Here's what we've recently added to help you learn Indonesian:
Very cool audio control!!
If you find it difficult to understand spoken audio content, or if it's too slow and you want to speed it up, it's easy to do with Quicktime. Just right-click or control-click on the mp3 file you want to play, go to "Open with" and choose Quicktime Player.
1. Open the selected audio file with Quicktime.
2. Choose “Show A/V Controls”.
3. Move the “Playback Speed” slider at the bottom of the window to your preferred speed.
Super, eh? Now we don't need to prepare separate mp3 files with the speed adjusted*, you can do it yourself! *I checked, and the quality is much better using Audacity and 'reduce tempo' so we'll continue to produce such files. Still, this is good for general use and it works for videos also!
Learn Indonesian from Videos
Here's the first part to an Indonesian horror movie. To learn natural Indonesian and Jakarta slang it's important to hear it and be able to see the difference between Jakarta slang and 'standard' Indonesian, which is still not 'formal' Indonesian.
Here's a downloadable Indonesian dictionary that was recommended by someone. I had a quick look and it didn't seem so useful for learning, maybe okay as a reference tool. IndoDic - downloadable Indonesian Dictionary
Learn Indonesian - Beginner Lesson
Join in on a lesson with a beginner student. Listen, read along and see the corrections during a real lesson.
It's hilarious how simple Indonesian can be, especially the simple expressions commonly used as a greeting. In the afternoon,walking home to your house and a neighour will say, "Pulang?" (go home). Or at other times, "Hujan." (rain) or "Panas." (hot) depending on the weather. They simply state the obvious as a way of greeting you.
The other day I was coming back from the market with a bag of bananas, and a neighbour hollers out: "Mana, bang? Beli pisang?"
(Where, mate? Buy banana?). Learning English and other languages isn't nearly as simple as learning Indonesian!!
If you want to learn the Indonesian language, then you've come to the right place.
We will show you an entirely NEW WAY to learn a foreign language, and trust me, it's much, much easier and much more enjoyable. The key element to remember is that language learning is a physical process, not a mental one. It's about physical training, like learning a sport, not memorizing a bunch of information.
Ready to get started? Try reading the simple text on the right, or have a look at this video for beginners.
At this site we have a wide range of free material to help you learn Indonesian. For a complete learning package that will really help you improve your Indonesian language skills quickly, visit Bintang Bahasa. The Introductory Learning Package is just $24.99 and following its step by step approach will have you speaking Indonesian in no time.
Stay tuned as I begin adding a lot more material. I'm back in Jakarta after a very long vacation and will be busy working on all our language learning material. The Indonesian language is a kaleidoscope of possibility. If you get stuck trying to learn the grammar and the suffixes and prefixes, then you're in for a nightmare. Learning these aspects of the Indonesian language MUST come AFTER you have mastered the basics and have absorbed the natural feel and rhythm of REAL Indonesian. For a bit of background on the Indonesian language, go to our new page Indonesian Language - Unravel the Secrets. Or to start learning for beginners go to our Basic Indonesian - Lesson 1
As I mentioned above, learning Indonesian (or any language) is actually a fairly straight forward process. The problem is always the method. At LearnIndonesian.org you will discover a new and amazingly effective way to learn any language, and the first thing to remember is that learning a new language is mainly a physical process, not a mental process.
You have to learn to recognize new words (both listening and reading), know their meaning, and know what they mean in relation to other words and the ideas that are being expressed by the 'group of words'. The IDEA being expressed is always the key element. Memorizing vocabulary really doesn't do you much good, it's difficult and boring.
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(Click drop down to continue reading.)
Likewise studying grammar. It's really not effective, and should play a supportive role to intuitive understanding which is developed by learning words and expressions from 'situations' where the meaning of what is being said is self evident.
The easiest way to start is simply with scenarios of "What's this? What's that?". This allows for a lot of natural repetition in 'real life' scenarios with a minimal vocabulary (and it's better to set up the physical environment).
In this way, you immediately begin learning the language. There's no wasted time with explanations. You immediately begin trying to pronounce the new words. As new words are introduced, your conscious mind starts focusing on them, and the important words, expressions and grammar are absorbed 'automatically' by your 'intuitive mind'.
The most important aspect is to develop the 'physical reflex' so that you say things correctly without thinking, because more often than not, if you start thinking, you'll start making mistakes.
We had a student start with us who had had about 2 months language training in Australia before being posted to the embassy in Jakarta. She knew plenty of words and was generally able to express herself, but the pattern of her speech was much closer to English than 'native' Indonesian. She also repeatedly said 'saya suami' (my husband).
In Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia), there is only 'saya' for I,me,my,mine. If you've been reading the simple dialogue to the right, you perhaps already realize that the possessive is always after the object. But when you learn using our method, explanation of this grammar point is never needed. Why waste time explaining something that can be learned automatically with no effort?
After weeks of language training with us she still often made the mistake because it had become a bad habit. If she had studied with our program from the beginning, it would have been physically impossible for her to make such a mistake. Her 'mouth' would have already been conditioned to saying: suami saya, anak saya, buku saya, rumah saya, etc. etc.
Again, learning a language is more of a physical process than a mental process. Stay with us as we help you learn Indonesian quickly and easily.
My current passion/obsession is to finish developing a new method for learning any language. I have searched the internet over and over and I have yet to find anyone teaching languages effectively. Even (and especially) the big companies (Pimsleur, Rosetta Stone, Berlitz, Rocket Languages, etc) do not measure up to their promises.
It's really not rocket science, and it seemed obvious to me as a student/teacher/engineer. Perhaps my lack of formal training has allowed me to keep an open mind to see the obvious.
For learning Indonesian, there is even less material available. One booklet that is reasonably good, albeit a bit out-dated, is "Bahasa Indonesia in 7 Days". The author does make some good points:
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Face it--whether you are in Indonesia for one week or for 10 years, it is not only polite and useful to know a little of the language, in many cases, it is outright necessary. If you don't want to be trapped at the Hotel Borobudur or restricted to traveling with a translator, you need to be able to communicate with that cheerful, friendly, curious populace out there. This booklet provides one approach to learning a very basic level of the Indonesian language, Bahasa Indonesia, with no strain.
I have yet to encounter a structured, functional approach to learning Bahasa Indonesia. Phrase books confront the linguistic novice with a barrage of special purpose phrases ("Is the play a comedy or a tragedy?"). They are often badly organized into social situations (going to the market, at customs) where you are likely to have neither the time nor the inclination to be fumbling around with a silly little phrase book even if you did bring it with you, which is highly improbable. With these books, you can either memorize several hundred phrases that may or may not have an application. Or you can keep the book in your pocket and hope that your fingers are fast enough to find the phrase for "turn left here" before the taxi takes you completely out of town in a straight line.
Grammar books and dictionaries, although fine for a long-term study of the language, are even more of a hindrance in taxis and at the supermarket checkout. Language tapes also have their place in learning to communicate but this approach requires time and effort to achieve practical results.
What is required for the short-term visitor and even for the newly arrived longer-term expatriates is a list of common, useful and necessary words and phrases grouped into bite-sized quantities so the most important ones can be learned and used first.
The most useful phrase book I have found is Indonesian Words and Phrases by the American Women's Association. It provides some very important basic concepts and I recommend it highly but no one wants to memorize an entire book the first day in a new country.
With the internet, mp3 players, ipods, cellular phones, etc, the possibilities for new ways to learn a language are nearly endless. We agree, traditional phrasebooks are not really very useful, but if you incorporate the new possibilities into a new style of phrasebook, then you can create something really, really useful.
We haven't finished putting such a "phrasebook" together yet but we have lots of very useful material that you can use in the meantime while we finish putting it all together in one handy e-book.
Indonesian is a very easy language to learn, so a little effort goes a long way. We have a very handy little booklet and audio file 'Tiba di Bandara' (Arrive at Airport) which adheres to the concept of 'keeping it real' and progressing step-by-step (word-by-word).
It's actually much better than a traditional phrasebook because it literally almost leads you by the hand (tongue?) from arriving at the airport, getting through immigration, getting a taxi, going to your hotel, calling your friend, meeting him for lunch, and going to his house for dinner. All that is accomplished with a vocabulary of just 80 words!
Give it a try:
Tiba di Bandara (right click to download audio file)
I discuss in detail how to learn a foreign language quickly, easily and enjoyably so for anyone interested in suggestions for how to learn a foreign language effectively this is also a very useful page to visit.
For intermediate and advanced Indonesian learners, there are some audio files below that you can listen to.
As I indicated earlier, our aim is to have the best online language program anywhere; and not just for learning Indonesian, but also other languages including Russian, Japanese, French, and Spanish to start with. To be sure, that's a BIG ambition, but we're convinced we can do it and convinced that we're on the right track.
To accomplish this for several languages is obviously a very big project and we'll need help completing it, so if you're interested in joining our team please send me an email. We're open to all new ideas, so any you may have would be most appreciated.
To give everyone a reference of what's currently out there, we've made a comparison of various programs, including Pimsleur, Rosetta Stone and others so you can see for yourself what is included with these programs and then decide for yourself how you want to learn your new language.
There are also many, many sites for learning languages online, and we've highlighted some to save you the time and effort of going to each one individually.
