Of course, they do! They speak English in Bali.
Thousands of tourists visit this paradise island every year. Thus, there is an absolute need for locals to learn how to speak the English language.
Every year, an estimated 600,000 to about 700,000 tourists from Australia visit the island. This is due to its proximity to the lands down under. Aside from the Australians, there are also tourists from other nations. Most are from countries in the Southeast Asian region.
The Australian influence is so strong you sometimes find a local in an alley greet you with a “Hey mate!” that sounds precisely very Australian, even the accent!
By far, the English language is the third most popular language in Bali.
The paradise island thrives on tourists to keep its economy and livelihood alive. Most locals, in turn, was able to learn how to speak in English. This allows them to be able to communicate well with the tourists, even on a basic level.
But even if most locals speak English in Bali, it does not mean that everyone speaks it. Once in a while, you bump into someone that does not speak English at all. Or, at times, you get to meet locals that speak limited English.
But fret not. You can still get around the island without the need to learn the local language. More often than not, the locals in Bali speak English.
List of Contents
Is English spoken in Indonesia?
Well, in a nutshell, yes. English is still spoken at varying levels in the country of Indonesia.
Some locals are more fluent than others.
Indonesia is the fourth most populated country in the world. It is also the largest archipelago in the world: Indonesia, a country of thousands of islands.
Because of its geographical makeup, there is a wide variety of cultures and languages. The primary language of the country is Bahasa Indonesia.
As of this writing, Indonesia is home to almost 300 million people. The population is a mix of a wide variety of ethnic groups. Each group has its language and culture.
It was only in the 1940s when there was a standardization of the Indonesian language. From then on, they started to call the language “Bahasa Indonesia.”
Bahasa Indonesia one of the most popular languages in the country. An estimated 23 million people speak the language.
The language is an Austronesian Language.
Most of the formal writings and educational modules are in Bahasa, Indonesia. But aside from this, Indonesians also speak English in their everyday dealings.
As of this writing, there are about 725 languages that are in the country. One of the most popular languages is Rejang from South Sumatra. Another example is Toba Batak in North Sumatra. Finally, there is also Lombok and Balinese in Bali.
Today, most Indonesians tag themselves as bilinguals. From their early years, they start learning the language of the region where they are in. They only know Bahasa Indonesia as soon as they start going to school.
Indonesians are fluent in the native language of their region. Aside from their native languages, Bahasa Indonesia is also a popular choice.
Bahasa Indonesia is also part of most business organizations. Aside from this language, business organizations also adopted English, Chinese, and Japanese.
English is one of the popular languages in the country. Not everyone may have perfect grammar, but they can speak to communicate. You would never get blank stares when you speak English in Indonesia.
Which language is spoken in Bali?
The language on the island of Bali is Balinese. Sometimes, it is called Bali.
The language is Malayo-Polynesian in nature. About 3 million people speak it. Most of its speakers are locals in the paradise island of Bali.
Aside from the island of Bali, the northern island of Nusa Penida also speaks the language. Other areas that speak the language are Western Lombok and East Java.
As I mentioned earlier, most of the locals in Bali speak Balinese as well as Bahasa Indonesia.
The Balinese language may not be mutually intelligible with Bahasa. But each speaker may be able to understand the other on certain levels.
Over the years, it seems like the Balinese language had been disappearing.
The language is still alive, alright. You can hear most locals in Bali still communicating using the language. Studies show that more locals were speaking the language in the past years than now.
This may be because of how parents teach their children. Over the years, it appears that most households prefer Bahasa Indonesia. Either they speak the Bahasa Indonesia at home, or they talk in English.
As these children grow up, they bring with them the English and the Bahasa languages. They speak these two more than Balinese. This alone can account for the diminishing number of Balinese speakers on the island.
What I find interesting in the Balinese language is this. Most speakers use the language for oral communication only. They can write, yes, but they prefer oral communications more.
The written form of the language is complicated and not so familiar. This is the reason why most locals in Bali resort to using the Balinese language in speaking only. When writing, the language that is most often used in either English or Bahasa Indonesia.
Do you ever plan to visit the island of Bali?
Here are a few helpful words and phrases you can use on your next visit.
English
Balinese
Welcome
Rahajeng Rauh
Hello (as a greeting)
Swastyastu
Hello (on the phone)
Hello
How are you?
Punapi gatrane?
Engken kabare?
Sapunapi gatra?
Ken ken kabare?
What’s your name?
Sira wastane?
Sira parabe?
Sira pesengane?
My name is…
Tiang…
Wastan titiang…
Good morning
Rahajeng semeng
Good afternoon
Rahajeng Sanja
Good evening
Rahajeng peteng
Do you speak English?
