Malay phrasebook

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Malay (Malay: Bahasa Melayu) is the sole official language of Malaysia and Brunei, and one of four in Singapore. It is closely related to Indonesian, but the main difference is the vocabulary: Indonesian has been heavily influenced by Dutch and Javanese (and also Sanskrit), while Malay has been heavily influenced by English and Arabic.

Grammar

Malay word order is subject-verb-object like English. There are no plurals, grammatical gender, or verb conjugation for person, number or tense, all of which are expressed with adverbs or tense indicators: saya makan, "I eat" (now), saya makan sudah, "I eat already" = "I ate".

A characteristic of Malay is that it is a so-called agglutinative language, which means that the suffixes are all attached to a base root. So a word can become very long. For example there is a base word hasil which means "result". But it can be extended as far as ketidakberhasilannya, which means his/her failure.

Pronunciation guide

Malay is very easy to pronounce: it has one of the most phonetic writing systems in the world, with only a small number of simple consonants and relatively few vowel sounds. One peculiarity of the spelling is the lack for a separate sign to denote the schwa. It is written as an 'e', which can sometimes be confusing.

Vowels

a: like 'a' in "father"
e: like 'e' in "vowel" (schwa)
é: like 'e' in "bed", usually the difference between a schwa and an e is not indicated in writing
i: like 'i' in "thin"
o: like 'ow' in "low", in open positions or like 'o' in "top" in close positions
u: like 'oo' in "hoop", in open positions or like 'o' in ?hope? in close positions

Consonants

b: like 'b' in "bed"
c: like 'ch' in "China"
ch: old spelling of c
d: like 'd' in "dog"
f: like 'ph' in "phone"
g: like 'g' in "go"
h: like 'h' in "help"
j: like 'dg' in "edge"; in older romanizations also the vowel i
k: like 'c' in "cat", often silent at the end of a word
kh: like 'ch' in "loch"
l: like 'l' in "love"
m: like 'm' in "mother"
n: like 'n' in "nice"
p: like 'p' in "pig"
q: like 'q' in "quest" (with "u", almost always, only in Arabic borrowings)
r: like 'rr' in Spanish "perro"
s: like 'ss' in "hiss"
sy: like 'sh' in "sheep"

t: like 't' in "top"
v: like 'ph' in "phone"
w: like 'w' in "weight"
x: like 'cks' in "kicks"
y: like 'y' in "yes"
z: like 's' in "hiss", like 'z' in "haze", like 'dg' in "edge"

Common diphthongs

ai: like 'ay' in "say"
au: like 'ow' in "cow"
oi: like 'oy' in "boy"

Phrase list

Basics

Tak nak?

Colloquial Malay shortens commonly used words mercilessly.

sudah → dah: already
tidak → tak: no
hendak → nak: to want
aku → ku: I (informal)
kamu → mu: you (informal)

-ku and -mu also act as suffixes: keretaku is short for kereta aku, "my car".

Hello.: Hello. (Hello)
Hello. (informal): Hi. (Hi)
How are you?: Apa khabar? (AH-pAh KAH-bar?)
Fine, thank you.: Baik, terima kasih. (BAYK, TREE-muh KUS-see)
What is your name?: Siapa nama anda? (shah-puh NUM-muh UN-duh?)
My name is ______ .: Nama saya ______ . (NUM-MUH suh-yuh _____ .)
Nice to meet you.: Senang berjumpa dengan Anda. (SNUNG burr-tuh-moo UN-duh)
Please.: Silakan. (see-LUH-kunn)
Please. (request): Tolong. (TOH-long)
Thank you.: Terima kasih.
You're welcome.: Sama-sama. (?)
Yes.: Ya. (YUH)
No.: Tidak. (TEE-duh), Tak (TAH)
Maybe: Mungkin. (Munk-Kin)
Excuse me. (getting attention): Boleh tumpang tanya? ( )
Excuse me. (begging pardon): Maaf. (?)
I'm sorry.: Maaf. (?)
Goodbye: Selamat tinggal. (?), Selamat Jalan
Goodbye (informal): ...
I can't speak Malay well.: Saya tidak boleh berbahasa Melayu dengan baik. (?)
Do you speak English?: Boleh anda cakap bahasa Inggeris? (?)
Is there someone here who speaks English?: Ada orang yang boleh berbahasa Inggeris? (?), Ada sesiapa yang boleh bercakap Inggeris di sini?
Help!: Tolong! (?)
Look out!: Hati-hati! (?)
Good morning.: Selamat pagi. (slum-mut PUH-GUEE)
Good afternoon.: Selamat petang.
Good evening.: Selamat petang. (?)
Good night.: Selamat malam. (?)
Good night (to sleep): Selamat tidur. (?)
I don't understand.: Saya tidak faham. (?)
Where is the toilet?: Tandas di mana? (TAHN-das DEE muh-nuh?)

