Looking for an integration course in KL /learn Malay

Hi Dianaa, I may suggest you to post an advert in Kuala Lumpur classifieds > classes section, it may help, who knows!

Harmonie.

Thank you!!! I am going to try! ;-)

Dianaa...any luck? Even I am interested in learning Bahasa.

Hi Brickfields YMCA run Malay courses that are fun so I hear - you won't learn much Malay but I hear lots of cultural discussions. BTW although Malay is the official language of Malaysia in business and in KL it's English. Lots of non Malay malaysians can't or won't use Malay as not mother tongue anyway. So actually hard to practice! Most "waiters" btw are not Malay but from Myanmar etc so even when ordering food English is often best (!) Malay is useful though for official forms and out of big cities. Have fun

Thank you very much for your advise Nemodot!

I will probably go for that place. I have already asked for information and next month it will start a course for beginners.

Whirl_wind, if you would like to join too, the course will start next week so you should hurry up and give them a call! ;-)

Maybe we'll meet there! :-)

Si, si..ymca conducts fun, affordable courses, i've taken before! Good luck and selamat belajar

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I can help for free. But unfortunately, due to my work commitment, I only available during weekends

Hi and welcome. I wouldn't waste your money - such courses are useless and rare.

Just join activities - meetup.com best for that - meet locals (not many expats) and chat away! You most likely will meet more Chinese/Indian Malaysians than Malay that way of cours, but that is how it is here socially in KL. Work will also I presume allow you to mingle make friends? Join open houses offered at work and basically learn that way.

Brickfields YMCA does a Malay course but I have heard it more of a social for expats that any serious attempt at learning Malay.

You basically don't need to learn Malay beyond basics as

- only Malay's want to speak it - and the dialects!
- English is the language of business
- interracial communication is in English
- most Maalysians will want to perfect their English (in KL most spoeak it well) so often Malays answer in English
- for many Malaysians it is their mother tongue due to mixed race/language marriages
- workers in restaurants are often not Malaysian so speak better English

Food, basic directions, basic politeness and a few other words are good to know. Malay isn't difficult, it is just hard to use in KL that is 80% non-Malay.

Have fun!

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