Hi, I'm new to Indonesian. Is my speech understandable?

https://voca.ro/1jMqtCAGjvm0

Who can help me with conversational Bahasa Indonesia?

It happens to me in Spanish a lot even though I'm advanced and I'm usually not struggling when they switch. It's so frustrating, especially because Spanish speakers are famous for not speaking English well.

What I'm referring to is if I go to an Indonesian-speaking part of the internet will they switch to English? I have an American accent and idk how obvious it will be when I'm B1 or B2.

I don't care about what would happen if I went to Indonesia because most of my interactions will be online. I just care about what would happen on the parts of the internet that are meant for people from Indonesia.

When I'm still a beginner I don't expect them to entertain my bad Indonesian and when I'm B1 I understand if they don't want to bother but B2 is high enough where it's not a big trouble for either party.

I heard there's a kind of VISA that needs you to join minimum of ... hours/month in BIPA class? Is it still available?

Starting to learn Indo and I'm doing vocabulary and very simple conversations, but I don't know how words or sentences are supposed to be formed.

Anybody have any English to Indo resources for me that explain the basics of sentence structure, word construction, and stuff like that. Thanks

So I having a bad time trying to figure out when to use one or another, but while learning, I read that they are often dropped, or just replaced by -in on spoken language, is it true? (If yes, which one is more common?)

Hi, A while ago u/MsFixer_Asia posted this amazing list of 27000 words ((CEFR-graded) PBWL.

This list is very useful to ramp up vocabulary. However, the list has two problems

1. Meanings of the words are not complete (strings got truncated)

2. Not all derivatives are listed for each root word.

So, I copied the original list into a new google spreadsheet and starting improving it. Its a massive task and I can use some help.

I am a programmer and I am pretty good with web scraping and excel formulas.

Classifying derivatives of root words

As others at a similar level (B2) have probably experienced, there are fewer resources for learning Indonesian compared to other languages. I find most native speakers too hard to follow on youtube, except certain people who tend to speak slowly. So I probably get 75%. There's no 'comprehensible input' for intermediate speakers that I've come across, except a couple of podcasts. I've started a method in the last few weeks though that's been really useful, so thought I'd share.

1. Find a Youtube video in a subject that interests you, it should have Indonesian subtitles available (can be automatically generated).

2. Click the subtitle icon to see the subtitles, then below the video the 'see transcript' button will appear. Copy the transcript and paste into Chat GPT. Ask Chat GPT first to tell you a quick summary of the video, and then give you a vocab list of difficult words for your level (I specifically mention B2). The summary it gives you provides context of what's going on, allowing you to guess word meanings more, and the vocab list helps prepare you more. I don't really bother with flashcards these days, but I find the vocab allows me to be much more engaged with the video and enjoy the process more.

3. Go back and watch the video! Try not to use the transcript, I found using subtitles has been a crutch for me while listening. Doing this preparation first has turned watching tough YouTube videos into an enjoyable experience, and I've found i've been gradually improving since I've started!

An example (probably there are a lot more interesting ones out there).

I've been trying to make Bakso, and it keeps on coming out too soft (lembut, lembak dan tidak kenyal). So I happened to be looking for youtube videos with tips on this. I used this one.

Chat GPT's summary of the transcript was:

The video discusses why meatballs (bakso) often turn out soft despite following the correct recipe and measurements. The speaker explains that the softness is usually caused by the dough (adonan) being too soft during preparation and offers solutions to avoid this, such as controlling the amount of ice added. The video ends with tips on ensuring the right texture and a reminder to subscribe for more helpful videos.

The vocab list it generated was almost perfect for my level. The only words I already knew were kasih tau, penyebab, batu es, kenyal, and could kind of guess berlebihan. After spending a few minutes on these words, watching the video was nearly completely understandable.

Kasih tahu and es batu are probably the only words it's arguably way off, being more like A1-A2.

Takaran - (Measurement) This could be a more specific culinary term that may not be common in everyday conversation.

Racikan - (Mixture/recipe) This term is often used in cooking, which might be less familiar unless frequently exposed to cooking-related vocabulary.

Lembek - (Soft/mushy) It could be a bit tricky for someone at a B2 level due to its specific usage in cooking contexts.

Kenyal - (Chewy) A specific texture-related term that may not be commonly used in everyday conversation.

Mengatasi - (To overcome) A more formal verb that can appear in instructional or problem-solving contexts.

Menggiling - (To grind) A verb related to food preparation that might not come up in general conversational contexts.

Adonan - (Dough) Another food-related term that could be unfamiliar.

Berlebihan - (Excessive) A term that requires understanding of both the base and affixation in Indonesian.

Memecahkan - (To solve/break) This is used in a metaphorical sense (solving a problem) rather than its literal meaning (breaking), which might confuse learners.

Penggiling - (Grinder) This noun related to a machine or person might be less familiar outside specific contexts like cooking or manufacturing.

