Is Indonesian Easy to Learn? Unveiling the Truth About the Language

Indonesian, or Bahasa Indonesia, often enjoys a reputation as one of the easier languages for English speakers to learn. But how hard is the Indonesian language really to learn for an average English speaking self-student? While it boasts certain features that simplify the learning process, potential learners should be aware of the challenges that come with mastering the language. This article explores the various aspects of Indonesian, weighing its ease of learning against potential difficulties.

Initial Perceptions and Reality

Despite its geographical distance and seemingly unconnected with English and other European languages, Indonesian has the reputation of being easy to learn. That’s a shame, really, because learning the language opens you up to so many wonderful things. You might be interested in opening those doors, but maybe you’ve been put off by long words and a spooky reputation for being a difficult Asian language.

Grammatical Simplicity: A Major Advantage

One of the most cited reasons for Indonesian's perceived ease is its grammar. The easiest aspect about learning Indonesian is the grammar. Here's why:

Absence of Verb Conjugations and Tenses

Indonesian doesn’t have verb tenses. This means that verbs don’t change depending on the tense. Instead of changing the verb itself in the different tenses, time-words are added to the sentence. Add to that that there aren’t any complicated extra future and past tenses such as “have been” “will be”, “will have been” and so on. Unlike many languages that require memorizing different verb forms for different tenses (past, present, future), Indonesian uses time markers to indicate when an action takes place. This significantly reduces the burden on learners.

No Grammatical Gender

Indonesian nouns don’t have a gender. In Spanish, for example, it’s ‘el hombre’ but ‘la mujer’. The nouns in the language have no gender like they do in French, German, or a ton of other languages. This eliminates the need to memorize gendered articles and noun forms, simplifying sentence construction.

Simple Pluralization

In informal Indonesian, the plural forms of nouns are hardly used. The plural is often indicated by context or by repeating the word twice.

Basic Word Order

Basic Indonesian word order is the same as in English. The structure of Indonesian sentences generally follows a Subject-Verb-Object pattern, similar to English.

Pronunciation and Alphabet: Accessible for English Speakers

Indonesians use an alphabet based on the Latin script, just like English. As you might have noticed, most letters are quite simple to pronounce for an English speaker. Indonesian is just like English, written in the Latin/Romance alphabet.

Phonetic Pronunciation

Indonesian is a phonetic language that means that words are spelled as they sound. Languages such as English and French are not phonetic so if you don’t know how the word is pronounced, you have to guess. For the most part, Indonesian words are pronounced as they are spelled, making it easier for learners to grasp pronunciation.

Glottal Stops and the Thrilled 'R'

As demonstrated in the video above about the alphabet, the Indonesian language also uses the glottal stop when pronouncing certain words. The glottal stop is an abrupt pause or a break in the airflow when pronouncing certain sounds. While the thrilled R is common in many languages throughout the world, some people have trouble with it. It’s really not that bad, though. While the thrilled 'r' might pose a challenge to some, it is generally manageable with practice.

Not a Tonal Language

Indonesian is not a tonal language unlike many other Asian languages such as Chinese and Vietnamese. So the Indonesian language is not very difficult to pronounce. This means that the meaning of a word doesn't change based on the tone in which it is spoken, unlike tonal languages.

Vocabulary Acquisition: A Different Landscape

Indonesian, being an Austronesian language is completely unrelated to English and other Indo-European languages. What this means is that when you learn a new word, you’ll need to create more bonds, or more associations in your mind in order to remember it. If you were to learn Dutch, it’s just easier to remember that “huis” means “house” than it’s the case with Indonesian. This isn’t a problem. This is where learners might face the most significant hurdle. As Indonesian is not a European language. This means that Indonesian doesn’t share a lot of vocabulary with English. So if you want to learn Indonesian from scratch, you will have to start building your vocabulary from zero.

Building Associations

For the Indonesian word for “house” (rumah), the most immediate association for me is that the word sounds like “room”. One would think that this would be confusing. It also sounds a little like “roomba” which is either a dance or a vacuum cleaner. Maybe you think that associations that relate to another meaning than the actual translation of the word are unhelpful. Well, in reality, I’ve found that this doesn’t matter. You don’t need your associations to spell out what the words mean. What you’re actually doing is making the word “rumah” stand out in your mind. This in itself will be a strong aide in remembering the word for later. If you’re still having problems with the word, you might go a step further and make up a more elaborate memory. “The roomba vacuums the whole rumah” or “me and my friends dance the roomba in the rumah”. When learning a new word, you’ll need to create more bonds, or more associations in your mind in order to remember it. Creating vivid associations can be a powerful tool for memorization.

