Begin Learning Malay and Indonesian - A Few Words Of Malay and Indonesian

Singapore flag

I was standing by the lift on the ground floor of a building in Singapore. Americans would say first floor and elevator.

A woman waiting for the lift was conversing in a foreign language to the cleaner. I heard her greet him.

Malay flag.

Malay Language
I recognized the words selamat pagi, which means good day, so I knew the language was Malay. After that I did not understand a word.

However, I heard one word repeated. So when we got into the lift I asked her what it meant. It was a number.

Later I asked my family, who know a smattering of Indonesian, mostly the same vocabulary, and overlapping with Malay from regular visits to Malaysia by motorbike, and trekking in Indonesia, what are the numbers.

Indonesian flag

"I can tall you Indonesian a few, zero, one two thee four five. Nul is zero. Satu dua tigga, empat, lima. It rhymes."

"Ah. Anything else?"

"The first thing that men on bikes learn to say is satu bir, one beer, meaning another beer."

From the announcements on the train stations I hear the English then can recognize the Malay instruction to ring 999 in emergencies. Nince nine nine is sembilan, sembilan, sembilan." that's six out of ten, over half way there. More later.

Most Malay speakers will understand Indonesian and vice versa

English - Malay/Indonesian
zero - nol Indonesian (like English words  nil or nullify) Malay sifar
one - satu (I remember I am satisfied with one)
two - dua (as in dual or duo)
three - tigga (t as in three and the i in the Malay is pronounced like the ee in the English word three, remember tea for three)
four - empat
five - lima (letter i in both the Malay and English, five of us are leaving for Lima)
good morning - selamat pagi
one beer - satu bir (bir sounds and looks like beer, letters b and r)
sembilan, sembilan, sembilan 999

dua, tiga
empat, lima
 two, three
four five

Easy to remember.
du -a
tig -a
em-pat
lim-a
Not quite a rhyme but a definite rhythm of two syllables.
Tig-a and lim-a are assonance, sounds echoing.

Malay-English
nul - zero
satu - one
dua - two
tigga - three
empat - four
lima - five
selamat pagi - good morning
satu lagi - one beer / another beer

I want to learn both Malay and Indonesian with the minimum outlay of money and time. So I am learning online.

I prefer Duolingo to Memrise, but some people suggest using both. Here are the handy links and a comparison of these two language learning systems and others.

If you already speak Malay and want to keep it up, in Singapore you can attend or joing the Toastmasters Clubs, Jauhari (Malay) which meets on a Saturday late afternoon, or the Indonesian Professional Speakers Association. Other Toastmasters clubs are in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Useful Websites
duolingo.com
memrise.com
https://www.alllanguageresources.com/memrise-vs-duolingo/
https://www.memrise.com/course/193830/beginners-malay/
https://www.toastmasters.org/find-a-club

About the Author
Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, teacher of English and other languages

Learn Numbers One To Ten In Chinese and You'll Know Three Tones

The first line is the Arabic notation which we use in English, starting with zero. Ten is one followed by zero. 

Roman numerals are third row down.  Four is the V for five, with the prefix of one on the left, for subtract one. Five is a V. For six you have five and one. Nine is ten minus one. Ten is X (pronounced ex).

The Chinese are the seventh or last row, starting with zero. 

Problems
1 REMEMBERING SAYING NUMBERS
I can't remember the numbers one to ten in Chinese (Mandarin).

2 WHICH TONES ?
I don't know the Chinese tones.

3 FOUR OR TEN?
When taxi drivers or others tell me the numbers I can't tell the difference between four (si) and ten (si)/shi which sounds like see or sir or she sher both times - and, even if I can tell, I afterwards forget which is which!

4 RECOGNIZING SYMBOLS
NUMBERS 1-3
I can easily recognise the numbers one to three when I see them. They look like Roman numerals turned sideways. However, I forget all the others, four to ten.

Answers
Today for the first time I looked at the accents on the numbers, as well as listening, and thought, I can tackle this, so long as I do it slowly and methodically. Not only that, I will have other skills.

