Indonesian Plural Forms – Types – Formula – Example

Plural forms in Indonesia are quite different from English. There is no change made of the noun to indicate plural. There are many ways to make Indonesian plural forms as the following explanation.

Also learn Indonesian plural nouns.

1. Cardinal numbers

The easiest way to make Indonesian plural is to add cardinal numbers before the noun. We also have the same pattern in English plural to add cardinal numbers. The general pattern is the same as adding cardinal numbers before the noun.

The only difference is there is no addition made for the noun. In English, we add additional  ‘s/es’ after a noun to indicates that it is plural, but in Indonesia, there is no such addition. So, the only plural marker is the cardinal numbers only. Take a look at below example.

Indonesian Singular	English	Indonesian plural	English
Sebuah buku	A book	Tiga buah buku	Three books
Selembar kertas	A paper	Lima lembar kertas	Five sheets of paper
Satu buah mobil	A car	Enam buah mobil	Six cars
Satu gelas	A glass	Tiga gelas	Three glasses
Satu buah apel	An apple	Empat buah apel	Four apples
Satu pasang sepatu	A pair of shoes	Tujuh pasang sepatu	Seven pairs of shoes

Do you spot the difference? Yes, whether it is singular or plural, the noun stays the same. That is why making plural form using cardinal numbers is the easiest. Besides adding the cardinal numbers, when making Indonesian plural, it is important to add the noun attributes. For example ‘lembar’ (sheet) for paper, ‘pasang’ (pair) for slippers or shoes, and so on. However, the general noun attribute is ‘buah’ (piece).

Also learn Indonesian Plural.

2. Plural marker

Making Indonesian plural forms using plural marker is another level. Some people think that it is quite difficult because it is irregular form. This means that you have to actually understand the sentence context to be able to determine that it is plural. There are many plural markers in Bahasa Indonesia and here are some examples.

Plural marker	English	Sentence examples	English
Banyak	Many, much, lots of, plenty	Ada banyak mobil di tempat parkir. Banyak murid yang tidak masuk sekolah.	There are lots of cars in the parking lot. Many students do not get in the school.
Semua	All	Semua orang tua diundang ke sekolah.	All parents are invited to the school.
Beberapa	Some	Ada beberapa semangka yang busuk.	There are some rotten watermelons.
Aneka, beraneka	Various	Ada beraneka jenis sepatu.	There are various kind of shoes.
Bermacam-macam	Various	Bermacam-macam cara sudah dilakukan untuk mendapatkan hatinya	Various ways has been done to get his heart.
Sejumlah	Numbers of , amount of,	Dia membutuhkan sejumlah uang.	He needs amount of money,

Also learn Indonesian grammar exercise. 

3. Plural for people

The fact that Indonesian plural forms does not change in Bahasa Indonesia makes it difficult for foreign learners. In general, the plural markers above can be used for both noun and pronoun in general. However, for people in general, there is specific term to address. Indonesians use the word ‘para’ to address specific group of people. Take a look at below example.

Singular	Plural	English
Siswa	Para siswa	Students
Orang tua	Para orang tua	Parents
Guru	Para guru	Teachers

Sentence examples:

• Para lansia mengikuti olahraga – the elders join sports program
• Para penonton harap memasuki ruang bioskop – dear audiences, please enter the theatre room.
• Para presiden sedang mengadakan kunjungan kenegaraan – the presidents are having national visit.

Also learn Indonesian sentence construction.

4. Reduplicated adjective

Reduplication is the common way to make plural in bahasa Indonesia. When you are in doubt, duplicate the word and it becomes plural. Plural form using reduplication can be used for almost word classes including noun and adjectives.

Singular	Plural	English
Buku	Buku-buku	Books
Cantik	Cantik-cantik	The beautiful
Muda	Muda-mudi	Youngsters
Gelas	Gelas-gelas	Glasses

Sentence examples:

• Buku-buku lama akan segera dilelang – the old books will be auctioned soon
• Model itu cantik-cantik – the models are beautiful
• Letakkan gelas-gelas itu di daput – put the glasses in the kitchen

It seems easy, right? But, you have to be careful because plural forms using reduplication words sometimes are irregular for example, ‘muda-mudi’ (youngster).

Also learn Indonesian reduplication words.

5. Plural for pronoun

You surely have learned about plural pronouns before. The general form is to use pronoun but there are also other form of plural.

• Kalian – you all

Kalian sudah makan? Have you all eaten?

• Mereka – they

Mereka akan pergi hari ini – they will depart today

• Kami – we

Kami pergi ke sekolah – we go to school

• Orang – people

Orang Amerika suka makan burger – Americans love eat burger.

The easiest way to make Indonesian plural forms is to add cardinal numbers as we usually do in English. But when in doubt, you can simply reduplicate the word to make it plural. To make it more even easier, no change should be made for the noun.