r/indonesian

Hi everyone 👋🏼👋🏼
I’m a 25-year-old from France and I’ll be moving to Jakarta for 3 years(which is quite a long time)so I really want to integrate properly.
I really want to experience the country and its culture and i feel that learning Bahasa Indonesia is a must, plus i’ve heard it’s not too difficult to learn 😄
If anyone has any tips, apps or YouTube channels i’d really appreciate it! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Terima kasih!!

Halo! Saya orang Indonesia asli, tapi dari kecil udah tinggal di luar negeri. Menurut saya, kalau ngomong saya masih bisa (tapi belum lancar), tapi ada beberapa kata2 yang saya beneran gak ngerti.

Saya mau coba belajar bahasa Indonesia tapi susah cari resources online karena biasanya buat beginners atau intermediate level.

Ada show / podcast recommendations yang mungkin bisa tolongin saya? Karena IP address saya beda, biasanya susah cari konten Indonesia.

Terima kasih banyak!

Hi everyone, I'm currently travelling around Sumatera-Utara/Barat and I got a question about usage of the word bule (though out here, it sounds more like bulih).

I know the word means foreigner, but judging by the way especially kids scream the word at me laughing, I'm starting to feel like they're using it in a derogatory manner.

I also read that bule literally translates into albino.

So, is it considered acceptable to call a foreigner bule?

Hi there, I’m planning on enrolling in a BIPA course in Mataram starting in October at the University of Mataram. I’m wondering if anyone else who has taken this program ran into issues with visas, or if using a tourist visa (like the C1 visa) was ok when they took the course.

Hi all

I have dilemma. I’m torn between learning Bahasa Indonesia and Melayu . I have wonderful friends from both Malaysia and Indonesia and I have always been fascinated about the two countries. So much that I have been wanting to learn the languages. Obviously I can’t learn both at the same time .

Just wondering which of them if I learn first would at least help me with the basics to understand the other language. If I learn Bahasa melayu will it be easier to pick up and understand Bahasa Indonesia or the other way round?

I will be happy with your recommendations .

In my text book, there is a conversation about a job interview. The interviewer keeps referring to the interviewee as "saudara". Is that common? Seems like another word for "anda" to me. Here are some examples:

- Bisakah saudara ceritakan tentang pendidikan saudara?
- Apa keahlian saudara?

- So initially it was just picking some words and expressions for fun while travelling: makan, minum, apa kabar, terima kasih

- Then I realized Indonesian has quite a simple grammar (no conjugations etc), so I got hooked, and tried some duolingo. Duolingo is good to see if you like a particular language, but in a few weeks I found it a bit useless. New vocab doesn't really stick into the memory and I found the phrases to be a bit useless.

- Then I started audio lessons with Pimsleur app. Audio lessons work best for me because I can do it while working out at the gym or just walking (I'm European so I walk a lot - to the gym, to the grocery store, etc), so a lot less dedicated time is required. The lessons are really good, giving you real-world phrases that stick into the memory. Only the first lesson is free, the rest require a subscription which is quite expensive. Unfortunately they have only 1 level with 30 lessons, which I completed. So I got stuck.

- I am also using a flashcard app called Quizlet. This is always in addition to any learning method I am using. I'm manually adding new vocab there, bahasa to English, and turning on the shuffle and audio features. The audio feature is very important to me, as it helps memorize the words. The app has paid features but the flashcard one is free, and I am only using this one. I am mostly using this once every day while walking to the gym (so again, no special dedicated time is required, because this is integrated into my daily life). Even 10 minutes a day in the morning help my brain remember new vocab.

- After I moved out of Pimsleur I found a language book called Complete Indonesian A Teach Yourself Guide (2010, McGraw-Hill) by Christopher Byrnes, Eva Nyimas. It comes with audio lessons which are free and accessible online or through the app. I'm spending an hour or 2 every week progressing with the book (this requires dedicated time) while listening to the audio in the gym or while walking (so no dedicated time).

Hi! I'm pardomuan from Indonesia North Sumatra🇮🇩

I speak: Indonesian - Native

I want to learn: English

I can help you with Bahasa Indonesia, culture, slang

Looking for: free chat, voice note, and call to practice

Let's help each other! DM me 😊

Can you please recommend movies, TV shows, YouTube channels where Bahasa Indonesia is spoken?

A lot of YouTube content that I found is in Bahasa Jawa. And a lot of them use too much slang.

Terima kasih!

It seems that a lot of words are just prefixed version of a simpler one, and the meaning is the same. Is it always that one is polite and one casual, or is there a deeper meaning? And what's the origin of that.

Examples:

bicara, berbicara
tunggu, menunggu
bantu, membantu
tapi, tetapi
tulis, menulis

Hi everyone!

I'm an 18-year-old white Christian woman from Honduras, and I'll be moving to Surabaya, Indonesia in a few weeks to study. I'm really excited, but since this will be my first time living in Indonesia, I have a few questions about daily life there.

What are the people and the overall lifestyle like in Surabaya? Is religion an important part of everyday life? As a Christian, will that be an issue, or are people generally accepting of different religions?

I'm also wondering about clothing. Do I need to change the way I dress to fit in, or is modest Western-style clothing acceptable?

How is public transportation in Surabaya? Is it reliable and safe for students?

Finally, as a foreign woman, should I be concerned about harassment or discrimination? How are women generally treated, and is Surabaya considered a safe city for international female students?

I'd really appreciate hearing from locals, international students, or anyone who has lived in Surabaya. Thanks in advance!

Selamat siang! I wanted to ask if anyone knew a website or textbook of some kind I can use to learn Ambonese Malay? I want to surprise someone special by speaking their local language before I travel to Indonesia. Does anyone have any idea on where to get resources for learning?

(from a social media post):

"Selalu menegangkan dan mengagetkan film 3 Dimensi Ini. banyak jump scare nya."

my translation(s):

"This 3D film is always tense and startling. They were jump scared a lot."

"Always tense and startly with this 3D film. Many jump scares."

my intention is that the first most specifically conveys the meaning while the latter is more conversational. thank you 😀👍

the main reason, is because indonesia has over 700 languages and about 300 million people. meaning if i meet someone, theres a chance that they wont understand me because im speaking indonesian, meanwhile they speak... javanese. or whatever else.

my biggest worry is that even if i try with my might to learn bahasa gaul (most information is in bahasa indonesia) then it would be useless because no one would understand me because everyone there speaks a warped version of their own language unique to them, or so im told.

my question: does bahasa gaul actually get me access to a decent amount of people

Hi everyone I am looking to get a tattoo in Javanese of“sugih ing panguripan” (rich in life) and my artist said that that would be “ꦱꦸꦒꦶꦃ ꦲꦶꦤ꧀ꦒ꧀ ꦥꦤ꧀ꦒꦸꦫꦶꦥꦤ꧀” in javanese script.

I just want to be 100% sure that it is correct, so if anyone has any corrections please let me know! Thank you advance :)