1 TONES
I will find it easy to remember and reproduce at least three of the Chinese tones! Just think of the numbers one to ten to get the tones right.
Listen to the sounds and look at the accents on the words.

2 RECOGNIZING SYMBOLS - CALENDARS
The numbers are also used for days of the week. So I will be able to recognize days of the week on calendars. If I keep looking at calendars, I can remind myself of the numbers.

Wikipedia is very enlightening. It told me that
3 CHINES FOUR SYMBOL IS CURTAINS, DEATH
Americans often refer to 9/11, for September 11th (attack on twin towers, New York). The Chinese refer to 6/4, June 4, also month then day, for the Tianmen Square event in Beijing.

Looking at the symbol for four, in 6/4, it's easy to remember the four-sided square window and the curtains, curtains being a metaphor for death, and death sounding like four in Chinese, which makes four an unlucky or inauspicious number.

Let's start with remembering the symbols for each of the numbers one to ten.

Again, Wikipedia is very enlightening.

In an old 'rod' symbolism for numbers, sometimes used on boards in markets in places such as Hong Kong, the symbol T is used for five/six?, and Roman verticals would be 11, 12, 13 and so on. So watch out for that. Before paying, be sure whether you are being asked for 3 or 13.

5-10
FIVE The Chinese symbol for five looks like our five (English from Arabic) in line one of the chart, but squared off with a flat line at the top, a slight angle coming down, and a line at the base. Alternatively, think of it as a T and a B; say 'great to be five'.

SIX (Sign on Sixth Avenue on Downtown line, Singapore; six men strolling down sixth avenue)

SEVEN - Easy the Chinese for seven looks like an upside down seven symbol.

EIGHT ('Ba ba black sheep,' as the nurserty rhyme says, looks like a frowning sheep with half an eyebrow on the right eye.)

NINE

TEN (Looks like a plus sign or a Roman ten which is an x rotated)


TONES
(From Simple Wikipedia. For clarity, I have inserted spaces and repeated some words.)

In Mandarin, the sentence ma ma ma ma (麻媽罵馬) includes four different words. If numbers identify the tones, they can be written ma2 ma1 ma4 ma3, which means 

"the hemp's 

mother 

scolds 

(the) horse." 

Some ways of romanization write each tone with a different spelling; ma2 ma1 ma4 ma3 in Pinyin would be written ma mha mah maa in Gwoyeu Romatzyh romanization. Most use numbers or accent marks 

(mā má mǎ mà in Pinyin). 

mā 

má 

mǎ 

mà 

There is a poem called Lion-Eating Poet in the Stone Den (施氏食獅史). It has 92 characters; all read the same way in Mandarin ("shi") but with different tones.

Mandarin does not have many syllables: the words for "mother," "hemp," "horse," "scold," and a word put at the end of sentences to make it a question are all pronounced "ma:"

• "Mother" is "ma" that is high and level.
• "Hemp" is "ma" that starts low and ends high.
• "Horse" is "ma" that starts fairly high, dips very low, and then goes back up again.
• "Scold" is "ma" that starts high and ends low.
• To make a question, "ma" is added at the end, but it is kept very soft and short and about the same level.

Mandarin has "first tone," "second tone," "third tone," "fourth tone," and "neutral tone." Other Chinese dialects have more tones, some as many as 12.

More later. I shall be adding to this as time permits.

Useful Websites:
You tube video on numbers 1-10, by a jolly Chinese girl.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOAvfeu6APE
The same girl teaches you to say: I speak a little Chinese.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A-le2mGfco

To travel to a place with Chinese speakers:
UK
Many Chinese restaurants, one in every city, one or two in most high streets. They might speak Cantonese (from Hong Kong) but the symbols on the menu and prices are likely to be the same.
Chinatowns in London and Manchester.
Also Japanese restaurants in London using the same symbols.
visitbritain.org
visitengland.com
visitlondon.com

USA
Chinatowns in major cities.
visittheusa.co.uk

CANADA
Large Chinatowns in major cities including Vancouver.

