Beginner Indonesian
Greetings, numbers, ordering food, saying no correctly.
43 lessons · 7 chapters
Chapter 1
First words
- 1Greetings in Indonesian: selamat, and the four times of dayOne word opens almost every greeting in Indonesian. Learn it and you get four more for free.5 min
- 2How are you in Indonesian: apa kabar, and what to say backThe question everyone asks, and the three answers that cover every situation.5 min
- 3Goodbye in Indonesian: two of them, and one means neverWhich goodbye you use depends on who is leaving. Get it backwards and you have announced you are never coming back.4 minWhere people get stuck
- 4Thank you in Indonesian: terima kasih and makasihSay thank you in the right register, answer when someone thanks you, and know when Indonesians would not thank you at all.5 min
- 5Sorry and excuse me in Indonesian: maaf, permisi, tolongThree words English speakers keep confusing, and the one Indonesian says constantly that English has no use for.6 minWhere people get stuck
- 6Asking for help in Indonesian: the phrases that let you learn on the streetSix sentences that turn every conversation into a lesson. Learn these before anything else and the rest arrives on its own.5 minWhere people get stuck
Chapter 2
Sounds and spelling
- 7The Indonesian alphabet, and why old names look strangeTwenty-six letters you already know, said differently, plus the spelling reform that explains Soekarno and Sukarno.6 min
- 8Indonesian pronunciation: the five sounds that trip up English speakersIndonesian spelling is honest. Learn five letters and you can read any word aloud correctly.6 minWhere people get stuck
- 9The two Indonesian e sounds, and how to know which is whichOne letter, two pronunciations, no accent marks to help you. Here is the pattern that works.5 min
Chapter 3
People, and how to address them
- 10Introduce yourself in Indonesian: asking a name, giving yoursExchange names in Indonesian, and learn the question form that sounds softer than the direct one.5 min
- 11Where are you from in Indonesian, and what do you doThe two questions that follow your name, every single time, with the answers that keep a conversation going.5 min
- 12Saya vs aku vs gue: which I to use, and whenPick the pronoun that matches who you're talking to, because getting it wrong is the first thing people notice.8 minWhere people get stuck
- 13Indonesian titles: Pak, Bu, Mas and MbakIndonesian prefers titles to pronouns. Four words cover almost everyone you will meet.6 min
- 14Kita vs kami: the we that leaves you outKita includes the person you are talking to, kami excludes them. English has no way to tell them apart.5 minWhere people get stuck
- 15Family in Indonesian: older and younger, not brother and sisterIndonesian has no word for brother or sister. It sorts siblings by age instead, and that shapes how everyone addresses everyone.6 minWhere people get stuck
- 16I love you in Indonesian: cinta or sayangTwo words for love, and the one you will hear far more is also a term of endearment and, confusingly, an expression of regret.5 minWhere people get stuck
Chapter 4
The words that do the work
- 17Indonesian question words: all seven of themLearn seven words and you can ask almost anything, because Indonesian does not reorder the sentence to make a question.6 min
- 18Yes and no in Indonesian, and why apakah is optionalYou can ask a yes-or-no question with nothing but your voice. The formal marker exists, but you will rarely need it.4 min
- 19Ada in Indonesian: there is, there isn't, and do you have anyOne word covers there is, they have, it exists and it's available. You will use it twenty times a day.5 minWhere people get stuck
- 20Bisa vs boleh: can you, or may youBoth translate as can. One is about ability, the other about permission, and mixing them changes what you are asking.5 minWhere people get stuck
- 21Twenty common Indonesian verbs that cover most daysThe verbs never change form, so learning one gives you every tense of it at once. Here are the twenty worth having first.6 min
- 22Ini vs itu: this, that, and no verb between themTwo pointing words, and your first Indonesian sentences without a verb in them.4 min
- 23Indonesian possessives: the endings that replace pronounsIndonesian sticks possession onto the end of the noun. Three endings cover most of what you need.5 min
- 24Tidak vs bukan: which no do you needSay no to the right kind of word, and stop making the mistake every beginner makes.7 minWhere people get stuck
- 25How to say no in Indonesian without saying noIndonesian rarely refuses directly. Here is what people say instead, and how to hear a no that never comes.6 minWhere people get stuck
- 26Harus and perlu in Indonesian: must and need toObligation and necessity, plus the negative that means you do not have to rather than you must not.5 min
Chapter 5
Describing things
- 27Indonesian adjectives go after the nounThe word order is the reverse of English, and it is the same reversal you already met with possession.4 min
- 28Colours in IndonesianA dozen words, one of which literally means young red, and they all follow the noun.4 min
- 29Comparatives in Indonesian: more, most, and the same asThree small words turn any adjective into a comparison. No irregular forms, no exceptions.4 min
- 30Indonesian plurals: say it twice, or do not botherIndonesian has no plural ending. It doubles the word, and most of the time it does not mark plural at all.5 min
Chapter 6
Time and numbers
- 31Indonesian tenses without conjugation: sudah, sedang, akanThe verb never changes. Three small words do the whole job that English does with endings.8 minWhere people get stuck
- 32Indonesian time words: yesterday, today, tomorrow and the restThe time vocabulary that makes akan unnecessary, plus how Indonesian counts days in both directions.5 min
- 33Days and months in Indonesian, and how to write a dateThe months are almost free. The days take ten minutes. The date order is not the American one.5 min
- 34Numbers in Indonesian, and the trap between eleven and nineteenIndonesian numbers are built from ten roots. One pattern in the teens catches everyone once.6 min
- 35Telling the time in IndonesianIndonesian asks 'hour how much', and counts minutes past and to the hour much as English does.4 min
- 36Bargaining in Indonesian: asking the price, and bringing it downThe three sentences that do all the work at a market, and the point where haggling stops being expected.6 min
- 37Indonesian ordinal numbers: first, second, third with ke-One prefix turns any number into an ordinal, with a single irregular form at the start.4 min
Chapter 7
Out and about
- 38Ordering food in Indonesian, and drink with itFour sentences get you fed anywhere in Indonesia, from a street cart to a restaurant.5 min
- 39Spicy food in Indonesian: pedas, and saying what you cannot eatIndonesian heat is not a warning, it is a default. Here is how to opt out, and how to explain a restriction.5 min
- 40Di vs ke vs dari: at, to and fromThree tiny words that mark place. Learn them together in one go rather than meeting them one at a time and staying confused.5 minWhere people get stuck
- 41Directions in Indonesian, and the answer that means nothingAsk the way, understand the reply, and learn why 'straight ahead' is sometimes just politeness.5 min
- 42Transport in Indonesian: motorbikes, taxis, and agreeing the price firstThe transport words you will use daily, and the one habit that prevents every argument.5 min
- 43Saying you are sick in IndonesianSakit means sick, sore and painful all at once. Point at the part that hurts and you have said most of it.5 min