Malay

Introduction

Mealtime by the river

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Malay is the official language of Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore. It is similar to Indonesian and incorporates elements of the languages of surrounding regions, including Sanskrit, Hindi, Tamil, Arab, Chinese, and English.

Malay is a very easy to learn language. Simply pronounce the words phonetically. Follow some simple rule on the sound of the vowels and you are on the right track. "A" has the sound of the "a" as in arm, "e" as in err, "i" as in pill, no difference for "o", while "u" sounds "oo". In most cases, if a word ends with an "a", that final "a" will have the sound of "e" (as in err). e.g. Saya (I/me) is pronounced as sa-ye. Although this special final "a" sound is optional, it is widely used amongst native speakers. Consonants are pronounced like the way they are in English with a couple of exceptions. The letter "c" has the "ch" sound while "g" is always pronounced as in go, and not gent.

Useful Malay words and phrases

Basic words

• This - Ini
• That - Itu
• At - Di
• Here - Sini
• There - Sana
• From - Dari
• To - Ke

Meeting and greeting people

• How are you? - Apa khabar?
• Good morning - Selamat pagi
• Good afternoon (noon - 1pm) - Selamat tengahari
• Good afternoon (1 - 6pm) - Selamat petang
• Good evening (after 6pm) - Selamat malam

Referring to people

• I/Me - Saya/Aku (Saya is used in polite or formal conversation, whereas Aku is used when speaking to peers or speaking in authority)
• You - Kamu/Awak (Just like in Aku (I), Awak is usually used when speaking with peers or speaking in authority)
• He/She/Him/Her - Dia (not gender specific)
• Mister - Encik
• Miss - Cik
• Sir - Tuan
• Madam - Puan
• Uncle - Pak Cik (can also be used to address male elders of significant age gap as a sign of respect)
• Aunt - Mak Cik (female counterpart of Pak Cik)

Thanks and apology

• Thank you - Terima kasih
• You are welcome - Sama-sama
• Sorry/Please forgive me - Minta maaf (ma-af - two syllables)

Asking questions

• Where is the toilet? - Tandas di mana?
• Who - Siapa
• What - Apa
• When - Bila
• Where - Mana
• Why - Kenapa
• How - Bagaimana

Negotiating and buying

• What is the price (for this)? - Berapa harganya?
• How much/How many? - Berapa?
• I want - Saya nak
• I don't want - Saya tak nak

Food

• Vegetable - Sayur
• Egg - Telur
• Chicken - Ayam
• Cow - Lembu
• Pig - Babi (be careful with the use of this as it can be used to insult others)
• Fish - Ikan
• Meat - Daging (when speaking to an ethnic Malay, "daging" is the defacto for beef unless specified otherwise, e.g. daging * ayam, daging babi, etc.)