Beginner Indonesian
Greetings, numbers, ordering food, saying no correctly.
43 lessons · 7 chapters
Chapter 1
First words
- 1Selamat, and the four times of dayOne word opens almost every greeting in Indonesian. Learn it and you get four more for free.5 min
- 2Apa kabar, and what to say backThe question everyone asks, and the three answers that cover every situation.5 min
- 3Two goodbyes, and the one that 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, excuse me and please: 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
- 6What does that mean? 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
- 8The 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 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
- 10Names: asking, giving, and the polite dodgeExchange names in Indonesian, and learn the question form that sounds softer than the direct one.5 min
- 11Where you're from and what 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
- 13Pak, Bu, Mas, Mbak: addressing strangersIndonesian 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
- 17The seven question wordsLearn seven words and you can ask almost anything, because Indonesian does not reorder the sentence to make a question.6 min
- 18Yes-or-no questions, 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: 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 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
- 23My, your, his: 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
- 25Turning things down 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: 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
- 27Adjectives 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
- 29More, most, and the same asThree small words turn any adjective into a comparison. No irregular forms, no exceptions.4 min
- 30Plurals: 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
- 31Tense 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
- 32Yesterday, today, tomorrow and the words around themThe time vocabulary that makes akan unnecessary, plus how Indonesian counts days in both directions.5 min
- 33Days, months and dates in IndonesianThe months are almost free. The days take ten minutes. The date order is not the American one.5 min
- 34Numbers, 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 timeIndonesian asks 'hour how much', and counts minutes past and to the hour much as English does.4 min
- 36Asking 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
- 37First, second, third: the ke- numbersOne prefix turns any number into an ordinal, with a single irregular form at the start.4 min
Chapter 7
Out and about
- 38Ordering food and drinkFour sentences get you fed anywhere in Indonesia, from a street cart to a restaurant.5 min
- 39Pedas, 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, and the answer that means nothingAsk the way, understand the reply, and learn why 'straight ahead' is sometimes just politeness.5 min
- 42Motorbikes, 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