SINGAPORE
Mandarin is one of the four main languages and taught in schools. Many people speak Singlish, or might speak other dialects at home, Cantonese or another from southern China.
visitsingapore.com
singaporeair.com

CHINA - Beijing, and officially everywhere Mandarin taught in schools. Chinese symbols.

TAIWAN - Taiwanese.

JAPAN - Uses the same written language (symbols) as Chinese.
https://us.jnto.go.jp/
seejapan.co.uk

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

I will teach you Esperanto In Ten Minutes, Online, Or At Any Meeting Worldwide

Zamenhof Who Invented Esperanto.

• Here's my speech in Esperanto, international language, for a Toastmasters International meeting tonight. (I will time it to be exactly 7 minutes. (Read to the end for the translation into Esperanto.)
• I will teach you ten words in Esperanto. You will (soon) speak Esperanto. In less than ten minutes.
• 1 Hello
• 2 Welcome
• 3 Toastmasters
• 4 Sit down.
• 5 Have a drink. Have a glass of water.
• 6 Have something to eat. A cucumber sandwich. A banana.
• 7 Listen to me. Esperanto is easy.
• 8 You will love it.
• 9 You can read in Esperanto.
• 10 Esperanto is on Facebook.
• Now you can speak Esperanto. Now you can teach Esperanto. 
• Next time, you will teach Esperanto. Please help me start an online Toastmasters Club.
• My name is Angela. What's your name.
• Here's my email. What's yours?
• Goodbye. Thank you for coming. See you again soon.

Good evening. Mr President. Mrs President. Friends. 

Tonight - a treat for you.

A surprise!

I will teach 

you 

ten words 

in Esperanto. 

You 

will (soon) 

speak Esperanto. 

In 

less than 

ten 

minutes.

1 Hello

2 Welcome.

Numbers one to ten.

one two three

four five

 six

seven 

eight nine

ten.

3 Toastmasters

4 Sit down.

5 Have a drink. Have a glass of water.

6 Have something to eat. A cucumber sandwich. A banana.

7 Listen to me. Esperanto is easy.

8 You will love it.

9 You can read in Esperanto.

10 Esperanto is on Facebook.

Now you can speak Esperanto. 

Now you can teach Esperanto. 

Next time, you will teach Esperanto. Please help me start an online Toastmasters Club.

My name is Angela. What's your name.

Here's my email. What's yours?

Goodbye. Thank you for coming. See you again soon.

That was good, wasn't it!

Goodbye.

See you again soon.

Le'ts meet. For coffee.

Talk. Chat.

Play tennis.

Play cars. Bridge game.

Speak soon.

Goodbye!

Bonan vesperon. Sinjoro Prezidanto. Sinjorino Prezidanto. Amikoj.

Ĉi-vespere - klopodas vin.

Surprizo!

Mi instruos

vi

dek vortojn

en Esperanto.

Vi

volos (baldaŭ)

parolu Esperanton

En

malpli ol

dek

minutoj.

1 Saluton

2 Bonvenon.

Nombroj unu al dek.

unu du tri

kvar kvin

  ses

sep

ok naŭ

dek.

3 Toastmasters

4 Sidiĝu.

5 Havu trinkaĵon. Havu glason da akvo.

6 Havu ion por manĝi. Kukumo sandviĉo. Banano. (Healthy. For vegetarians!)

7 Aŭskultu min. Esperanto estas facila.

8 Vi amos ĝin.

9 Vi povas legi en Esperanto.

10 Esperanto estas sur Facebook.

Nun vi povas paroli Esperanton.

Nun vi povas instrui Esperanton.

Tuj poste vi instruos Esperanton. Bonvolu helpi min komenci enretan Toastmasters Klubon.

Mia nomo estas Angela. Kiel vi nomiĝas.

Jen mia retpoŝto. Kio estas via?

Adiaŭ. Dankon pro veno. Vidi vin baldaŭ.

Tio estis bona, ĉu ne!

Adiaŭ.

Vidi vin baldaŭ.

Ni renkontiĝu. Por kafo.

Paroli. Babilejo

Ludi tenison.

