Learn Basic Malay Phrases .
       
  Malay (or Bahasa Melayu) is the official language of Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore. Together with Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian form of Malay), the language is spoken by around 200 million people, making it world's 8 th most widely spoken language.

The forms of Malay vary slightly in different countries; but is exactly the same in Malaysia and Singapore. The vocabulary of the language is enriched by influence from Sanskrit (ancient Hindi), Arabic and since 19th century, English.

You may experience some difficulities playing the audio from university public computers. Users of RESNET and other internet providers should be able to play the audio files without problems.

       
  Welcome Selamat Datang [se-la-mat] [da-tang]
  Good morning Selamat Pagi [se-la-mat] [pa-gee]
  Good afternoon Selamat Tengahari [se-la-mat] [te-ngah-ha-ree]
  Good night Selamat Malam [se-la-mat] [ma-lam]
  Goodbye Selamat Tinggal [se-la-mat] [ting-gal]
  So long Jumpa lagi [jum-pa] [la-gee]
       
  Thank you Terima kasih [te-ree-ma] [ka-seh]
  You're welcome Sama sama [sa-ma] [sa-ma]
  Sorry Minta maaf [min-ta] [ma-af]
       
  How are you? Apa khabar? [a-pa] [ha-bar]
  I'm fine Khabar baik [ha-bar] [ba -"ache"]
       
Click here for guide to Malay pronounciation
       
Introducing yourself .
       
  What is your name? Apa nama awak? [a-pa] [na-ma] [a-wak] ?
  My name is Ahmad Nama saya Ahmad [na-ma] [sa-ya] [ah-mad]
       
  Where are you from? Awak dari mana? [a-wak] [da-ri] [ma-na] ?
  I'm from Malaysia Saya dari Malaysia [sa-ya] [da-ree] Malaysia
  I'm from Singapore Saya dari Singapura [sa-ya] [da-ree] [see-nga-poo-ra]
       
  Where are you staying? Awak tinggal di mana? [a-wak] [ting-gal] [dee] [ma-na] ?
  I'm staying in Manor Hall Saya tinggal di Manor Hall [sa-ya] [ting-gal] [dee] Manor Hall
       
  Where are you studying? Awak belajar di mana? [a-wak] [be-la-jar] [dee] [ma-na] ?
  I'm studying in U of B Saya belajar di U of B [sa-ya] [be-la-jar] [dee] U of B
       
Click here for guide to Malay pronounciation
             
  The word "saya" in the sentences above can easily be changed  
  to other pronouns below without changing its grammatical form  
             
I You (informal) You (formal) Him/her We Them  
Saya Awak Anda Dia Kami Mereka  
[sa-ya] [a-wak] [an-da] [dee-ya] [ka-mee] [me-ray-ka]  
             
Numbers .
             
  1 2 3 4 5  
  Satu Dua Tiga Empat Lima  
   
             
  6 7 8 9 10  
  Enam Tujuh Lapan Sembilan Sepuluh  
   
             
  for numbers 11 to 19, just add "belas" at the end  
  e.g. 17 is tujuh belas [i.e. 7 + belas]
with the exception of 11, which is sebelas
 
for numbers 20 to 99, just add "puluh" at the end
  e.g. 30 is tiga puluh [i.e. 3 + puluh]
e.g. 87 is lapan puluh tujuh [i.e. 8 + puluh + 7]
             

Click here for guide to Malay pronounciation

             
  What time (is it) ? Pukul berapa?  
  (It's) 7:13 Tujuh tiga belas  
  (It's) quarter past 3 Tiga suku  
  (It's) half past 11 Sebelas setengah  
  Today Hari ini  
  Tomorrow Esok  
       
  How much is this ? Berapakah harganya?  
  (It's) $11.50 Sebelas setengah