Survival
Indonesian
Survival
Indonesian
How to communicate without
fuss or fear INSTANTLY!
by Katherine Davidsen
TUTTLE Publishing
Tokyo | Rutland, Vermont | Singapore
CONTENTS
Introduction and Pronunciation Guide
Background to Indonesian
Pronunciation Guide
PART ONE
Pronouns
Nouns
Adjectives
Verbs
Adverbs
Prepositions
Numbers
Counters
Asking Questions
PART TWO
Introductions and Small Talk
Communicating
Small Talk
Talking about Yourself
Out and About
Arriving
Accommodation
Transportation
Directions
Exploring the Town
Road Signs
Shopping
Warung (Roadside foodstalls)
Markets
At the Mall
Groceries
Souvenirs
Books and other reading material
Clothing
Footwear
Sightseeing
Museums
Toilets
Eating Out
Food
Drink
Money
Measurements
Time
Days of the Week
Special Dates
Months
Years
Weather
Communications
Phone, Email & Internet
Repairs
Wi-fi
Social Media
Medical
Emergencies
PART THREE
Public Holidays and Festivals
Popular Destinations
Beaches
Mountains
Adventure
Cultural Tourism
Food
PART FOUR
INTRODUCTION AND PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
Welcome to Indonesian! This logical, practical language will be of great use to you not only in the Republic of Indonesia, but also Malaysia, Brunei and even Singapore. A few words and, more importantly, a desire to communicate and understand will endear you to young and old, hotel reception staff, waiters, fellow bus passengers, rickshaw drivers, children, shopkeepers, swaggering teenagers and university students, to name a few.
Background to Indonesian
Indonesian is one of four modern languages created in the twentieth century which now have the status of a national language and are used as a medium in higher education (the others are Afrikaans, Hebrew and Hindi). Based on Malay, to which it is obviously very similar, Indonesian is widely understood (if not necessarily spoken) across Southeast Asia in Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, East Timor and even parts of southern Thailand. Malay was the language of trade throughout pre-colonial and Dutch times from Sumatra and the Malay peninsula in the west to the Spice Islands (present-day Maluku) and beyond in the east. This widespread usage was one reason for its adoption by the independence movement in Indonesia in the 1930s who, upon freedom in 1945, then made it the national language of the fledgling state.
Indonesian is sometimes mistakenly referred to as “Bahasa.” Bahasa Indonésia simply means “Indonesian language,” which is the common language of all Indonesians, whether their first language is Javanese (bahasa Jawa), Sundanese (bahasa Sunda) or one of the other 700 regional languages spoken across the archipelago. It is written in the Latin alphabet and is phonetic, which makes it easy to learn. Its grammar is also relatively logical, as will be explained.
Pronunciation Guide
The pronunciation of Indonesian is regular once you learn a few sounds particular to the language (shown here with an *). In general, the sounds of Indonesian are similar to that of Italian or Spanish.
| a | as in Bali, father. Never “ay” as in English |
| e | as in mother (unvoiced shwa sound) |
| e | + ac cent (é, usually not written) as in saté, café. This sound is much less common than the unvoiced e. In this book, an accent will be shown, but this does not appear in ordinary written Indonesian. Neither e nor é is ever pronounced as “ee” like in English. |
| i | as in mini, piano. Never “eye” as in English. |
| o | as in pogo, piano |
| u | as in ukulele, true |
| b | as in bed, Bali |
| c* | as in chair, church (never k in words of Indonesian origin) |
| d | as in door, diva |
| f | as in five, off (some Indonesians say p instead of f) |
| g | as in goat, giggle (always hard) |
| h | as in hello |
| j | as in juice, Jakarta |
| k | as in kettle, Kalimantan |
| l | as in lemon |
| m | as in Médan, mini |
| n | as in November |
| ng* | as in singing, gong |
| ngg* | as in finger (ng + g) |
| p | as in party, pen |
| q | is only in words of Arabic origin and is pronounced k, e.g. Qatar |
| r* | is
|