Beach and ocean phrases
One word matters more than the rest: "arus" — current. "Arusnya kencang" means it's strong, and if a local says it, stay out, however calm the water looks. Rips on the southern beaches take people every season.
A red flag means what it means everywhere, but it isn't always put up. "Aman untuk berenang?" — safe to swim? — is a question for a lifeguard or the man renting boards, and the answer tends to be honest.
Rentals: a board is fifty to a hundred thousand a day, a lounger with an umbrella about the same. Prices are stated upfront and haggling is half-hearted, but do confirm "untuk sehari" — for the whole day — or it may be counted by the hour.
And a practical one: "titip" — leave in someone's care. "Bisa titip tas?" — can I leave my bag? — is a normal thing to ask whoever rented you the lounger, and it's normally fine.
Pronunciation below is written to be read out loud in English spelling. It isn't linguistically exact — it's meant to get you understood.
42 phrases
Is it safe to swim here right now?
Sekarang aman untuk berenang?
suh-KAH-rahng AH-mahn OON-took buh-REH-nahng?
Is the current strong here?
Arusnya kuat di sini?
ah-ROOS-nyah KOO-aht dee SEE-nee?
'arus' - current, the key word
Is there an undertow here?
Ada arus bawah laut di sini?
AH-dah AH-roos BAH-wah LOHWT dee SEE-nee?
Politer: Permisi, ada arus bawah di sini? ·
Where can I rent a board?
Di mana bisa sewa papan surfing?
dee MAH-nah BEE-sah SEH-wah PAH-pahn SOOR-feeng?
Politer: Permisi, di mana bisa sewa papan surfing? ·
How much is it to rent a board for an hour?
Sewa papan berapa per jam?
SEH-wah PAH-pahn buh-RAH-pah puhr jahm?
Are the sun loungers free or do they cost extra?
Kursi pantainya gratis atau bayar?
KOOR-see pahn-TEHYEN-yah GRAH-tees AH-tohw BAH-yahr?
'kursi pantai' = sun lounger
Can we get two loungers over there, by the water?
Boleh dua kursi di sana, dekat air?
BOH-luh DOO-ah KOOR-see dee SAH-nah, duh-KAHT EHYER?
Politer: Permisi, boleh dua kursi di sana, dekat air? ·
Are there any jellyfish today?
Hari ini ada ubur-ubur, nggak?
HAH-ree EE-nee AH-dah OO-boor OO-boor, nggahk?
'ubur-ubur' - jellyfish
I got stung by a jellyfish, what should I do?
Aku kena sengat ubur-ubur, gimana ya?
AH-koo kuh-NAH suhn-GAHT OO-boor OO-boor, gee-MAH-nah yah?
'sengat' - to sting
What's the best time to swim, high tide or low tide?
Baiknya berenang pas air naik atau surut?
BEHYEK-nyah buh-REH-nahng pahs EHYER NEHYEK AH-tohw SOO-root?
'air naik' = high tide, 'surut' = low tide
The flag is red, does that mean no swimming?
Benderanya merah, berarti nggak boleh berenang?
buhn-duh-RAHN-yah MEH-rahh, buh-RAHR-tee nggahk BOH-luh buh-REH-nahng?
flags are actually used on Balinese beaches
Is there a lifeguard on this beach?
Ada penjaga pantai di sini?
AH-dah puhn-JAH-gah PAHN-tehye dee SEE-nee?
Politer: Permisi, ada penjaga pantai di sini? ·
Is it safe to swim out far?
Berenang jauh berbahaya, nggak?
buh-REH-nahng JOHW buhr-bah-HAH-yah, nggahk?
Is the bottom rocky or sandy?
Dasarnya batu atau pasir?
dah-SAHR-nyah BAH-too AH-tohw PAH-seer?
Are there rocks under the water here?
Ada batu di bawah air, nggak?
AH-dah BAH-too dee BAH-wah EHYER, nggahk?
Politer: Permisi, ada batu di bawah air, nggak? ·
The water looks murky today, did something happen?
Airnya keruh hari ini, kenapa ya?
EHYER-nyah kuh-ROO HAH-ree EE-nee, kuh-NAH-pah yah?
Are the waves too big for a beginner today?
Ombaknya besar buat pemula, nggak?
ohm-BAHK-nyah buh-SAHR BOO-aht puh-MOO-lah, nggahk?
Can I leave my stuff here, is it safe?
Boleh titip barang di sini, aman kan?
BOH-luh TEE-teep BAH-rahng dee SEE-nee, AH-mahn kahn?
Politer: Permisi, boleh titip barang di sini, aman kan? ·
Is there a shower to rinse off the salt?
Ada shower buat bilas garam?
