Essential Indonesian phrases

The words that make your first weeks in Bali smoother — with pronunciation you can actually say.

Greetings

Halo / Selamat pagi
HAH-loh / suh-LAH-mat PAH-gee
Hello / good morning.
Apa kabar?
AH-pah KAH-bar
How are you?
Terima kasih
tuh-REE-mah KAH-see
Thank you ('sama-sama' is you're welcome).
Tolong
TOH-long
Please / could you help — used when asking for something.

Daily life

Berapa harganya?
buh-RAH-pah har-GAH-nyah
How much is it?
Di mana toilet?
dee MAH-nah TOY-let
Where's the toilet? (also 'kamar kecil').

Food

Enak!
EH-nak
Delicious!
Minta bon
MIN-tah bon
The bill, please.

Social

Tidak apa-apa
TEE-dak AH-pah AH-pah
It's fine / no problem (often shortened to 'gpp').
Bisa bahasa Inggris?
BEE-sah bah-HAH-sah ING-griss
Do you speak English?
Hati-hati
HAH-tee HAH-tee
Be careful / take care — you'll hear it constantly.

Emergency

Tolong! / Awas!
TOH-long / AH-was
Help! / Watch out! — for emergencies.

Actually learn to speak Bali’s language

Globe Quest drills these with spaced repetition and a patient AI tutor you can practice with by voice — a few minutes a day. Free to start.