IndonesianPod101.com Blog

Indonesian is a very exciting language to learn. This is largely due to its simplicity. No new alphabet to learn, no verb tenses, and no grammatical gender either. And the perks are huge. You’ll be speaking the ninth most common language in the world, and you’ll even be able to understand a fair bit of Malaysian. But let’s face it. Learning a language doesn’t really cut it. Total language mastery is what you should always be aiming for. Whether you’re a beginner, an intermediate learner, or a more advanced Indonesian student, you will always want to master the ins and outs of every skill within your current level before moving forward.  The three most important skills that dictate your performance at every level are... Show more

Assuming you’re on the verge of leveling up in your Indonesian studies, it’s time that you step up and learn some of the most useful intermediate Indonesian words. But before we dive in, some context:  Many language experts consider Indonesian to be the easiest spoken language for English speakers to learn. It’s a simplified language, and learning it is more fun than it is a chore. La coca-cola is feminine in Spanish. Le café is masculine in French. Das Bier is neuter in German. But in Indonesian, it’s all the same. So whether you’re ordering a coca-cola, kopi, or a bira, it all falls under the same blanket. Surprised?  You might be even more surprised to learn that there is no plural in Indonesian. For example, one... Show more

We’ve all heard of the island of Bali in Indonesia. It’s one of the world’s most exotic travel destinations. The beaches, nature, and greenness are heavenly, and this imagery is the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of “Indonesia.” Another fascinating component of Bali is its fauna, with the Komodo dragon being its most famous species. The dragon has been named the largest lizard, and the deadly venom in its saliva makes it one of the most lethal predators in the world. In this article, we’ll introduce you to Indonesian animal words that will help you talk about the variety of unique animals that live in Indonesia as well as the most common animals abroad. Orangutans, Sumatran tigers, Bali starlings...these animals,... Show more

Ever heard of the 7-38-55 communication rule? The rule says that communication is composed of 7 percent spoken word, 38 percent tone of voice, and 55 percent body language. While this rule is sometimes misconstrued, it’s true that we rely heavily on these subtle clues when communicating.  But on the phone, we’re limited to only 45% of our communication means: spoken word and tone of voice.  This can make it nerve-wracking to get on the phone with a stranger. It’s a style of communication we’re not naturally made for.  And phone calls in a foreign language like Indonesian can be even scarier!  Learning a few Indonesian phone call phrases can help take a lot of this pressure off your shoulders. Once you have the most common... Show more

Before Google Translate and online dictionaries, we had to browse through a massive dictionary to find the meaning or translation for a single word. Nowadays, physical dictionaries have become obscure. That has made learning languages way easier. But with all these resources at our fingertips, it becomes increasingly difficult to focus. Sometimes, aspiring language learners end up just translating a bunch of words without learning any. This is why we’ve compiled a masterlist of 200+ basic Indonesian words for beginners.  Memorizing these words will help you to accurately build sentences, ask questions, express emotions, and much more. Without further ado, let’s get right into it. Table of Contents Pronouns ... Show more

"To banish imperfection is to destroy expression, to check exertion, to paralyze vitality." ― John Ruskin, The Stones of Venice Great quote, isn’t it?  We humans are prone to imperfections. We may not like them, but it’s very boss-like to accept them and move forward. After all, these small flaws can be found just about everywhere: in our appearance, voice, ideas, or even language skills.  We don’t always come up with the best words, expressions, or transitions while speaking. Our ideas often feel like a jumbled mess—doubly so when trying to speak in a foreign language!  That’s where Indonesian filler words come in. But what are they, exactly? Table of Contents What are filler words and why do we use them? ... Show more

Did you know that 40 to 50 percent of couples in the U.S.A. end up divorcing? Staggering, right? Now compare that to Indonesia’s continuously declining 10% divorce rate. With stats like that, you’ll probably find yourself feeling very good about the idea of having an Indonesian partner. Being a conservative country, Indonesia is the perfect place for securing a stable, loving relationship if that’s your cup of tea. And considering that it’s one of the easiest languages to pick up, learning some Indonesian-language love phrases to help you express your feelings is definitely not a bad time investment. This is especially true if you count the benefits you might reap from impressing your partner with your Indonesian skills. ... Show more

If you’ve decided to learn a foreign language, whether for work or just for fun, it’s essential to stay positive and motivated. This will make all the difference as you progress toward your language learning goals.  As you aim for positivity and a smooth language learning journey, I’m sure you would love to always be able to say yes! However, as you may imagine, you’ll also need to learn how to form negative sentences in Indonesian before you master the language. Don’t worry though. We only mean "negative" from a grammatical point of view…so keep the positive vibe! In this article, you’ll learn all about negation in Indonesian: how to answer a closed-ended question correctly and politely, how to transform positive sentences into... Show more

If you’re planning to start learning a foreign language, Indonesian might seem like an odd choice… But it really isn’t!  So, why learn Indonesian? Especially when there are so many other (more popular) languages to choose from? Well, did you know that Indonesia is the fourth most populous region on the entire planet? This means that you’ll have about 23 million potential conversation partners, if we’re just talking about native speakers. If we count those who speak it as a second language, that number skyrockets to over 200 million! This is only one of the many reasons you should start learning Indonesian now… Do you want to learn 10 more? Keep reading and you won’t be disappointed.  Table of Contents Benefits of... Show more

Like nouns, verbs are an essential part of all sentences. They are the words we use to describe an action (menyanyikan - to sing), a state of being (hidup - to exist), or an occurrence (mengembangkan - to develop), and they usually have to agree with a subject, which is who or what performs the action described.  Generally, no sentence is complete without a verb. This makes it crucial to pay special attention to verbs when learning a foreign language. Luckily for you, there are no real tenses in Indonesian to worry about. In this article, you’ll learn more about what this means and how to form the main English tenses in Indonesian. By the end of it, you’ll have taken a great leap toward using Indonesian verbs with ease. We’ve... Show more