... Yesterday.
Berapa lama? .......... How long?
Sekarang .......... Now.
Nanti .......... Shortly, soon.
Jam .......... Hour.
Buka 24 Jam .......... Open 24 hours (eg 7-11).
Menit .......... Minute.
Minggu .......... Week.
Bulan .......... Month.
Tahun .......... Year.
Bagus .......... Good (can also use in Indonesia.)
Tak .......... No (Indonesia use "tidak").
Di mana-mana .......... It could be anywhere.
Dia pergi ke mana? .......... Where did he go?
Ini untuk awak .......... This came for you.
Pergi! .......... Go!
Pergilah! .......... Okay, go!
Duduklah! .......... Okay, sit down!
Minumlah! .......... Okay, drink!
Baiklah! .......... It's okay!
Boleh .......... Be allowed (Indonesia also okay.)
Tak boleh .......... No, you are not allowed (eg, to kiss me).
Pergi buka pintu .......... Go open the door.
Tidak ada apa-apa .......... No problem, everything okay.
Saya juga! .......... Me too!
Saya di sini! .......... I'm here!
Tuan juga! .......... You too!
For more detailed, broken-down lessons in Basic Bahasa (both Indonesian and Malaysian -- sorry it is a bit mixed up here!), click on one of the below links:
Last update September 2012.
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