Problems

Leave me alone.: Jangan ganggu saya. (...)
Don't touch me!: Jangan pegang saya! (...)
I'll call the police.: Saya akan panggil polis. (...)
Police!: Polis! (...)
Stop! Thief!: Berhenti! Pencuri! (...)
I need your help.: Saya perlukan bantuan anda. (...)
It's an emergency.: Ini kecemasan. (...)
I'm lost.: Saya tersesat. (...)
I lost my bag.: Saya kehilangan beg saya. (...)
I lost my wallet.: Saya kehilangan dompet saya. (...)
I'm sick.: Saya sakit. (...)
I've been injured.: Saya terluka. (...)
I need to see a doctor.: Saya perlu jumpa doktor. (...)
Can I use your phone?: Boleh saya gunakan telefon anda? (...)

Numbers

0: Sifar / kosong (COSS-song)
1: satu (...)
2: dua (...)
3: tiga (...)
4: empat (...)
5: lima (...)
6: enam (...)
7: tujuh (...)
8: lapan (...)
9: sembilan (...)
10: sepuluh (...)
11: sebelas (...)
12: duabelas (...)
13: tigabelas (...)
14: empatbelas
20: duapuluh (...)
21: duapuluh satu (...)
22: duapuluh dua (...)
23: duapuluh tiga (...)
30: tiga puluh (...)
40: empat puluh (...)
50: lima puluh (...)
100: seratus (...)
200: dua ratus (...)
300: tiga ratus (...)
1000: seribu (...)
1100: seribu seratus (...)
1152: seribu seratus lima puluh dua (...)
1200: seribu duaratus (...)
1500: seribu limaratus (...)
2000: dua ribu (...)
2100: dua ribu seratus (...)
10,000: sepuluh ribu (...)
20,000: duapuluh ribu (...)
100,000: seratus ribu (...)
150,000: seratus limapuluh ribu (...)
156,125: seratus limapuluh enam ribu seratus duapuluh lima (...)
250,000: duaratus limapuluh ribu / Suku juta (quarter of a million) (...)
500,000: limaratus ribu / setengah juta (half a million) (...)
1,000,000: satu juta (...)
1,150,000: satu juta seratus limapuluh ribu (...)
1,250,000: satu suku juta (...)
1,500,000: satu setengah juta (...)
1,750,000: satu juta tujuh ratus limapuluh ribu (...)
1,000,000,000: satu milion
1,000,000,000,000: satu trilium
number _____ (train, bus, etc.): nombor _____ (...)
half: setengah (...)
quarter: suku (...)
three quarter: tiga suku (...)
less: kurang (...)
more: lebih (...)

Time

now: sekarang (...)
later: nanti (...)
before: sebelum (...)
after: selepas (...)
morning: pagi (0.00 ? 10.30) (...)
afternoon: tengahari (10.30 ? 15.00) (...)
evening: petang (15.00 ? 19.00) (...)
night: malam (19.00 ? 0.00) (...)

Clock time

one o'clock AM: pukul satu pagi (...)
two o'clock AM: pukul dua pagi (...)
noon: siang hari (...)
one o'clock PM: pukul satu petang (...)
two o'clock PM: pukul dua petang (...)
midnight: tengah malam (...)

