Those who have tried know: Learning a foreign language may not be easy, but it’s an amazing and fulfilling process. By learning to understand, speak, and think in a foreign language, we add a new skill to our repertoire—but that’s not all! We can also change the very way we see the world. But in today’s civilization, time is money and many of us feel too trapped by responsibilities to try mastering a language ourselves. So if you’re planning to study Indonesian, an important question to ask yourself is: How long does it take to learn Indonesian? And perhaps more importantly: Is it worth the investment?  Did you know that Indonesian has a lot of words that can’t be translated into English? One of my favorites is faedah, which... Show more

These are beautiful times for language learners. Even ten years ago, language learning materials on the Internet were nothing like they are today. We’ve had YouTube for a decade and a half, and only in the last several years has it become possible—or even likely—that someone could learn a language mostly through YouTube. If you’ve set out to learn Indonesian, YouTube may have you feeling left out at this point. Why should other language learners get all the fun? Never fear, though. Today’s article is going to introduce you to the top ten YouTube channels for Indonesian learners! Later, we’ll show you why IndonesianPod101’s channel is the best source for learners at every level. → Before starting, check out our vocabulary list... Show more

Many aspiring learners wonder whether the Indonesian language is easy to learn, and if so, why more people don’t speak it. You see, Indonesian is not a very commonly learned language for most of the world.  Sure, there are people in Southeast Asia that pick some of it up, it’s a growing subject in Chinese and Japanese universities, and it’s long been one of the most popular foreign languages for Australians—but you hardly see it on lists of languages people want to learn.  That’s a shame, really, because learning the language opens you up to so many wonderful things. Visiting the country when you can speak the language is much, much more freeing than being limited to an interpreter or dealing with whoever can speak some English. ... Show more

There’s a certain face that people make when they can’t understand what you’re saying. For many people, it’s a screwed-up grimace of concentration. For Indonesians, it’s more of a quiet smile and a slow drift of attention. Indonesians are polite folks, to be sure. They’re not going to tell you very much about your mistakes in Indonesian when you’re speaking with them. That’s up to you. If you want to hold up your end of the Indonesian conversation, you’ve got to make sure you’re speaking Indonesian that’s beyond just "comprehensible." It must be pleasant to listen to, and with as few mistakes as possible. But what types of mistakes tend to be the worst for Indonesian-learners, and how can you get around them? Table of... Show more

Would you describe yourself as a curious person? If you’re learning Indonesian, we imagine that you probably do!  You can make that curiosity work for your Indonesian skills, too! When you talk to people, they’ll be interested in who you are and what’s driven you to learn their language. And the bread and butter of that is questions. Statistically, questions make up a big part of conversation in any language. By preparing yourself with the most common Indonesian questions and answers, you’ll become familiar and comfortable with these conversational keystones and come off as a skilled conversationalist. Table of Contents Your Name Your Origin Story Language Matters Traveling Around A Personal Question A Taste of... Show more

Indonesians, by and large, are nice people. They treat foreigners very well, to be sure. Indonesia isn’t one of the hottest Asian travel destinations for nothing! But there is one area where they could treat foreigners a little nicer: the Indonesian language itself. They’re glad if you can speak it and will treat you well because of that, absolutely. They just don’t think you can get good. They’ll tend to always simplify their speech and never tell you about the many mistakes you’re making. To avoid this misfortune, you’ll need to prove yourself with an Indonesian language proficiency test. Even then, it’s no guarantee that Indonesians will take your skills that seriously. After all, there are thousands of foreigners in Bali... Show more

You asked, so we provided—easy-to-follow instructions on how to set up your electronic devices to write in Indonesian! We’ll also give you a few excellent tips on how to use this keyboard, as well as some online and app alternatives if you prefer not to set up a Indonesian keyboard. Table of Contents Why it’s Important to Learn to Type in Indonesian Setting up Your Computer and Mobile Devices for Indonesian How to Activate an Onscreen Keyboard on Your Computer How to Change the Language Settings to Indonesian on Your Computer Activating the Indonesian Keyboard on Your Mobile Phone and Tablet Indonesian Keyboard Typing Tips How to Practice Typing Indonesian 1. Why it’s Important to Learn to Type in Indonesian Learning a... Show more

Can You Really Learn Indonesian Alone? Learning a language on your own or without traditional classroom instruction may seem quite daunting at first. What if you run into questions? How do you stay motivated and on track to achieving goals? Don’t worry, not only is it possible to learn Indonesian or any language without traditional classroom instruction: IndonesianPod101 has created the world’s most advanced and extensive online language learning system. Not only is IndonesianPod101 specifically designed to help you with learning a language on your own, it’s actually faster, more convenient, and less expensive than traditional classroom options! Let’s look at some of the benefits of learning Indonesian or any language alone. Also,... Show more

Yes, even beginners can quickly learn conversational Indonesian well enough to carry on real conversations with native speakers. Of course, beginners won’t be able to carry a conversation the same way they could in their native language. But, just knowing a few tips like which questions to ask to keep a conversation going are all you need to speak and interact with real native speakers! But before we get to specific suggestions, let’s first take a closer look at how having real Indonesian conversations is so vital to your mastery of the language. Learning to Carry a Conversation is Vital to Mastery of Any Language Communicating with other people is the very point of language and conversation is almost second nature in our native tongue.... Show more

Today, classrooms are no longer the only or even best place to learn a new language like Indonesian. More and more people are finding that they can easily learn a language just about anywhere they have a few minutes of spare time, including their daily commute to work. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average American spends over 50 minutes a day commuting to and from work, or over 300 hours a year. Rethinking Your Daily Commute to Work But rather than simply sitting in traffic and wasting the time, you can instead use your daily commute to literally learn Indonesian in just a few short months! IndonesianPod101 has developed specialized learning tools that you can use on your commute to work (and home again) to master the... Show more