Looking for practical Batak (Toba) to Lingala phrases? This free guide lists 100 essential sentences for travel, study, work, and everyday conversation. Each line shows the Batak (Toba) phrase first, then the Lingala translation (Lingala) — so you can scan quickly before a trip, class, or video call.
The phrases are grouped into eight topics: greetings and pleasantries, useful phrases for travellers, everyday conversation, directions and getting around, shopping and dining, emergencies and health, work and business, and time, days and numbers. Use the table of contents to jump straight to greetings, directions, dining, emergencies, or numbers. You do not need perfect grammar to start — short, clear sentences often work better than silence when you are learning Lingala.
Tip: when a Lingala phrase looks unfamiliar, compare it with the Batak (Toba) wording — noticing word order differences helps you understand grammar naturally.
Bookmark this page for offline review, share it with a travel buddy, or open the Batak (Toba) to Lingala translator to paste your own messages and get an instant translation.
Greetings and pleasantries
Hello, goodbye, please, thank you, and polite introductions for meeting new people.
Horas
Mbote(ho-ras)
Terima kasih
Melesi(te-ri-ma ka-sih)
Selamat pagi
Mbote na ntango ya mokolo(se-la-mat pa-gi)
Selamat siang
Mbote na ntango ya midi(se-la-mat si-ang)
Selamat sore
Mbote na ntango ya soir(se-la-mat so-re)
Selamat malam
Malamu na butu(se-la-mat ma-lam)
Sampai jumpa
Tala yo nsima(sam-pai jum-pa)
Selamat tinggal
Kende malamu(se-la-mat tin-gal)
Siapa nama mu?
Nkombo na yo nani?(si-a-pa na-ma mu)
Nama saya John
Nkombo na ngai ezali John(na-ma sa-ya John)
Apa kabar?
Ozalaki malamu?(a-pa ka-bar)
Senang bertemu
Nayoki malamu na yo(se-nang ber-te-mu)
Useful phrases for travellers
Airport, hotel, tickets, and transport phrases for getting around on a trip.
Apakah anda bisa berbahasa Inggris?
Ozali koloba lingala?(ozali koloba lingala)
Saya tidak bisa berbahasa Hindi dengan baik
Nasalaka hindi malamu te(nasalaka hindi malamu te)