Duration

_____ minute(s): _____ minit (...)
_____ hour(s): _____ jam (...)
_____ day(s): _____ hari (...)
_____ week(s): _____ minggu (MEENG-goo)
_____ month(s): _____ bulan (BOO-lun)
_____ year(s): _____ tahun (...)
_____ hour(s) and _____ minute(s): If the minute is in numbers, _____jam _____ minit. If the minute is expressed as a fraction of the hour e.g two and a half hour: dua jam setengah. (NOT dua setengah jam)

Days

today: hari ini (...)
yesterday: In peninsular Malaysia: semalam (se-mah-lam), kelmarin (kuh-MAR-reen) (in Borneo)
the day before yesterday: kelmarin
tomorrow: esok (ay-SOAK)
the day after tomorrow: lusa (loo-Sa)
this week: minggu ini (MEENG-goo EE-nee)
last week: minggu lepas (MEENG-goo lep-pass)
next week: minggu depan (MEENG-goo DUP-pun)

Sunday: Ahad
Monday: Isnin
Tuesday: Selasa (SLUH-suh)
Wednesday: Rabu (RUH-boo)
Thursday: Khamis (KHUM-mees)
Friday: Jumaat (joom-muh-UTT)
Saturday: Sabtu (SUB-too)

Months

January: Januari (...)
February: Februari (...)
March: Mac (MAH-ch)
April: April (...)
May: Mei (...)
June: Jun (JOON)
July: Julai (JOOL-ly)
August: Ogos (oh-GOOS)
September: September (...)
October: Oktober (...)
November: November (...)
December: Disember (dee-SEM-burr)

Writing time and date

Writing time

1.00: pukul satu
1.01: pukul satu, satu minit
1.15: pukul satu suku
1.20: pukul satu duapuluh
1.30: pukul satu setengah
1.40: pukul satu empat puluh
1.45: pukul satu empat puluh lima

The hours are written from zero to 12. So 06.00 PM is written as 6.00PM.

Date

First one should write the day, after that the month and then the year.

August 17th 1945: 17 Ogos 1945

Colors

black: hitam (HEE-tum)
white: putih (POO-teeh)
gray: kelabu (kuh-LAH-boo)
red: merah (MAY-ruh)
blue: biru (BEE-roo)
yellow: kuning (KOO-neeng)
green: hijau (HEE-jow)
orange: oren (oh-rain)
purple: ungu (OONG-oo)
brown: coklat (CHOC-klutt), also the word for chocolate

Transportation

Bus and train

How much is a ticket to _____?: Berapa harga tiket ke _____? (...)
One ticket to _____, please.: Tolong, satu tiket ke _____. (...)
Where does this train/bus go?: Keretapi/bus ini ke mana? (...)
Where is the train/bus to _____?: Di mana keretapi/bus ke _____? (...)
Does this train/bus stop in _____?: Keretapi/bus ini berhenti di _____? (...)
When does the train/bus for _____ leave?: Bila keretapi/bus ke _____ berangkat? (...)
When will this train/bus arrive in _____?: Bila keretapi/bus ini sampai di _____? (...)

Directions

How do I get to _____ ?: Bagaimana saya pergi ke _____ ? (...)
...the train station?: ...stesen kereta api?
...the bus station?: ...terminal/stesen bas? (...)
...the airport?: ...lapangan terbang? (...)
...downtown?: ...kota? (...)
...the _____ hotel?: ... hotel _____ ? (...)
...the American/Canadian/Australian/British embassy/consulate?: ... Kedutaan Besar/Konsulat Amerika / Australia / British / Kanada? (...)
Where are there a lot of...: Di mana ada banyak... (...)
...hotels?: ...hotel? (...)
...restaurants?: ...restoran? (...)
...bars?: ...bar? (...)
...sites to see?: ...tempat-tempat menarik? (...)
Can you show me on the map?: Boleh anda tunjukkan di peta? (Bo-LAY un-duh TOON-jook-kan dee PE-TUH?)
street: jalan (...)
Turn left.: Belok kiri. (...)
Turn right.: Belok kanan. (...)
left: kiri (...)
right: kanan (...)
straight ahead: lurus (...)
towards the _____: menuju _____ (...)
past the _____: melepasi _____ (...)
before the _____: sebelum _____ (...)
Watch for the _____.: Perhatikan _____. (...)
intersection: persilangan (...)
north: utara (...)
south: selatan (...)
east: timur (...)
west: barat (...)
north-east: timur laut (...)
north-west: barat laut (...)
south-east: tenggara (tuhng-GAH-rah)
south-west: barat daya (...)