Batu es - (Ice) While "batu" is familiar as stone, combining it with "es" (ice) to refer to "ice" in a specific cooking context could be a little confusing at first.

Penyebab - (Cause) A term that could be challenging for a B2 speaker due to its formal usage.

Kasih tahu - (To inform/tell) This is a colloquial phrase that may be tricky due to its casual usage.

Sorry I have asked this before but I want to improve my listening skills of Indonesian . Does anyone have any ideas. I have tried tik tok but can’t always find everything I want there. Perhaps a movie or short videos or even kids videos. Thank you

What is wrong here? I thought yang would work.

Hi everyone, I see quite a number of recommendations for Indonesian-online.com, and I'm wondering when might be the best time to get a subscription. Like do they run any sales?

Thanks!

Hi,

Thanks to your help, I have made some good progress in the last few weeks. I am aiming to rapidly gain a 3000 word vocabulary so that I can start reading news and understanding videos soon.

Question

1. Is it a good strategy to learn root words and then learn to form as many derivatives by adding suffixes and prefixes ? Are there any hard and fast rules and formulas (so far, It does NOT seem so)

2. Or should I just make an excel sheet of root words and learn the derivates one by one ? (which I am doing right now using wikitonary and chat gpt)

Here is a link to the excel sheet Link. If you think it is a useful exercise, I will continue adding to the list. Or , may be there is such a list already, and may be someone will point it to me to save all the labor.

Thanks

https://preview.redd.it/s7u9ma562mvd1.png?width=1357&format=png&auto=webp&s=3ac5b895dc0a1c917049e8e0c4c2c97bf94832b6

Hi everyone!

I’ve recently developed a strong interest in learning Indonesian, and I thought it would be a lot more fun and motivating to learn together with others! Whether you’re just starting out or already have some knowledge, we can support each other, share resources, and practice together.

How about forming a small group where we can connect and stay consistent? Maybe even start a WhatsApp group to keep each other accountable, share tips, and practice speaking?

If you’re interested, comment below or send me a message! Let’s make learning Indonesian a fun and shared journey.

Hello, fellow language learners.

I'm been considering starting to learn Indonesian for a long time now, but I'm completely lost with regards to how to deal with the fact that Indonesian is not really a single language but a collection thereof. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Jakartanese is by far the most unique variety of spoken Indonesian there is. Other spoken varieties (the ones spoken by more or less educated people at least) are much more similar to the official language.

Usually, when I start teaching myself a new language I focus pretty much exclusively on trying to understand it (listening & reading), but - according to the information I've gathered so far - most of the popular media in Indonesian is in Jakartanese.

Should I go about my learning without discriminating between Standard Indonesian and Jakartanese and approach them as a single language, or should I try as much as possible to focus on Standard Indonesian?

All the pre-made Anki decks I've found so far appear to be a mixture of Jakartanese and Standard Indonesian, so trying to focus only on the latter will be a little difficult.

edit:

Oh, my God! Thank you everyone for the clarifications and extremely valuable pieces of advice!

I am currently trying to start a YouTube channel on Austro-Tai studies. I think it would be nice to find a native speaker of one of these languages, so I was wondering if anyone was interested in taking that role. I have a low budget, so I am willing to start at $50 for 2500 words, but I am open to increasing that if I like your work and my channel continues to grow. Let me know if you are interested.

I am traveling to see my Indonesian girlfriend's parents to ask them for their permission/blessing for me to marry their daughter.

Can I possibly get help getting an accurate and proper way of saying to them (in Indonesian Bahasa):

May I please have your permission to marry your incredible daughter?

Hi everyone, I would like to learn BI for my own enrichment. I managed to download a copy of BIPA 1 online, but it's entirely in BI. Just wondering if anyone has an online guide (like Youtube or something) to take learners through the book?

Thanks!

Salam! My knowledge of Indonesia is quite poor, and after talking to a few people on a language app, I sort of got curious about Indonesia. Are they similar to East Asians(Chinese and Koreans)? I want to watch dramas with English subtitles, and see if I could pick a few words and sentences and get to know a bit of culture.

Unfortunately, I don't see any Indonesian series with English subtitles on my YouTubePK.

Could someone please suggest some good series that are available with English subtitles?

Do you know of any sites that you can stream movies and shows that offers Indonesian subtitles? If I VPN to Indonesia some but extremely limited Netflix has subtitles. Disney + Hotstar has some but nothing on amazon does.

Seeking advice for the best online resources for learning Indonesian. My work will be reimbursing the cost of any resources so price is not an issue.

I am looking at a combination of: Application such as Pimsleur or Memrise An online course that I can sit through for an hour or two per week One-on-one online tutoring

Keen for advice on service providers of the above.

https://youtu.be/xBq66J8Aqmg

After building a decent vocabulary and being able to understand about 50% of words in News Articles, I am switching to reading news in English (or any other kind of reading you already do). Text to speech plays the background (in Indonesian). This way, I am no longer allocating time just to studying Indonesian, but learning it while reading things I would read anyway. I guess its similar to watching English TV show with Indonesian subtitles.