Word Order Peculiarities

So ‘’a black book’’ becomes ‘’buku hitam’’ literally, ‘’book black’’. I think that this is relatively easy to get used to. The placement of adjectives after nouns might require some adjustment for English speakers.

The Nuances of Formal vs. Informal Indonesian

You have to consider that the formal Indonesian that you study in most textbooks is a little too formal for most Indonesians. So learning the language, formally, is only part of the battle. Once you get to Indonesia and start speaking with people, you’ll realize that there are many differences to dialects and to how the language is actually used.

Read also: Scholarships to Study in Canada

Colloquial Variations

Colloquial Indonesian is very different from formal Indonesian. Most foreigners learn formal Indonesian, because that’s what’s used in public speeches, formal writing, and in educational settings. “Saya/kamu” second person pronouns are changed to “gue/lo”. Indonesian is a bit of an artificial standard, as mentioned above, so people add a lot of slang and regionalisms to it when speaking among themselves. Formal Indonesian, taught in most textbooks, differs significantly from the language used in everyday conversations.

Slang and Regionalisms

As mentioned before, rapid-fire spoken Indonesian uses a lot of local slang terms. Even the words for “you” and “I” are different in informal language! This means that learners need to be prepared to encounter slang and regional variations that are not typically covered in standard courses.

Prefixes and Suffixes: A Double-Edged Sword

In Indonesian, they use lots of prefixes and suffixes. Now this can actually be a helpful thing. You see that with the prefixes above, the meaning of the word changes. If you have a foundation in Indonesian, you can easily expand your vocabulary by learning these prefixes and suffixes. Overall, I do think that having so many prefixes and suffixes makes learning new words actually easier. Some of them, for example, the -mem prefix that I just explained, might be a bit tricky to understand in the beginning. Once you get more exposure to the language, these prefixes and suffixes will start to make more sense and eventually you will start using them automatically.

Expanding Vocabulary

For example, Indonesian has a number of suffixes and prefixes that can change a root word’s part of speech. That’s one place where learners might get confused, because sometimes, those can be pretty subtle. On the other side of things, the prefix and suffix system definitely has its sticky points. The root is baca (“read”) in both sentences. Not too bad, right? Unfortunately, that’s just one example for a circumfix with a ton of different meanings! While they can initially seem daunting, prefixes and suffixes can actually simplify vocabulary acquisition by allowing learners to derive new words from familiar roots.

Potential for Confusion

The last thing that trips up learners is the idea that it’s okay to be vague. However, the subtle nuances and multiple meanings of some affixes can be confusing.

Learning Strategies and Resources

Everyone learns languages differently and there is no “best method”.

Immersion and Practice

To learn a foreign language, you need to be consistent with your studies and keep at it. To learn Indonesian, you need to put in the work, and you need to do so every day for months if not years. The key to success in language learning is consistent practice and immersion.

Utilizing Resources

What IndonesianPod101 can bring you is a structured course starting from the very basics, guiding you all the way through an upper-intermediate or advanced level. Indonesian isn’t a popular language to learn but there are quite a few good resources out there that offer this language. The problem with these platforms is that you learn a lot of random words and you don’t really learn to hold conversations. Teach Yourself offers a wide range of self-study books including Indonesian. In 24 thematic chapters, you learn important language structures through dialogues. Each chapter includes key vocabulary lists. Therefore, we decided to create an Indonesian course where we only focus on the most important vocabulary for beginners! We handpicked 500 of the most important words in Indonesian, put them in a logical order and added example sentences and native audio recordings. Check out italki.com and Verbling.com to find Indonesian tutors to practice your speaking skills. There are numerous resources available for learning Indonesian, including online courses, textbooks, and language exchange partners.

The Pareto Principle

The Pareto principle (also known as the 80-20 rule) basically states that you can achieve 80% of the results from 20% of work. This principle can be applied in language learning as well. You will be surprised by how many things you will be able to say by knowing only a few hundred words. This principle works very well for Indonesian because of its simple grammar. Focusing on the most frequently used words and phrases can yield significant results in a short amount of time.

