How to Learn Indonesian

So you want to learn Indonesian?

When travelling to a foreign country it may seem a bit daunting at first. You don’t speak the local language and the culture is different, not to worry though, learning Indonesian is easy. Just invest some time and effort and you’ll get along just fine.

In Indonesia there are over 17,500 islands, 6000 are inhabited. Many different islands speak their own local dialect, but thankfully Indonesian is the national language spoken on most if not all islands. Obviously because of this reason I opted to learn only Indonesian as this is the easiest option.

I knew I was coming to Indonesia for a minimum of 6 months, so I was more than keen to learn Indonesian! Before I left Australia I did a bit of study and research here and there learning bare basics, but the best place to learn a new language is in the country they speak it right!

The first things you’ll want to learn are things you need, like directions, ordering food, and asking and answering basic questions.

Luckily within a week of arriving in Bali, I came across an incredibly helpful free Indonesian course online. Most online language learning courses that are free come with limited or very basic content, and if they’re any good you usually have to pay to use them.

This is where www.indonesianway.com differs, it’s 100% free and has incredibly helpful and in depth content not only about learning the language but on the Indonesian culture.

I signed up as a student for FREE, and then downloaded all the lessons into PDF format so I didn’t need to go onto the internet every time and use data. There are 8 modules which start from the absolute basics, progressing to in depth conversations and vocabulary in the medical field.

The best thing is you can go at your own pace, as slow or as fast as your want. I personally studied for roughly 1 hour every second day on average for the first 3 – 4 months.

Bali is the most touristic island in Indonesia, so a lot of Balinese speak English fluently, or close to it. It didn’t take long for me to get used to Indonesian, this was because I was determined to learn the language and speak it with the locals.

In the beginning I would say a few words to a local, which they would then reply in a blur of Indonesian words that I could not keep up with or understand. This is totally normal, and if you just hang in there you’ll be surprised how quickly your brain starts to recognise that which before sounded like gibberish.

My Indonesian improved immensely when I left Bali and went island hopping to Lombok, Gili Islands, Sumbawa and Flores for 5 weeks. I was speaking the language every single day, and having conversations in Indonesian as much as I possibly could. The further away from Bali I got, the less prominent the English language was, which is great because sometimes you have no choice but to speak Indonesian.

Tips

• Don’t be afraid to sound silly or make mistakes, this is how you learn!
• Talk in the local language as much as possible
• Ask as many questions about the language as you can
• Listen to locals conversations and try and understand them
• Use Google Translate to learn 1 new word everyday
• Start basic, then progress from there
• Don't give up, keep progressing!

Having a conversation after a surf

You’d be surprised how little you need to know of a language to articulate many different things you want to say. Once you have the basics like who, what, when, where, why, because, here, there, where etc with some joining words, you can construct many sentences.

Then all you have to do is expand your vocabulary and HEY PRESTO! You’re becoming fluent. I would highly recommending using Google Translate for learning individual words, this can increase your vocabulary very quickly. To set the words in concrete in your brain, you have to continually speak them in conversations until you are not thinking about what that word means.

It was incredibly rewarding sparking up conversations with locals because they really appreciated you speaking and making an effort to conversate in their language. After just a few words many times their faces would light up looking very surprised and excited followed by, "OH YOU SPEAK BAHASA! PINTAR BAHASA!" (pintar means clever/smart and bahasa means language).

So go ahead, you've got nothing to lose, only a new language to gain! I hope when you travel to Indonesia these tips help get you started in the right place, especially using the invaluable free resources of www.indonesianway.com. Remember, never be afraid to ask many questions and sound silly by making mistakes, this is an absolute essential part in learning a language, and anything for that matter.

Have fun!