English
What you want to eat?
Malay
Nak makan apa?
Note
Nak is “want”. Friends drop the “you”.
Tap for word map
abang
Notes⌘KAM
English
Kopi C kosong to go.
Malay
Kopi C kosong, bungkus.
Tap for word map
Abang is typing…
English or Malay…
A friend to text with, not a textbook
The best way to learn a language is by using it in real conversations. Abang puts you right into actual chat exchanges, so your learning is driven by real-life usage from the start.
English on the side
Every line carries a short English gloss. Tap for a word map, and Abang notes the particle a beginner would miss.
Hear it spoken
Tap to hear the Malay. Slow it to x0.8 or x0.5 until it sits right, then say it back before you need it at the stall.
Abang knows things
Abang pulls in fresh context from the internet right in the middle of your chat, making every conversation more relevant and interesting.
Ask about a line
Highlight a snippet and ask what it means, when you’d say it, or how to make it more casual — without leaving the chat.
Notes, one key away
⌘K opens a private scratch pad on this device. Type /translate or /explain and Abang fills the note in.
Share a chat
Make a chat public and copy the link. Anyone can read it, nobody can edit it. Flip it private again whenever.
Save the line. Look one up.
Save a line straight from chat, or look a phrase up before you need it. Abang drafts the card — word map, sample usage, notes — and you decide whether it goes in the book.
The library sits beside the chat on desktop, and has its own page with search when the list gets long.
Library
less spicy
Look upNak kurang pedas sikit.
A bit less spicy, please.
Casual
Word map
- Nakwant
- kurangless
- pedasspicy
- sikita bit
Sample usage
Auntie, nak kurang pedas sikit.
Auntie, a bit less spicy please.
Ordering at a stall
Notes
- Sikit softens the ask. Friends say this at a stall without sounding formal.
DiscardSave to phrasebook
Saved
Search saved phrases
Boleh bungkus?
Can I get this to go?
CasualJumpa nanti!
See you later!
Casual
Then quiz those lines.
After a couple of turns, quiz that chat. Or quiz the week — 12 questions pulled from every conversation in the last 7 days.
Quiz
Quiz this week
A short round from every chat in the last 7 days.
Start a new quiz
12 questions from this week. Then a recap.
This week
- Hawker stall, lunchResume · 4 of 12
- Week of 1 SepReview10/12
- Asking the way to the MRTReview11/12
Quiz this week
4 of 12
Nak kurang pedas sikit.
What does sikit do in this line?
Softens the ask — “a bit”
Makes it formal
Means “very”
Nice.
Sikit is “a little”. Tacked on the end, it makes the ask softer.
Next
Quiz this week
Recap
10/12
A few to look at again — that’s the point of a recap.
Look at these again
- Dah makan belum?Ask
- Jom, jalan-jalan.Ask
Review questions
Set a scene, or just say something
Tell Abang where you are and it speaks first. Or type in English and Abang turns it into the Malay line. Either way, the chat stays in Malay.
Installs on your phone too. Add to Home Screen and Abang opens on its own, without the browser chrome.
Tell Abang how to start and Abang will send the first message. Or type below in English or Malay — the chat itself stays in Malay.
You’re at a hawker stall. Greet me and ask what I want to eat.
Start chat
English
Eh, hi! What you want to eat today?
Malay
Eh, hai! Nak makan apa hari ni?
Note
Hari ni is the spoken “today”. Nobody says hari ini at a stall.
Tap for word map