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 'j' in "jug"; 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 'rh' in "rheumatism"

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 'in' in "mind"

au 

like 'ow' in "cow"

oi 

like 'oy' in "boy"

Common Affixations

Phrase list

Basics

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? (siah-puh NUM-muh UN-duh?)

My name is ______ . 

Nama saya ______ . (NUM-MUH suh-yuh _____ .)

Nice to meet you. 

Senang berjumpa dengan Anda. (SNUNG burr-jum-puh 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-duck), Tak (TAHK)

Maybe 

Mungkin. (Munk-Kin)

Excuse me. (getting attention, lit. may i ask?) 

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 tengah hari.

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.) 

(keretapi, bas) nombor _____ (...)

half 

setengah (...)

quarter 

suku (...)

three quarter 

tiga suku (...)

less 

kurang (...)

more 

lebih (...)

roughly (more or less) 

lebih kurang

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 

tengahari (...)

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-tayh)

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 

perang (PAY-rung)

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/bas ini ke mana? (...)

Where is the train/bus to _____? 

Di mana keretapi/bas ke _____? (...)

Does this train/bus stop in _____? 

Keretapi/bas ini berhenti di _____? (...)

When does the train/bus for _____ leave? 

Bila keretapi/bas ke _____ berangkat? (...)

When will this train/bus arrive in _____? 

Bila keretapi/bas 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 / 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 credit cards? 

Anda menerima kad kredit? (...)

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 tidak makan daging. (...)

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 bersihkan meja (...)

The check, please. 

Saya mahu bayar. (...)

Bars

Do you serve alcohol? 

Anda juga menyajikan alkohol? (...)

A beer/two beers, please. 

Tolong, berikan satu/dua bir. (...)

A glass of red/white wine, please. 

Tolong, berikan satu gelas wain merah/putih. (...)

A bottle, please. 

Tolong, berikan satu botol. (...)

_____ (hard liquor) and _____ (mixer), please. 

_____ and _____, please. (...)

whisky 

wiski (...)

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 _____? 

Adakah anda menerima _____? (...)

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. 

...pencukur / pisau 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 mahu 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 minyak (...)

petrol 

petrol (...)

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/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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