AH-dah SHOH-wuhr BOO-aht BEE-lahs GAH-rahm?
Politer: Permisi, ada shower buat bilas garam? ·
Do you provide towels or should I bring my own?
Handuk disediakan atau bawa sendiri?
HAHN-dook dee-suh-dee-AH-kahn AH-tohw BAH-wah suhn-DEE-ree?
Does the rental include a beach umbrella too?
Payungnya juga termasuk sewa, kan?
pah-YOONG-nyah JOO-gah tuhr-MAH-sook SEH-wah, kahn?
Can kids swim here, is it shallow?
Anak-anak bisa berenang di sini, dangkal kan?
AH-nahk AH-nahk BEE-sah buh-REH-nahng dee SEE-nee, DAHNG-kahl kahn?
"dangkal" - shallow
Is this a good spot for sunset or is somewhere else better?
Lihat sunset bagusnya dari sini atau lebih jauh?
LEE-haht SOON-suht bah-GOOS-nyah DAH-ree SEE-nee AH-tohw luh-BEE JOHWH?
Is it good for surfing right now or are the waves weak?
Surfing sekarang oke atau ombaknya kecil?
SOOR-feeng suh-KAH-rahng OH-kuh AH-tohw ohm-BAHK-nyah kuh-CHEEL?
Can I rent a board?
Bisa sewa papan surfing?
BEE-sah SEH-wah PAH-pahn SOOR-feeng?
Politer: Permisi, bisa sewa papan surfing? ·
How much for a board per hour?
Berapa sewa papan per jam?
buh-RAH-pah SEH-wah PAH-pahn puhr jahm?
Politer: Permisi, berapa sewa papan per jam? ·
And how much for the whole day?
Kalau sewa sehari berapa?
KAH-lohw SEH-wah suh-HAH-ree buh-RAH-pah?
I need a bigger board, I'm a beginner
Saya butuh papan yang lebih besar, saya masih pemula
SAH-yah BOO-too PAH-pahn yahng luh-BEE buh-SAHR, SAH-yah MAH-see puh-MOO-lah
Do you have a softer board for beginners?
Ada papan softboard untuk pemula?
AH-dah PAH-pahn sohf-TBOH-ahrd OON-took puh-MOO-lah?
Politer: Permisi, ada papan softboard untuk pemula? ·
I'd like to take a surf lesson
Saya mau ambil kursus surfing
SAH-yah mohw AHM-beel KOOR-soos SOOR-feeng
How much is a lesson with an instructor?
Berapa harga les surfing sama instruktur?
buh-RAH-pah HAHR-gah luhs SOOR-feeng SAH-mah een-STROOK-toor?
Politer: Permisi, berapa harga les surfing sama instruktur? ·
Where's the entry point into the water?
Di mana jalan masuk ke air?
dee MAH-nah JAH-lahn MAH-sook kuh EHYER?
Politer: Permisi, di mana jalan masuk ke air? ·
Is it safe to go in the water here?
Di sini aman buat masuk ke air?
dee SEE-nee AH-mahn BOO-aht MAH-sook kuh EHYER?
Is it high tide or low tide right now?
Sekarang air pasang atau surut?
suh-KAH-rahng EHYER PAH-sahng AH-tohw SOO-root?
"pasang" - high tide, "surut" - low tide
What time will high tide be?
Jam berapa air pasang?
jahm buh-RAH-pah EHYER PAH-sahng?
Are the waves too big for a beginner right now?
Ombak sekarang terlalu besar buat pemula?
OHM-bahk suh-KAH-rahng tuhr-LAH-loo buh-SAHR BOO-aht puh-MOO-lah?
Where can I rent a sun lounger here?
Di sini bisa sewa kursi pantai?
dee SEE-nee BEE-sah SEH-wah KOOR-see PAHN-tehye?
Can I get a beach umbrella, please?
Minta payung pantai, ya
MEEN-tah PAH-yoong PAHN-tehye, yah
Is there a current here?
Di sini ada arus?
dee SEE-nee AH-dah AH-roos?
important safety question
Where can I leave my things here?
Di mana bisa titip barang di sini?
dee MAH-nah BEE-sah TEE-teep BAH-rahng dee SEE-nee?
Politer: Permisi, di mana bisa titip barang di sini? ·
Does the instructor speak English?
Instrukturnya bisa bahasa Inggris?
een-strook-TOOR-nyah BEE-sah bah-HAH-sah EENG-grees?
The sun is really strong today
Matahari lagi panas banget hari ini
mah-tah-HAH-ree LAH-gee PAH-nahs BAHN-guht HAH-ree EE-nee
These phrases, out loud and in your pocket
Tokek has all of them with audio, offline, plus a translator that answers in the same transliteration. Free to start, no account needed.
Open Tokek