Order anything by pointing in Indonesian
I would like, this one, how much, the bill: survive any counter or menu. Play the ten Indonesian words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.
All 11 Indonesian phrases in this lesson
- Saya mau...SAH-yah MOW
- I would like...
- Yang iniyang EE-nee
- This one
- Berapa harganya?beh-RAH-pah HAR-ga-nya
- How much is it?
- Bon-nya, tolongbon-nya TOH-long
- The bill, please
- Pakai kartupah-KAI KAR-too
- By card
- Tunaitoo-NAI
- In cash
- Airah-EER
- Water
- KopiKOH-pee
- Coffee
- Tehteh
- Tea
- Birbeer
- Beer
- Tanpa...TAHN-pah
- Without...
Literally "I want": "saya mau kopi". "Minta..." (MIN-tah), I ask for, is also common.
Point and say it. Yang means the one/which. Ini means this. At bakery counters or produce stands, pointing plus ini is enough to complete any transaction.
Harga is price. Berapa is how much. The -nya suffix means "its", so literally "what is its price". Prices are usually posted, but this works for haggling at markets.
Bon is the receipt or bill, another loanword (from French). Or say "permintaan hitung" (asking for the total). Service is included by law, tipping is rare outside hotels.
Pakai means to use. In cities, card payments are increasingly standard. Many small vendors still cash-only, so ask first or have rupiah on hand.
Tunai is cash as in actual money. Outside big cities, cash is still king. ATMs (ATM) are everywhere in urban areas but rare in remote places.
Air is the general word for water. Tap water safety varies wildly by region; bottled air mineral (mineral water) is universally available and cheap.
Kopi tubruk, boiled with the grounds, is the traditional way.
Teh manis (teh MAH-nees), sweet tea, is the default.
Bintang is everywhere in Bali. Alcohol is harder to find in more conservative regions.
"Tanpa gula", without sugar; "tidak pedas", not spicy.