A collection of useful phrases in Iban, a language closely related to Malay and spoken in Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.
See these phrases in any combination of two languages in the Phrase Finder. If you can provide recordings, corrections or additional translations, please contact me.
Key to abbreviations: frm = formal, inf = informal
| English | Iban |
|---|---|
| Welcome | Selamat datai |
| Hello (General greeting) | |
| How are you? | Nama Berita? (What news?) Bakani gaya kitak? (How's life?) |
| Reply to 'How are you?' | Manah. Nuan deh? Manah. Dik deh? Dik, nama berita? Nuan, nama berita? |
| Long time no see | Udah lama enda betemu |
| What's your name? | Sapa nama dik? |
| My name is ... | Nama aku ... |
| Where are you from? | Nuan datai 'ari ni? Dik datai 'ari ni? |
| I'm from ... | Aku datai 'ari ... |
| Pleased to meet you | Manah betemu nuan! |
| Good morning (Morning greeting) |
Selamat pagi |
| Good afternoon (Afternoon greeting) |
Selamat tengah hari (12-2pm) |
| Good evening (Evening greeting) |
Selamat lamai (2-7pm) |
| Good night | Selamat malam (after 7pm) |
| Goodbye (Parting phrases) |
Kami ka' mupuk dulu (We're going back to where we're from) Betemu baru ila (See you later) |
| Good luck! | |
| Cheers! Good Health! (Toasts used when drinking) |
Gerai Nyamai! |
| Have a nice day | Arap meh sari dik manah amai! Arap meh sari nuan manah amai! |
| Bon appetit / Have a nice meal |
Nyamai nya' empa/lauk dimakai nuan? (Is it good?) Makai 'agi! (Eat more!) Makai am! (Let's go eat!) |
| Bon voyage / Have a good journey |
Jimat jimat bejalai |
| I don't understand | Aku enda mereti |
| I don't know | Aku enda nemu |
| Please speak more slowly | Ulih nuan jako belubah? Ulih dik jako belubah? |
| Please say that again | Nama nya' agi? (What's that again?) Ulih nuan nyebut nya' agi? (Could you say that again?) |
| Please write it down | Ulih nuan nulih leka jako nya? Ulih nuan nulih leka jako tu? |
| Do you speak Iban? | Nuannemu bejako Iban? Dik nemu bejako Iban? Ulih nuan bejako Iban? Nemu dik bejako Iban? |
| Yes, a little (reply to 'Do you speak ...?') |
Nemu mimit aja |
| How do you say ... in Iban? | Baka ni nyebut ... ba jako iban? Nama leka jako ... ba Iban? |
| Leave me alone! | Anang ngachau aku! |
| Excuse me | |
| How much is this? | Brapa rega tu? |
| Sorry | Minta ampun Ampun |
| Thank you | Terima kasih Tabik basa |
| Reply to thank you | Sama-sama Nadai ngawa' |
| Where's the toilet / bathroom? | Dini endor jamban? Dini endor Agu? |
| This gentleman/lady will pay for everything | Iya ka' mayar semoa nya' |
| Would you like to dance with me? | Ka nuan betanda enggau aku? |
| I miss you | Aku lelenggau ka nuan Aku lelenggau ka dik |
| I love you | Aku sayau nuan? |
| Get well soon | |
| Help! | |
| Fire! | |
| Stop! | |
| Christmas greetings | Selamat Hari Krismas |
| New Year greetings | Selamat Taun Baru |
| Birthday greetings | Selamat Hari pengada |
| One language is never enough | Enda chukup nemu bejako aja Umbas enti nemu bejako aja Siti Jako aja sigi enda chukup |
| My hovercraft is full of eels | |
| Don't be naughty | Anang manchal! |
| Where can I find ...? | Dini ulih ngiga' ... |
| Quick | Jampat |
| It's very cold | Celap amat |
| It's very hot | 'Angat amat |
Iban phrases provided by Christian Maynes, with corrections by Farrel Gara
If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, or if you can provide recordings, please contact me.
Information about Iban | Dunging Iban script | Phrases | Numbers | Tower of Babel
Other collections of Iban phrases
http://wikitravel.org/en/Iban_phrasebook
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iban_language
Balinese, Banjar, Central Dusun, Chamorro (Guam dialect), Chamorro (North Marianas dialect), Coastal Kadazan, Fijian, Iban, Indonesian, Javanese, Malagasy, Malay, Māori, Palauan, Tetum, Yapese
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