Having a conversation in an entirely new language may seem hard and intimidating, but it’s not as scary as it seems. The good news is, Indonesian is actually a pretty simple language. There’s not as much grammatical rules involved as it is with the English language. As the cliche saying goes, practice makes perfect, and the best way to master Indonesian language is by talking with Indonesians and Learn Basic Indonesian Tenses with Examples
So how do you start talking with Indonesians? How to learn Indonesian Word Formation Easy and Fast? If you got no idea, here are the tips on how to talk with Indonesian like a pro:
- Smile
First and foremost, smile. Relax! Indonesians are known for their hospitality and friendliness, so you can quit being nervous although your Indonesian skills may be mediocre. Make sure your body language also shows your interest in talking to them. Face them, look them in the eye, give some kind of greeting gesture, like a wave or a pat if you have known them for some time.
- Greet and introduce yourself
Greet them. Indonesian greetings are quite easy to master. You can even start with a simple hey or hello just like in English, as Indonesians have similar equivalents which are hai and halo. If this is your first time talking to them, introduce yourself. Here are ways on How to Introduce Yourself in Indonesian :
- Nama saya… (My name is…)
- Saya dari (I’m from…)
- Saya kerja di (I work in…)
- Saya tinggal di (I live in…)
- Apa kabar? (How are you?)
- Senang bertemu dengan Anda (Nice to meet you)
- Lagi sibuk apa? (What do you do?)
As you can see, there are a lot of ways to open your conversation with Indonesians. Give it a go and see where you end up!
- Start a conversation topic
After asking basic questions like how they’re doing and what they’ve been busy with, you can go ahead and talk more. You don’t have to think too much, you can start with small talk like the weather, or the recent news, or a common interest you might have. You can even talk about a recent movie that came out, for example. Here are some ideas you might use Useful Indonesian Conversation Phrases
- Hari ini panas banget ya (The weather is pretty hot today)
- Udah nonton (movie) belum? Keren banget ya (Have you watched *this movie*? It’s pretty cool isn’t it?)
- Di sekitar sini enaknya makan apa ya? (What are some recommended foods I can eat around here?)
The key is to let it flow and keep it natural. You don’t always have to initiate new topics, you can start with one tiny topic and how the conversation branches out might surprise you!
- Get to know them
The more you get to know the people you’re talking to, the more you can start conversation topics that they can relate to. If you meet them in your workplace, for example, you can start from the basics, like their job, how they like it, what they do in their spare time, and so on.
There’s no strict rules as you can always adjust your conversation topics to their background, their interests, and their personality, so stay in touch with them! It’s like killing two birds with one stone, as you’re expanding your social life and learning Indonesian the natural way. Also, here are some Indonesian Phrases for Travellers You Should Know.
- Stay confident!
Finally, stay confident! Making mistakes when speaking a new language is common. Don’t let the fear of being judged or getting those funny stares stop you from learning. That’s the tips on how to talk with Indonesian like a pro!
Before you know it, the more you talk with Indonesians, the faster you’ll master the language and the broader your knowledge about Indonesian will be. Good luck!