Hi! Still struggling with your Indonesian lesson? Worry not, we are here to make it easier for you.
In this session, we will show you list of Indonesian adverbs. Adverbs in Indonesia mean “Kata Keterangan”. Adverbs is an adjunct which gives information about something. There are several adverbs in Indonesia such as: adverbs of time (keterangan waktu), adverbs of place (keterangan tempat), adverbs of manners (keterangan sikap), conjunct adverbs (keterangan penghubung), interrogative adverbs (keterangan tanya), and adverbs of frequency (keterangan frekuensi). For more information, you can check our lesson “5 Types of Indonesian Adverbs (Indonesian Grammar rules and Explanation).
Please remember that adverbs is very important because its structure is used in every day conversation. Generally they’re words that modify any part of language other than a noun. Adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives (including numbers), clauses, sentences and other adverbs. Let’s dig more!
1. Adverbs of Time (Keterangan Waktu)
These adverbs give an explanation of when the activities occur. Let’s see this simple example:
- I will go to cinema tomorrow
Saya akan pergi ke bioskop besok - My boyfriend proposed me yesterday night
Pacarku melamar kemarin malam
Here are the list of adverbs of time in Indonesia:
| Adverbs of Time | Keterangan Waktu |
| Yesterday | Kemarin |
| Today | Hari ini |
| Tomorrow | Besok |
| Now | Sekarang |
| Then | Kemudian |
| Tonight | Malam ini |
| Right now | Sekarang juga |
| Last night | Tadi malam |
| This morning | Pagi ini |
| Next week | Minggu depan |
| Already | Sudah |
| Recently | Baru-baru ini |
| Lately | Akhir-akhir ini |
| Soon | Segera |
| Immediately | Segera |
| Still | Masih |
| Yet | Masih |
| Ago | Silam |
| A Week | Seminggu |
| Last Week | Minggu Lalu |
| A Month | Sebulan |
| Next Month | Bulan Depan |
| Last Month | Bulan Lalu |
| A Year | Setahun |
| Next Year | Tahun Depan |
| Last Year | Tahun Lalu |
| Later | Nanti |
There are more to learn, such as: Indonesian Plural Nouns
2. Adverbs of Place
These list of Indonesian adverbs give an explanation of where the activities occur. Let’s see this simple example:
- Try look over there!
Coba lihat di sana - My boyfriend lives far away from me
Pacarku tinggal sangat jauh
Take glance at this list of adverbs of place:
| Adverbs Of Place | Kata Keterangan Tempat |
| Here | Di sini |
| There | Sana |
| Over there | Di sana |
| Everywhere | Mana-mana |
| Anywhere | Di manapun |
| Nowhere | Tidak dimanapun |
| Home | Rumah |
| Away | Jauh |
| Out | Ke luar |
There are more to learn, such as: Indonesian to English Grammar
3. Adverbs of Manner (Keterangan Sikap)
These adverbs give an explanation of how the activities occur. Let’s see this simple example:
- Try look over there!
- Coba lihat di sana
- My boyfriend lives far away from me
- Pacarku tinggal sangat jauh
Here are the list of adverbs of manners in Indonesia:
| Adverb of Manner | Keterangan Sikap |
| Very | Sangat |
| Quite | Agak |
| Pretty | Cantik |
| Really | Benar-benar |
| Fast | Cepat |
| Well | Baik |
| Hard | Keras |
| Quickly | Segera |
| Slowly | Pelan-pelan |
| Carefully | Hati-hati |
| Hardly | Tidak |
| Barely | Baru saja |
| Mostly | Kebanyakan |
| Almost | Hamper |
| Absolutely | Sama sekali |
| Together | Bersama |
| Alone | Sendirian |
| Sadly | Dengan sedih |
| Happily | Dengan senang |
| Excitedly | Dengan gembira |
| Angrily | Dengan marah |
| Clumsily | Dengan ceroboh |
There are more to learn, such as: Indonesian Grammar Exercise
4. Conjunct Adverbs (Keterangan Penghubung)
These adverbs functioned as conjunction in sentence. Take a look at these examples:
- I love you but you are too old for me
- Aku mencintaimu tapi kamu terlalu tua untuk aku
- Today’s weather is great however I have lot of assignments
- Cuaca hari ini bagus akan tetapi aku punya banyak tugas
Here are the list of conjunct adverbs:
| Conjunct Adverbs | Keterangan Penghubung |
| But | Tapi |
| However | Namun/Akan Tetapi |
| So | Jadi |
| Therefore | Oleh sebab itu |
| Then | Lalu/Kemudian |
| Although | Meskipun |
| Hence | Jadi |
| Thus | Oleh karena itu |
There are more to learn, such as: A Student’s Guide to Indonesian Grammar
5. Interrogative Adverbs (Keterangan Tanya)
These adverbs functioned as questions mark. Take a look at these examples:
- When your class begin?
- Kapan kelasmu dimulai?
- Where is your parents?
- Dimana orang tuamu?
Here are the list of interrogative adverbs:
| Interrogative Adverbs | Keterangan Tanya |
| When | Kapan |
| Where | Dimana |
| Why | Mengapa / Kenapa |
| Who | Siapa |
| Which | (Yang) Mana |
| Whose | Milik Siapa |
| How | Bagaimana |
There are more to learn, such as: Indonesian Conjunctions
6. Frequency Adverbs
These adverbs functioned as questions mark. Take a look at these examples:
- I always think about you
- Aku selalu memikirkanmu
- I occasionally go to museum to learn Indonesian’s history
- Saya kadang-kadang pergi ke museum untuk belajar sejarah Indonesia
Here are the lists of adverbs of frequency:
| Adverbs of Frequency | Keterangan Frekuensi |
| Always | Selalu |
| frequently | Sering |
| Usually | Biasanya |
| sometimes | Kadang-kadang |
| occasionally | Kadang-kadang |
| Seldom | Jarang |
| Rarely | Jarang |
| Never | Tidak pernah |
| Often | Sering |
| Sometimes | Kadang-kadang / Terkadang |
| Occasionally | Sekali-kali |
| Hardly Ever | Hampir Tidak Pernah |
| Daily | Setiap Hari |
| Weekly | Setiap Minggu |
| Monthly | Setiap Bulan |
| Annually | Setiap Tahun |
Have you read it all about the list of Indonesian adverbs? If you had, try to make an example on each of adverb.
You can combine the words you know with these adverbs. Try to make simple sentence that consist of 3 words like “Dimana saya sekarang?” (Where am I now?) and keep practicing.
Don’t forget to always listen to Indonesian song or playing some games on your learning application thus you can pratice your language daily.
Good luck on your studies and we wish you have a nice day~