There's a sort of balance between the different languages of the world. Some have extremely complex systems of verb changes and noun changes, requiring you to think about every last little detail of who does what in the sentence so that you can get all the endings right. Others say to themselves, "You know, all those extra grammatical endings aren't for me." So they simply put their words in a line and never change them. The tradeoff is that these "simpler" languages have very inflexible word order. So what does this look like in Indonesian word order?  Well, if you switch the position of a few words in a sentence in, say, Russian, the grammatical endings will keep you informed about what you need to know. If you do the same in... Show more

*ring ring* That’s your alarm clock. It’s time to learn Indonesian! Hey, do you know how to say that phrase—or, really, any phrases about time in Indonesian? You should! If you’re learning Indonesian for travel, you’re definitely going to want to know how to ask about time. Good luck getting on buses or trains at the right time if you don’t know how to ask when they leave! And if you’re planning on a longer stay there, well, that’s even more of a reason to learn how to tell time in Indonesian. Imagine making a restaurant reservation or calling to ask when a store closes if you don’t know how to talk about time. Pretty tricky, right? This article is definitely for you. Table of Contents Asking for the Time Talking... Show more

Did you get lost again? In the sweltering heat of an Indonesian dry season, it’s no fun to not know where you’re going. (The rainy season is arguably worse!) Going to Indonesia and learning some of the language to help you prepare is an excellent step you can take for a great trip. But did you remember to learn about directions in Indonesian too? Suppose your motorcycle taxi driver has heard of your guesthouse, but never actually been. Or suppose your class is starting in ten minutes and you’re still wandering around the same university streets. Table of Contents Basic Cultural Notes and Phrases Pull Out Your Map and Learn the Compass Points City Vocabulary and Reference Points Phrases for Directions in... Show more

When it comes to parts of speech that you ought to know, you never see nouns ranked super high. If you don’t know a verb, the conversation might grind to a halt as you figure out how to talk around that. If you don’t know a noun, though, it’s not the end of the world. You can probably say something similar, or maybe even the English word. Right? That philosophy might work for some things. But try describing an electrical outlet, or your knee, without resorting to pointing. Tough work! This is a no-fluff list of common Indonesian nouns, and lots of them. Fill up those lexical gaps and hit the ground running! Table of Contents What Makes Indonesian Nouns Tick? Time The Body The Family Working Life School Days ... Show more

Indonesia is a beautiful place filled with wonderful people. If you’ve ever been, you’ve probably felt the same way. But have you told them so? Foreigners aren’t expected to make any effort to learn Indonesian, particularly not in international hotspots like Jakarta and Bali. However, learning just enough of the language to complete everyday interactions and compliment your hosts is a very doable goal that will make your time in Indonesia much more special. Further than that, though, you also need to learn about the culture of Indonesian compliments. How do things work? What might be considered going too far, and what might be expected of you in various interactions? Learning this information and using it well will not only grease the... Show more

Getting angry in Indonesian is a difficult subject to talk about. Indonesians are, by and large, well-known for not getting very angry. The country often seems to tourists like a literal land of smiles. A very important word in Indonesian is santai, meaning "relaxed" or "at ease." If you're stressed or frustrated, and very clearly not santai, then you're probably going to alienate others. How about on TV, though? Have you ever seen Indonesian sinetron soap operas? They're filled with angry outbursts and furious rants at the world. So even though you might not see or hear it much in real life, Indonesian angry words and phrases definitely exist. If you want to take your Indonesian to the next level, you'd better learn them. Table of... Show more

There’s a lot to be said for being able to make good small talk in another language. Conversations can start up and keep going indefinitely with the right people. But what can you talk about? Perhaps you’ve tried talking about the weather and didn’t end up getting terribly far. Or perhaps you’ve already met someone in Indonesia and gotten along with them, but you don’t know what to talk about whenever you hang out. When something big happens in their life, you’ve got the perfect opening. For example, wishing them a happy birthday in Indonesian is a good way to open up new conversation topics (like what they want to do during this next year of their life, if they have special plans, etc.). Well-wishes, or ucapan in Indonesian, are... Show more

Right now, in just five minutes, you can give your Indonesian vocabulary a super-size boost. In just one regular-sized article, we’ve prepared for you a fantastic overview of popular Indonesian adjectives, plus the top 100 Indonesian adjectives you need for any situation. Looking for an example of Indonesian adjectives at work? We have plenty of those, too. With the isolating grammar of the Indonesian language, simply reading a lot of example sentences with these popular Indonesian adjectives is a great way to naturally assimilate syntax and vocabulary. Table of Contents A Quick Overview of Indonesian Adjectives List of the Top 100 Indonesian Adjectives Modifying Adjectives Conclusion 1. A Quick Overview of Indonesian... Show more

Many Indonesian learners who study Indonesian on their own forget—or rather, never learn—a certain conjunction despite its importance. Conjunctions in Indonesian (or any language, really) aren’t usually a topic of interest to many learners. Usually, they become accustomed to using alternate phrasings without having to take advantage of a conjunction. In fact, I’ve personally noticed that I tend to use one particular structure in all the foreign languages I study. But when writing a formal letter or trying to contact a local university in Indonesia, you’ll always have to go as fluff-free in your writing as possible—which is something you can’t fully accomplish without the use of conjunctions. It just goes to show that if you skip out... Show more

As many guidebooks will tell you, Indonesia is a happy country. The locals look on visitors with warmth and welcoming. But what happens when you get on their wrong side? To be honest, not much. It takes something really severe to bring Indonesians to confrontation. The worst thing that happens is that you get passed up for opportunities and friendships because people think you’re not that pleasant to be around. But that’s still awful! So to avoid a scenario like that, it’s important that you become familiar with etiquette in Indonesia. To help you out, we’ve put this article together for you, outlining everything you need to know about table manners in Indonesia and more. You may be surprised to know how far knowing just a little... Show more