What? Learn Indonesian in three minutes? Does it even possible?
Yes, learning Indonesian in three minutes is possible if you learn it with Masteringbahasa. When learning Indonesian in three minutes, you will learn the language in survival level. It is great if you are traveller whom aims to stay in Indonesia for a short time.
Indonesian alphabet and pronunciation
The first lesson starts with alphabets and pronunciation. This should be easy because the alphabet list is the same as English alphabet but the pronunciation is quite different. For further lesson take a look at below table.
| Alphabet letter | Pronunciation | English like pronunciation |
| A a | A | Clear ‘a’ like in father |
| B b | Be | Bay |
| C c | Ce | ‘ch’ like in chair |
| D d | De | ‘de’ like in day |
| E e | E | ‘e’ like English ‘a’ alphabet |
| F f | Ef | ‘ef’ like in efficient |
| G g | Ge | ‘ge’ like in gay |
| H h | Ha | ‘ha’ like in half |
| I i | I | ‘I’ like in bee |
| J j | Je | ‘je’ like in jay |
| K k | Ka | ‘ka’ like in cough |
| L l | El | ‘el’ like in eligible |
| M n | Em | Em |
| N n | En | ‘en’ like in end |
| O o | O | ‘o’ like in oh |
| P p | Pe | ‘pe’ like in pay |
| Q q | Ki | ‘ki’ like in key |
| R r | Er | ‘er’ with clearer ‘r’ like in ‘arriba’ |
| S s | Es | ‘es’ like in ice |
| T t | Te | ‘te’ like in ‘tailor’ |
| U u | U | ‘u’ like in poo |
| V v | Ve | ‘ve’ like in veil |
| W w | We | ‘we’ like in way |
| X x | Eks | ‘eks’ like in ex |
| Y y | Ye | ‘ye’ like in yay |
| Z z | Zet | Zet |
For further understanding of this lesson, you can check out our post about what is Indonesian alphabets and Indonesian language pronunciation guides.
Learn Indonesian vocabulary
The next lesson is learning Indonesian vocabulary and meaning. This step is a must to learn otherwise you cannot speak in Bahasa. You do not have to learn the difficult vocabulary, but simple vocabulary for everyday use is enough.
- Arah – direction
- Ambil – take
- Beli – buy
- Nasi – rice
- Beras – uncooked rice
- Baju – clothes
- Sekolah – school
- Asin – salty
- Asam – sour
- Manis – sweet
- Pahit – bitter
- Daging – meat
- Bicara – speak
- Balas – reply
- Bukan – no, not
- Tidak – no
- Balik – turn
- Cuma – only
- Capek – tired
- Cacat – defect
- Celana – trousers
- Cukup – enough, sufficient
- Datang – come
- Pergi – go, leave
- Tinggal – live
- Garam – salt
- Gula – sugar
- Madu – honey
- Hari – day
- Jam – hours
- Bulan – month, moon
- Maaf – sorry
- Lihat – see
- Lapar – hungry
- Kenyang – full, fed up
- Masak – cook
- Pinjam – borrow
- Patah – broken
- Rasa – taste
- Pesan – order
That’s how to learn Indonesian in three minutes. For further lesson about vocabulary, make sure to check out our post about Indonesian words and meanings.
Indonesian Greetings
Indonesian people are friendly in nature. Even when you do not personally know them, they will gladly help you especially if you understand the Indonesian greeting customs. For survival level, here are some greetings essentials that you should learn.
- Selamat pagi – good morning
- Selamat siang – good afternoon
- Selamat sore – good afternoon
- Selamat malam – good evening
- Selamat malam – good night
- Apa kabar? – how are you doing?
- Sampai jumpa – see you later
- Selamat ulang tahun – happy birthday
- Selamat jalan – bon voyage
- Selamat menikah – happy wedding
- Semoga lekas sembuh – get well soon
- Terima kasih – thank you
- Permisi – excuse me
- Saya minta maaf – I am sorry
- Tolong – please, help
Simple sentences in Bahasa Indonesia
Even though you still not yet understand about Indonesian grammar, but you have to be able to make simple sentence. You will need simple sentences for shopping, order food, asking direction, and more. Here are some examples of Indonesian simple sentences.
- Saya mau beli baju – I want to buy clothes
- Saya mau pesan nasi goreng – I want to order fried rice
- Dibungkus atau makan di sini – take out or dine in
- Apakah bisa ditawar? – can I bargain?
- Apakah kamu tahu dimana kantor pos? – do you know where the post office is?
- Siapa nama kamu? – what is your name?
- Apa pekerjaan kamu? – what do you do for living?
- Berapa harganya? – how much is the price?
- Silahkan tunggu sebentar – please wait a minute
- Saya mau pulang – I want to go home
- Saya tidak enak badan – I do not feel well
- Tanggal berapa hari ini – what is the date today?
- Jam berapa sekarang? – what time is it now?
- Hati-hati – be careful
- Saya mau tukar uang – I want to exchange money
For further learn about this lesson, make sure to check out our post about Indonesian sentences for beginner. See, learning Indonesian in three minutes is possible and of course, very easy. Also check out our post about Indonesian language basics. Good luck. Selamat Belajar!
Learn Indonesian in three minutes in a video