Active Usage

When we learn languages at school, we often have to learn thousands of words. You can only ‘’activate’’ the words in your brain by using them. Therefore, we always recommend students to start making sentences with the words you’ve learned from the beginning. Actively using new vocabulary in sentences helps to solidify learning.

Consistency and Motivation

Many people try to learn a new language, but few eventually become fluent. Most of the time it’s a problem with motivation. Another way to progress in the long term is by being consistent in your learning. Ideally, you should study Indonesian every single day, even if it’s only for ten minutes. Look for communities online for people who are learning Indonesian or sign up for a language challenge. These are great ways to stay motivated and stay consistent in your learning. Maintaining motivation and consistency are crucial for long-term progress.

Building a Foundation

One of the biggest mistakes a new Indonesian learner can make is trying to speak too quickly. Just like pronunciation, you should build a good base in understanding Indonesian before you try to hold a conversation. It would be perfect if you could find a video series with clearly spoken Indonesian and Indonesian subtitles for you to understand how the letters you see on the screen reflect the sounds you’re hearing. After that, your biggest hurdle is going to be the vocabulary. Building a strong foundation in pronunciation and basic vocabulary is essential before attempting fluency.

Time Investment and Proficiency

According to the Foreign Service Institute it takes about 36 weeks or 900 hours to become proficient in Indonesian. The fact is that it takes significantly less time to reach a basic conversational level. I’ve met a lots of foreigners who managed to raise their Indonesian to a basic level in a matter of months. You won’t speak it fluently, but you will be able to go to Indonesia and have short, fun, conversations with Indonesians and you will be able to travel around and do everything in Indonesian.

FSI Estimates

In fact, the United States government rates Indonesian a 3/5 in terms of difficulty for English-speakers. As long as you have a good and consistent study schedule, you’ll be able to hold your own in simple Indonesian conversations in less than six months. The best time to start is today. The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) has created a list to show the approximate time you need to learn different languages as an English speaker. As you can see, they rank Indonesian as a category three language. The FSI estimates that it takes approximately 900 hours of study to achieve professional fluency in Indonesian.

Realistic Expectations

This time estimate is based on an intensive classroom setting, and with a specific end-goal in mind. So these estimates don’t necessarily apply to a self student. However, reaching a basic conversational level can be achieved in a matter of months with consistent effort.

Personal Experience

When I first set out to learn Bahasa Indonesia, I did so out of necessity. I found the woman who I wanted to marry, and she didn’t know English. So, like any sane person would do, I began learning her language on my own. Because at the time I didn’t know anyone else who spoke Bahasa Indonesia, I was only able to practice on her. The issue was our time difference. She was in Jakarta, and I was in Oregon. On the west coast of the United States. Which was 15-16 hour time difference depending on the time of the year. Also, when I finally met Indonesian people who live in Oregon, they would never speak Bahasa Indonesia with me. They insisted on speaking English. It was not very difficult to get to a conversational level, just enough to communicate basic likes, dislikes, and daily activities and things. However, when I finally married my wife and made my way to Jakarta, I was a bit caught off guard. It turns out that Bahasa Indonesia is actually the second language of Indonesian people, and there are many Indonesians who don’t know it. They have about 700 languages here that are first languages of Indonesian people. Personal experiences vary, but achieving a conversational level is often attainable relatively quickly.

The Rewards of Learning Indonesian

Do you live in Indonesia? Or maybe you’ve lived there in the past? Maybe you just want to visit Indonesia on holidays? Being able to speak Indonesian can definitely be a life changer. Imaging yourself visiting Indonesia and being able to talk with the locals in their own language: how would it improve your experience in the country? Indonesians are very friendly people and they will be surprised when they find out that you speak Indonesian, even if you don’t speak it very well.

Cultural Immersion

Being able to communicate in Indonesian enhances travel experiences and fosters deeper connections with locals.

Personal Enrichment

Despite its being geographically distant and seemingly unconnected with English and other European languages, Indonesian has the reputation of being easy to learn. Learning a new language broadens horizons and enhances cognitive abilities.

tags: #is #indonesian #language #easy #to #learn