Looking for practical Makassar to Lingala phrases? This free guide lists 100 essential sentences for travel, study, work, and everyday conversation. Each line shows the Makassar 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: read the Lingala line out loud three times, then cover the Makassar side and try to recall the meaning — repetition builds memory faster than silent reading.
Bookmark this page for offline review, share it with a travel buddy, or open the Makassar 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.
Halo
Mbote
Terima kasih
Melesi
Selamat pagi
Mbote na ntango ya mokolo
Selamat sore
Mbote na ntango ya midi
Selamat malam
Mbote na ntango ya soir
Selamat tidur
Malamu na butu
Sampai jumpa
Tala yo nsima
Selamat tinggal
Kende malamu
Siapa namamu?
Nkombo na yo nani?
Namaku John
Nkombo na ngai ezali John
Apa kabar?
Ozalaki malamu?
Senang bertemu denganmu
Nayoki malamu na yo
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)