Talk Malay in Malaysia and get things done your way..!:)

Be a Roman in Rome goes the age-old saying.... 

Talk Malay in Malaysia and get things done your way...! :P (P.S. If you know what I mean....)

Learn a few quick phrases and greetings to impress the locals and enjoy a discount while shopping or get accurate shortcut directions to a landmark... Language always removes all the barriers and brings people together... :)

The one thing which you will definitely come across when you land in Malaysia is

Selamat Datang Ke Malaysia - Welcome to Malaysia!!!

Greetings: 

How do you do?  - Apa khabar?

Fine/good -  Baik

Good Morning- Selamat Pagi

Good afternoon -Selamat tengah hari

Good evening - Selamat petang

Good night -Selamat malam

Good bye- Selamat tinggal

Bon voyage  - Selamat jalan

See you again - Jumpa lagi

Yes- Ya 

No - Tidak

Thank you - Terima kasih 

You’re welcome - Sama-sama

On the road...

Entrance - Masuk

Exit - Keluar

Please - Sila

Excuse me- tumpang lalu

I come from - Saya datang dari..

Can you speak Bahasa Malaysia - Boleh cakap bahasa Melayu

Where are you going- pergi ke mana 

I am going to ..Saya pergi ke....

What time does the bus leave -pukul berapa bas bertolak 

(bus- bas ; plane- kapal terbang ; boat - sampan ; ship- perahu; train - kereta api)

Turn right -belok kanan : turn left - belok kiri ; go straight - jalan terus

Junction - simpang

Please stop here- Sila berhenti di sini....

Shopping Requirements :p

How much - Berapa harga

That's too expensive - Mahal sangat 

Can you reduce the price - Boleh kurang?

Too big  Besar sangat

Too small  Kecil sangat

Any other color?  Ada warna lain?

I would like to change money -Saya hendak tukar duit/wang

Could I make an enquiry - Tumpang tanya (useful if you feel lost)

Nature calls: 

Where is the toilet - Di mana tandas...?

In the back - di belakang ; over there- di sana ; over here- di sini

Time and Numbers:

What time is it?  Jam berapa?

One thirty or half past one- pukul satu setengah

Quarter past one - pukul satu suku

Quarter to one - Suku sebelum pukul satu

1 -Satu

2- Dua

3- Tiga

4- Empat

5- Lima

6- Enam

7- Tujuh

8- Lapan

9 - Sembilan

10 -Sepuluh

11 - Sebelas

12- Dua belas

13- Tiga belas

20 - Dua puluh

21- Dua puluh satu

100- Seratus

101- Seratus satu

105- Seratus lima

1000- Seribu

minute  minit

hour  jam

day  hari

week  minggu

Monday  Isnin

Tuesday  Selasa

Wednesday  Rabu

Thursday  Khamis

Friday  Jumaat

Saturday  Sabtu

Sunday  Ahad 

Other Useful Words:

what?  apa?

who?  siapa?

where (place)  di mana?

where (direction)  ke mana?

when?  bila?

how?  bagaimana?

why?  mengapa?

which?  yang mana?

sleep  tidur

bathe  mandi

come  datang

Airport -lapangan terbang

post office - pejabat pos

shop - kedai

Island - pulau

money- duit, wang

Food and Drink:

Eat  makan

Drink  minum

Bread  roti

Beef  daging lembu

Chicken  Ayam (pronounced “ah- yarm”)

Fish  Ikan (pronounced “ee-karn”)

Vegetables  Sayur

Fried noodles  mee goreng

Fried rice  nasi goreng

Salt  garam

Spicy  pedas

Delicious  sedap 

A cup of coffee  kopi satu

A cup of tea  teh satu

Water  air (pronounced “i-yeah”)

Less sweet  kurang manis

Without sugar  tanpa gula

Without milk  tanpa susu

Without ice  tanpa ais (pronounced “ice”)

Not enough  tak cukup

Not hot/cold enough  tak cukup panas/sejuk

Few last tips... Malays use the word "lah" at the end ... especially when you are bargaining... as in "cannot-lah".. if you are talking to a person of similar age you can also call them "Abang/Bang" (pronounced Bung) and an older woman can be called "Kakak/Kak"

Last but not the least.... if above words sounded too much to handle.. Do not worry! Most products have English labels and shops display food signs in English :)

Have a great trip!!!