Ideally, we'd like to allow you to learn Indonesian online without a teacher; accomplish that within a few months, and when you arrive in Indonesia you can comfortably talk with anyone. Yes, it is possible, but practically speaking, a teacher will greatly improve your speed of learning. If you'd like a teacher to help you one-on-one, online, or in person if you're already living in Indonesia, please contact us and we'll set you up.
I just started this particular site recently so it will be growing steadily. You can visit our sister site at Bintang Bahasa and, if you have any questions or would like some more downloadable material, just drop me an email.
Hope you enjoy using the audio files below and good luck learning Indonesian online.
The best way to begin learning Indonesian is
simply LISTEN, READ and SPEAK.
Try this for absolute Newbies! Note: If audio is only partial, go toLearn Indonesian alt
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For absolute newbies:
Apa ini? (What's this?)
Apa?
Ini.
Itu buku. (That's a book.)
Buku siapa? [Book who?]
Buku saya. (My book.)
Buku kamu? (Your book?)
Iya, buku saya.
…
Ini buku kamu juga?
Iya, itu buku saya.
Dan ini?
Iya, itu buku saya juga.
…
Ini apa?
Apa?
Ini.
Itu majalah. (magazine)
Majalah siapa?
Majalah saya.
Majalah kamu?
Iya, majalah saya.
…
Dan ini?
Itu majalah saya juga.
--click here to continue reading--
…
(looking at a photo)
Ini siapa? (Who's this?)
Mana? (Where?)
Ini.
Itu anak saya.
Namanya siapa?
Rayhan.
Umurnya berapa?
(How old is he?)
Delapan. (8)
Tinggal di mana dia?
(Where does he live?)
Sama ibunya.
(With his mom.)
…
Ini apa?
Koran. (newspaper)
And so on..
Each individual student can progress at whatever speed they're comfortable with.
Another important factor is to trust the method and trust yourself. Just 'let it happen' and you will learn very quickly.
Greetings:
selamat pagi (good morning)
selamat siang
selamat sore
selamat malam
To learn Indonesian quickly and easily you need good material that builds on all previous material in a gradual 'spiralling' of understanding.
Here's a list of words to get you going, and remember, don't waste time and effort trying to memorize words. Glance over the list quickly and let your intuitive learning ability take control.
apa
siapa
mana
kenapa
bagaimana
berapa
juga
saya
kamu
dia
mereka
buku
majalah
koran
pulpen
pensil
meja
kursi
suami
istri
anak
kakak
adik
ayah
ibu
bapak
ibu
teman
nama
umur
dari
ke
di
sama
tinggal
kerja
main
baca
mau
makan
minum
tidur
jam
waktu
jam berapa
sekarang
nanti
tadi
hari ini
kemaren
besok
pagi
siang
sore
malam
hai
halo
what
who
where
why
how
how many
also, too
I, me, my
you, your
he/she
they
book
magazine
newspaper
pen
pencil
table
chair
husband
wife
child
older br/sis
younger br/s
dad
mom
mister
ma'am
friend
name
age
from
to
in, at, on
same; with
live, stay
work
play
read
want
eat
drink
sleep
time, hour
time
what time
now
later
earlier
today
yesterday
tomorrow
morning
mid-day
afternoon
night
hi
hello
And for fun, but also a great way to learn Indonesian, here's an Indonesian comic, "Donal Bebek"!
There are lots of Indonesian videos from movies and TV programs that have reasonably good English subtitles to help you practice listening to 'real' Indonesian. Mostly it's Jakarta dialect or Jakarta slang but that's what's common on TV so if you want to be able to understand people from Jakarta, this will help a lot.
To watch the video and see the text matching the audio, along with the English subtitles AND a version of 'regular' Indonesian to match, then go to our special page: Learn Indonesian from Videos
Here's a collection of podcasts in Bahasa Indonesia. If you click on the 'menu' button, you'll get a list of podcasts included in this widget. Here's a quick summary of each:
"Apa Saja Podcast" has many good podcasts. He speaks pretty quickly though. Give it a try.
"Radio Clinic" has several articles and a few podcasts. The first podcast about the current economic crisis is very good.
"Radio Australia" has many different podcasts. The first 2 don't seem to play here all the time. The 3rd listed, "Multibudaya Australia", has several good podcasts (mixed with some English which is then translated directly). "Tinjauan Hari Ini" also has several good podcasts following a news report format. "Bahasa Inggris dari Australia" has over 100 podcasts. They're based in Bahasa but cover basic Bahasa while teaching basic English.
"Warta Berita" is an hourly news podcast from Netherlands. Good clear sound for more advanced listeners.
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