Taxi

Taxi!: Teksi! (Tech-see)
Take me to _____, please.: Boleh bawa saya ke _____. (...)
How much does it cost to get to _____?: Berapa harganya ke _____? (...)
Take me there, please.: Tolong hantar saya ke sana. (...)

Lodging

Do you have any rooms available?: Ada bilik kosong? (UH-duh bee-lick COS-SONG?)
How much is a room for one person/two people?: Berapa harga bilik untuk satu/dua orang? (...)
Does the room come with...: Adakah ini termasuk... (...)
...bedsheets?: ...alas/sarong tilam? (...)
...a bathroom?: ...bilik mandi? (...)
...a telephone?: ...telefon? (...)
...a TV?: ...TV? (tee-vEE)
May I see the room first?: Boleh lihat biliknya dulu? (...)
Do you have anything quieter?: Ada yang lebih sunyi? (...)
...bigger?: ...besar? (...)
...cleaner?: ...bersih? (...)
...cheaper?: ...murah? (...)
OK, I'll take it.: Baik saya mahu. (BAYK, sah-yah MaH-oo)
I will stay for _____ night(s).: Saya akan tinggal untuk _____ malam. (...)
Can you suggest another hotel?: Boleh cadangkan hotel lain? (...)
Do you have a safe?: Anda ada peti besi? (...)
...lockers?: ...peti? (...)
Is breakfast/supper included?: Sudah termasuk sarapan/makan malam? (...)
What time is breakfast/supper?: Pukul berapa sarapan/makan malam ? (...)
Please clean my room.: Tolong bersihkan bilik saya. (...)
Can you wake me at _____?: Boleh tolong bangunkan saya pada pukul _____? (...)
I want to check out.: Saya hendak check out. (...)

Money

Do you accept American/Australian/Canadian dollars?: Anda menerima dolar Amerika /Australia / Kanada? (...)
Do you accept British pounds?: Anda menerima poundsterling Inggeris? (...)
Do you accept cr cards?: Anda menerima kad kr? (...)
Can you change money for me?: Boleh tolong tukar wang? (...)
Where can I get money changed?: Di mana saya boleh tukar wang? (...)
Can you change a traveler's check for me?: Boleh tolong tukar traveler's check saya? (...)
Where can I get a traveler's check changed?: Di mana saya boleh tukar traveler's check? (...)
What is the exchange rate?: Apa kadar tukarnya? (...)
Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM)?: Di mana ada ATM? (dee MUN-nuh UH-duh AH-TEY-EM)

Eating

A table for one person/two people, please.: Tolong, satu meja untuk satu/dua orang. (...)
Can I look at the menu, please?: Bolehkah saya lihat menu? (...)
Is there a house specialty?: Ada makanan istimewa? (...)
Is there a local specialty?: Ada makanan khas di tempat ini? (...)
I'm a vegetarian.: Saya vegetarian. (...)
I don't eat pork.: Saya tidak makan babi. (...)
I don't eat beef.: Saya tidak makan sapi. (...)
Can you make it "lite", please? (less oil/butter): Boleh tolong kurangkan minyak/mentega? (...)
I want _____.: Saya mahu pesan _____. (...)
I want a dish containing _____.: Saya mahu makanan yang mengandungi _____. (...)
chicken: ayam (...)
beef: daging lembu (...)
fish: ikan (...)
ham: ham (...)
sausage: sosis (...)
cheese: keju (...)
eggs: telur (...)
salad: salad (...)
(fresh) vegetables: sayuran (...)
(fresh) fruit: buah-buahan (...)
bread: roti (...)
toast: roti bakar (...)
noodles: mee (MEE)
rice: nasi (...)
May I have a glass of _____?: Saya ingin satu gelas _____. (...)
May I have a cup of _____?: Saya ingin satu cawan_____. (...)
May I have a bottle of _____?: Saya ingin satu botol _____. (...)
coffee: kopi (...)
tea (drink): teh (...)
juice: jus (...)
soft drink: air bersoda (...) (Use brand name instead eg Coke/Sprite)
water: air (AH-yer)
beer: bir (...)
red/white wine: wain merah/putih (...)
May I have some _____?: Saya ingin _____? (...)
salt: garam (...)
black pepper: lada hitam (LAH-duh HEE-tum)
butter: mentega (muhn-TEY-gah)
Excuse me, waiter? (getting attention of server): Encik! (male) Cik! (female) (...)
I'm finished.: Saya sudah selesai. (...)
It was delicious.: Tadi enak rasanya. (...)
Please clear the plates.: Tolong ambil piring. (...)
Please clean the table: Tolong kemaskan meja (...)
The check, please.: Saya mahu bayar. (...)

