Essential Malay Phrases


Sometimes you don't have time to learn long lists of words and phrases. All you want to know are the bare essentials for communicating to get what you need, or where you need to go.

Here are the bare minimum of Malay words and phrases you need to know to survive.

Learn the Top 10 Phrases if you only have time for the barest minimum. If you need or want more, then take a look at the Top 20 Phrases, Top 30 Phrases and the Extra Phrases.

If you need help with pronunciation, please see the Pronunciation Guide below. Here are ten easy phrases to get you started ... The Top 10 ... Hélo. Hello. Selamat tinggal. (to the person staying) Selamat jalan. (to the person leaving) Goodbye. Boléhkah anda berbahasa Inggeris? Do you speak English? Saya tidak faham. I don't understand. Sedikit saja. A little. Ya. Tidak. Yes. No. Berapa harganya? How much is it? Terlalu mahal. Baiklah. Too expensive. OK. Tolong. Please. Terima kasih (banyak). Thank you (very much).

Here are ten more phrases that will help you make new friends and ask for directions ... The Top 20 ...
	Siapa nama anda? What is your name? Nama saya ... My name is ... Apa khabar? How are you? Khabar baik. Anda pula? Fine. And you? ... di mana? Where is ...? Tandas di mana? Lelaki/Perempuan Where is the toilet? Men/Women (Minta) ma'af. Sorry. Excuse me. Tiada masalah. No problem. Saya mahu ... I want ... Saya tidak mahu ... I don't want ...

Here are another ten phrases to help you make a little more conversation and to get around ... The Top 30 ...

Anda berasal dari mana? Where are you from? Saya berasal dari Australia.* I am from Australia. Minta bilnya. The bill, please. Saya tersesat. I am lost. Berhentilah! Tunggulah! Stop! Wait! Di sini, di situ, di sana. Here, there, over there. Téksi. Hotél. Lapangan terbang. Stésén. Taxi. Hotel. Airport. Station. Saya suka ... I like ... Saya tidak suka ... I don't like ... satu, dua, tiga, empat, lima. one, two, three, four, five. enam, setujuh, lapan, sembilan, sepuluh. six, seven, eight, nine, ten. *Or choose your country: Amerika - America Kanada - Canada England - England Ireland - Ireland New Zealand

Here are some extra words and phrases you might find useful, especially if you have dietary needs or allergies ... Useful Extras ...

Selamat minum! Cheers! baik / buruk good / bad besar / kecil big / small dekat / jauh near / far kurang / lebih less / more yang lain / cukup another / enough Saya seorang vegetarian. I am vegetarian. Saya tidak makan daging. I don't eat meat. ... ayam. ... chicken. ... ikan. ... fish. Saya alergi terhadap kacang. I am allergic to nuts. ... kacang tanah. ... peanuts. ... ikan. ... fish. ... makanan laut. ... seafood. ... telur. ... eggs.