Bahasa Indonesia is the correct term for the Indonesian language. At times foreigners may refer to it as only Bahasa, but the word Bahasa simply means language. Likewise, Bahasa Inggris refers to the English language. Therefore, Bahasa Indonesia appropriately means the Indonesian language.

Indonesian is almost the same as Malay, which is spoken in Malaysia. But bahasa Indonesia has many foreign influences, including Dutch, Arabic, Portuguese and Chinese. An increasing number of English words have also found their way into the Indonesian language.

Almost all Indonesian citizens are fluent in the Indonesian language. This is in spite of the fact that there are actually over 365 different languages and dialects actively spoken across the Indonesian archipelago! Even the smaller islands have at least one language that is uniquely their own, such as on Bali. Other islands have many more languages. In such a diverse multi-lingual environment, it is easy to see the vital need for a unifying language. Bahasa Indonesia is that language. 

Although English is understood and commonly spoken in the touriest area, the Indonesian people as a whole are often not fluent speakers of English. Except for those who work in international business or the travel industry, English is not usually essential to daily life in Indonesia and thus not practiced on a regular basis.

English is a difficult language to learn. Indonesian, on the other hand, is as easy as language learning gets, even for people who have never studied a foreign language.

You might find it great fun, as well as quite useful to consider adding a few words of bahasa Indonesia to your repertoire of memorized foreign phrases. Why? Because it is not necessary to travel to Indonesia in order to find acquaintances with whom to chat in the Indonesian language.

Indonesian people working in Asian restaurant and other service positions, especially in larger cities around the world. Cruise vacations have become quite popular in recent years. At least some crew members on most cruise ship are from Indonesia. Most notably, Holland America Line and Windstar cruises hire a major portion of their service staff exlusively from Indonesia. So whether you are on a low-key Caribbean cruise, or are enjoying a casual dinner at the local Thai restaurant, you will quite possibly have the opportunity to speak a little bahasa Indonesia. Of course, if you do plan a visit to Indonesian, being able to speak the language will make your trip that much more enjoyable. 

Pronunciation Pointers

Indonesian is priamally a phonetic language so words are basically pronounced in the same way as they are spelled.

The language is rhythmic with somewhat level emphasis. When in doubt, don't emphasize any particular syllable and listen for correction by native speakers. After a little practice, you will get the feel for proper words stress.

Vowels

Consonants - generally pronounced as in English, with these exceptions:

An easy start to learn Indonsesian is to learn how to flirt. Flirting is communication. Flirting is looks, body-language, presents and most of all words. The more you are limited in your language, the more you are limited in your flirting. Most Indonesians speak little or no English. So chances are that the cute girl or gorgeous guy smiling at you from the other table (and this is not only hypothetical, in Indonesia you will be smiled at) won't understand you unless you speak some Indonesian.

Of course you could try to blunder yourself through in English using hands and feet. But imagine yourself smiling back and talking in Indonesia. It will all be different.