I live in Australia, and in the early 1950's my grandparents built a house in Sydney which they called Gawean. The only 'gawean' I can find is the Indonesian word for work or job. Does anyone have any ideas why my grandparents, who never went to Indonesia, and were Scottish/English Australians, might have chosen this word? Is it a lucky word?

THANKS for any help.

1. VERBS

2. Be: Jadi (probably already wrong 😉)

3. Have: Punya

4. Do: Lakukan

5. Say: Katakan

6. Get: Dapat

7. Make: Buat

8. Go: Pergi

9. Know: Tahu

10. Take: Ambil

11. See: Lihat

12. Come: Datang

13. Think: Pikir

14. Look: Lihat

15. Want: Mau

16. Give: Beri

17. Use: Gunakan

18. Find: Temukan

19. Tell: Beri tahu

20. Ask: Tanya

21. Work: Kerja

22. Seem: Tampak

23. Feel: Rasa

24. Try: Coba

25. Leave: Tinggalkan

26. Call: Panggil

27. Need: Perlu

28. Become: Menjadi

29. Put: Taruh

30. Mean: Maksud

31. Keep: Simpan

32. Let: Izinkan

33. Begin: Mulai

34. Help: Tolong

35. Talk: Bicara

36. Turn: Putar

37. Start: Mulai

38. Show: Tunjukkan

39. Hear: Dengar

40. Play: Main

41. Run: Lari

42. Move: Pindah

43. Like: Suka

44. Live: Tinggal

45. Believe: Percaya

46. Hold: Pegang

47. Bring: Bawa

48. Happen: Terjadi

49. Write: Tulis

50. Provide: Sediakan

51. Sit: Duduk

52. Stand: Berdiri

53. Lose: Kalah

54. Pay: Bayar

55. Meet: Temui

56. Include: Sertakan

57. Continue: Lanjutkan

58. Set: Tetapkan

59. Learn: Belajar

60. Change: Ubah

61. Lead: Pimpin

62. Understand: Mengerti

63. Watch: Tonton

64. Follow: Ikuti

65. Stop: Berhenti

66. Create: Ciptakan

67. Speak: Bicara

68. Read: Baca

69. Allow: Izinkan

70. Add: Tambahkan

71. Spend: Habiskan

72. Grow: Tumbuh

73. Open: Buka

74. Walk: Berjalan

75. Win: Menang

76. Offer: Tawarkan

77. Remember: Ingat

78. Love: Cinta

79. Consider: Pertimbangkan

80. Appear: Muncul

81. Buy: Beli

82. Wait: Tunggu

83. Serve: Layani

84. Die: Mati

85. Send: Kirim

86. Expect: Harapkan

87. Build: Bangun

88. Stay: Tinggal

89. Fall: Jatuh

90. Cut: Potong

91. Reach: Capai

92. Kill: Bunuh

93. Remain: Tetap

94. Suggest: Sarankan

95. Raise: Angkat

96. Pass: Lewati

97. Sell: Jual

98. Require: Butuh

99. Report: Laporkan

100. Decide: Putuskan

101. Pull: Tarik

So I have been with my boyfriend (20 yrs old) for a while and I love him so much. He shows so much affection to me and does so many things for me. So in return, I want to surprise him by singing a song in Indonesian because he loves music. But the problem is, I am Japanese, so I don't know many Indonesian songs. I looked up seceral songs but since I am only in the process of learning how to speak Indonesian, my literacy skills are not the good :(

Is there any super romantic Indonesian songs that would make a boys heart flutter?

gini nih, timor leste itu kan dulu pernah sama indonesia, nah kira-kira ada ngga kata-kata serapan dari bahasa Indonesia ke bahasa tetun dan sudah menjadi bagian dari kehidupan sehari-hari masyarakat nya ?

sama aja kayak kata-kata bahasa portugis yang banyak masuk ke bahasa tetun

I'm a native Tagalog speaker and I have some Indonesian friends. I want to learn Indonesian.

What resources do you recommend? I would prefer free ones, btw.

Mine is kinerja 'performance'. I wish there were more infixed words in commons usage and that the infixation were more productive and transparent. Infixation is really fun!

Watch me reading BBC news in Indonesian, just after one week of starting the learning process

https://youtu.be/iaI8YF16VcM

I have been creating a list of 500 words to learn to get started with any language. I convert these words to audio using eleven labs and my own voice and listen to them all day.

With Indonesian, additionally, I have created another list containing Portuguese, Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian words, taking advantage of my knowledge of these 4 languages. (big advantage!)

I don't remember all of these 500 words yet, but, just after a week, I can understand a lot from BBC Indonesian news website.