Ludu aŭtoj. Ponto ludo.

Parolu baldaŭ.

Adiaŭ!

Where is this? The permanent exhibition on Zamenhof. Which city. See my previous posts. Please share links to your favourite posts.
Author
Angela Lansbury. Travel writer and photographer. Polyglot. (Speaker of several languages.) Learner and teacher of languages. I can give speeches worldwide. I live in London, England, and Singapore and I am in both coutnries every year. I can also give speeches worldwide if somebody can organise a free flight (from a multi-national company, from a tourist board of a country or city, or using somebody's donated airmiles).  I am happy to stay in and write about a five star hotel, an interesting hotel of any standard, a youth hostel, or a stay in the home of a member of Toastmasters or an Esperanto club. I would be happy with an honorarium (one off small donation - which does not count as income and won't break rules about earning money or working in another country).  Better still, I will be jubilant to receive the proper fee which I deserve for all my time and trouble.

Learning English or teaching it to children

If you take a job overseas as a teacher of English, or want to teach some English to children, songs are useful. My favourites poems, rhymes and songs are:

1 One, two, buckle my shoe
2 Ten Green Bottles hanging on the wall
3 On the first day of Christmas
4 One, two, three, four, five
5 Thirty days hath September

Full text of songs
Numbers 1-10
1 One, two, buckle my shoe, three four, knock at the door, five six, pick up sticks, number seven, go to heaven, number eight, knock at the gate, nine and ten, start again.

Numbers 1-10
2 Ten Green Bottles (song)
Ten green bottles hanging on the wall, ten green bottles hanging on the wall, but if one green bottle should accidentally fall, there'd be nine green bottles hanging on the wall. (Repeat with nine, eight seven six, five, four, three, two. The last verse goes, one green bottle hanging on the wall, one green bottle hanging on the wall, but if one green bottle should accidentally fall, there's be no green bottles hanging on the wall.

Numbers 1-12
3 On the first day of Christmas
On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me a partridge in a pear tree.
One the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree. (And so on.)
This song teaches the numbers one to twelve but also first, second and so on.

The last verse goes: on the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

4 Calling Birds

5 Gold Rings

6 Geese a-Laying

7 Swans a-Swimming

8 Maids a-Milking

9 Ladies Dancing

10 Lords a-Leaping

11 Pipers Piping

12 Drummers Drumming

It is a cumulative song. 

twelve drummers drumming
eleven pipers piping
ten lords a leaping
nine ladies dancing
eight maids a milking
seven swans a swimming
six geese a laying
five gold rings
four calling birds
three French hens
two turtle doves
and a partridge in a pear tree.
Various parodies of this exist.

I suggest you make up your own version using words which are easiest to remember of most useful.
My draft versions would go:
On the first day of Christmas my mother gave to me, one cup of herbal tea:
A pigeon in a pear tree?
An apple from an apple tree.
One packet of tea.
One chocolate box. Eggs in a box.
One long scarf. Two books that made me laugh.
One box of toffee, two jars of coffee.

on the second day of Christmas my mother gave to me:
2 pairs of socks
3 odd gloves
4 funny things
5 pretty rings
6 matching mugs
7 matching rugs
8 jars of honey
9 lots of money
10 eggs
11 folding crates
12 matching plates

You could also make up:
all foods, fruits and healthy vegetables, tickets to events, sports, clothes, books, stationery, perfumes, wines, spirits, cities, parts of cars, claws and dinosaurs, computer parts and accessories (for a rhyme on an emailed Xmas card). You have plenty of time to rhyme and revise if you start well before Christmas.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Days_of_Christmas_(song)

Numbers 1-10
4 One, two, three, four, five, once I saw a fish alive; six seven, eight, nine. ten, then I let him go again.

Number of Days In A Month
5 Thirty days hath September, April, June and November, all the rest have thirty one, except for February which has 28 days clear, and 29 in each leap year.

Angela Lansbury, BA Hons, CL, ACG, English teacher and tutor, language evaluator at Toastmasters International speakers club meetings.