Bapa bisa basa Inggris?
Now that you know a few words and phrases in Balinese, perhaps you’re ready to explore the island?
What is the most popular language spoken in Indonesia?
As you already know by now, there are more than 700 languages in the Indonesian archipelago.
This alone presents the fact that the country has about 10% of the world’s languages. This makes them the second most diverse country in the world when it comes to languages. The country comes to a close second from Papua New Guinea.
Most of the Indonesian languages have roots that stem from the Austronesian family. Out of the 700+ languages in the country, about 270 have their origins from the Papuan languages. These are common in the eastern parts of Indonesia.
If you want to delve into Indonesia’s languages, you must know that there are nine categories. There is a national language. There is also the locally-used indigenous language, regional lingua francas, and more.
Out of these nine, the Indonesian national language is the most popular.
About 80% of the country’s population speaks the Indonesian language. It is being used all over Indonesia at varying levels.
Bahasa Indonesia is a standardized version of Malay. It is the language of the archipelago. It is common for tourists to go around Indonesia, hearing people talk Bahasa.
The language is a mixture of many regional languages of the country. The Javanese, Sundanese, and even Minangkabau have significant influences on Bahasa Indonesia.
The Indonesian language is a collection of influences. In fact, even the Dutch language has some contribution to the Bahasa Indonesia language.
The Dutch have influences on the language. Aside from that, there is also Sanskrit, Arabic, and Portuguese.
And because of the number of tourists, there are English words that are now mixed in Indonesian.
What is impressive about Bahasa Indonesia is that people use it in a variety of occasions. They use it in businesses, education, and media.
And because of its popularity in the country, locals can communicate with each other well. This is regardless of which region they’re from.
The second most popular language in Indonesia is Javanese. This is another language that belongs to the Austronesian language family.
The language is one of the most popular in the country. The Java region uses it more than anyone else in the country.
The Javanese language has a stable system in writing. Unlike the Balinese, Java can communicate well both in words and in sounds.
The third language widely-spoken in Indonesia is Sundanese. An estimated 39 million people speak the language, most of them in the Western Java regions.
No matter the language, one this is certain. Indonesia has a culture that is diverse as its people. And this makes the country a country worth a visit.
Is Indonesian easy?
A language is more than a group of words and rules. It is a different world altogether; culture and history in the form of communication.
Learning the Indonesian language has its benefits. It allows you to communicate well with 160 million people. This is not only in Indonesia but all over the Southeast Asian region too.
An estimate of about 23 million people speaks Indonesian as their mother tongue. Aside from them, there are 140 million more that speaks the language in varying levels of fluency.
Indonesian is a form of Malay. It is one of the Austronesian family’s most widely-spoken languages.
The language has a rich history behind its back. The Netherlands lost its grip on the country in 1945. From then on, Malay was the official language.
Because of its geographical makeup, Indonesia has hundreds of languages. Despite the many islands, it is the language that unites the country together.
There is not much cross-over between the Indonesian language and English.
But once you start to learn Indonesian, it is easy to pick up. Indonesian may be one of the easiest foreign languages to learn. It has simple vocabulary and spelling. The rules are easy to master.
Indonesian also uses the same English alphabets we use. This is a great advantage. Things are now easier to learn.
By learning Indonesian, you get to have a headstart with other languages. Indonesian is the most widely-spoken language in the region.
Once you learn Indonesian, it is easier to pick up other languages in the region.
Is English taught in Indonesia?
Indonesia was able to gain independence from the Dutch in 1945. After its independence, the government made studying the English language compulsory. The teaching of English is now a replacement of the Dutch language in schools.
For as early as a child studying in elementary schools, English is already a language they need to learn. Indonesian students study and look at the English language as their second language.
In Indonesia, your English-speaking skill depends on whichever school you are attending.
Those from private schools tend to be more fluent than those from public schools. This is because of the little funding public schools get.
Private institutions also tend to pay more. Public schools have lesser budgets when it comes to hiring quality teachers.
Also, the Ministry of Education has decided to focus more on Bahasa than on English. The shift affects a student’s mastery of the language.
Before, it was English, which was a priority in public schools. Now, they have shifted to learning Bahasa Indonesia more.
Do note, though, that this is only true in public schools. The private educational institutions remain as it is. Private schools continue to hone their students in the mastery of English.
Not only that, but private schools also pay their teachers more than public schools do.
But if you are curious if they teach English in Indonesia, yes, .they do. In fact, you would never get lost or misunderstood because you speak English.
This is also the reason why, when in Indonesia, you would never get lost. Almost everybody speaks English. They may not be as proficient as you are, but most speak with an understandable level of fluency.