Bars

Do you serve alcohol?: Anda juga menyajikan alkohol? (...)
A beer/two beers, please.: Tolong, satu/dua bir. (...)
A glass of red/white wine, please.: Tolong, satu gelas wain merah/putih. (...)
A bottle, please.: Tolong, satu botol. (...)
_____ (hard liquor) and _____ (mixer), please.: _____ and _____, please. (...)
whisky: whisky (...)
vodka: vodka (...)
rum: rum (...)
water: air (...)
club soda: club soda (...)
tonic water: tonic water (...)
orange juice: jus oren (...)
Coke (soda): Coca-cola (...)
Do you have any bar snacks?: Ada makanan ringan? (...)
I would like another one, please: Saya mahu satu lagi. (...)
When is closing time?: Pukul berapa tutup? (...)

Shopping

Do you have this in my size?: Ada tak saiz saya? (...)
How much is this?: Berapa harganya? (...)
That's too expensive.: Terlalu mahal. (tur-LAH-loo muh-HUL)
Would you take _____?: Would you take _____? (...)
expensive: mahal (...)
cheap: murah (...)
I can't afford it.: Saya tidak mampu beli itu. (...)
I don't want it.: tak mahu (informal) / Saya tidak mahu (formal) (...)
You're cheating me.: Kamu tipukan saya? (...)
I'm not interested.: Saya tidak berminat. (..)
OK, I'll take it.: OK, saya mahu. (...)
Can I have a bag?: Ada beg? (...)
Do you ship (overseas)?: Boleh kirim (ke luar negeri)? (...)
I need...: Saya perlu... (...)
...toothpaste.: ...ubat gigi. (...)
...a toothbrush.: ...berus gigi. (...)
...condoms.: ...kondom. (...)
...tampons.: ...softeks / pembalut. (...)
...soap.: ...sabun. (...)
...shampoo.: ...syampu. (...)
...pain reliever. (e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen): ...ubat sakit (aspirin, parasetamol, ?) (Note: ibuprofen is not widely available). (...)
...cold medicine.: ...ubat selsema. (...)
...stomach medicine.: ...ubat sakit perut. (...)
...a razor.: ...cukur. (...)
...an umbrella.: ...payung. (...)
...a postcard.: ...poskad. (...)
...postage stamps.: ...setem. (...)
...batteries.: ...bateri. (...)
...writing paper.: ...kertas. (...)
...a pen.: ...pen. (...)
...English-language books.: ...buku-buku Inggeris. (...)
...English-language magazines.: ...majalah Inggeris. (...)
...an English-language newspaper.: ...surat khabar Inggeris. (...)
...an English-Malay dictionary.: ...kamus Inggeris-Melayu. (...)

Driving

I want to rent a car.: Saya mau sewa kereta. (...)
Can I get insurance?: Boleh saya minta insurans? (...)
stop (on a street sign): berhenti (...)
one way: jalan sehala (...)
no parking: dilarang meletak kereta (...)
gas (petrol) station: stesen petrol (...)
petrol: premium (...)
diesel: diesel (...)

Authority

I haven't done anything wrong.: Saya tidak melakukan sebarang kesalahan. (...)
It was a misunderstanding.: Ianya satu salah faham. (...)
Where are you taking me?: Kemana awak hendak bawa saya ? (...)
Am I under arrest?: Adakah saya ditahan ? (...)
I am an American/Australian/British/Canadian citizen.: Saya warganegara Amerika /Australia / Inggeris / Kanada. (...)
I want to talk to the American/Australian/British/Canadian embassy/consulate.: Saya ingin bercakap dengan Kedutaan Besar/Konsulat Amerika / Australia / Inggeris / Kanada. (...)
I want to talk to a lawyer.: Saya ingin bercakap dengan peguambela. (...)
Can I just pay a fine here?: Bolehkah saya membayar denda di sini? (...)

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