Looking for practical Malay (Bahasa Melayu) to Lingala phrases? This free guide lists 100 essential sentences for travel, study, work, and everyday conversation. Each line shows the Malay 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 Malay 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 Malay (Bahasa Melayu) 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 petang
Mbote na ntango ya midi
Selamat malam
Mbote na ntango ya soir
Selamat malam
Malamu na butu
Jumpa lagi
Tala yo nsima
Selamat tinggal
Kende malamu
Siapa nama anda?
Nkombo na yo nani?
Nama saya John
Nkombo na ngai ezali John
Apa khabar?
Ozalaki malamu?
Senang berjumpa dengan anda
Nayoki malamu na yo
Useful phrases for travellers
Airport, hotel, tickets, and transport phrases for getting around on a trip.
Adakah anda bercakap dalam bahasa Inggeris?
Ozali koloba lingala?(ozali koloba lingala)
Saya tidak bercakap Hindi dengan baik
Nasalaka hindi malamu te(nasalaka hindi malamu te)