It’s 9 AM.

You drive your motor scooter up to your favorite noodle soup place for breakfast, but with a cry of despair you find that it’s tutup—”closed.”

Scrawled on the sign is a phrase that you manage to make out as being “closed for national holiday.” A national holiday? How were you supposed to know?

This kind of situation is pretty common in Indonesia for foreigners. And one major cause can be traced to simple ignorance—not knowing how to talk about dates in Indonesian.

It’s an easy skill to overlook when you’re juggling a bunch of Indonesian resources to get a handle on the different vocabulary words that seem to fill the air wherever you go. But it’s no less important for day-to-day life, and as it turns out, just a little bit of studying can get you everything you need.

So without further ado, let’s look at a crash course for mastering dates in Indonesian. By the end of this article, you’ll be a step closer to giving the date in Indonesian like it’s nothing.

Table of Contents

1. Dates on Paper
2. Reading Years
3. The 13 Most Important Months in Indonesian
4. Days of the Week in Indonesian
5. Saying Dates in Their Entirety
6. Special Days
7. How to Use Dates in Conversation
8. Conclusion: How IndonesianPod101 Can Help You Master Indonesian

1. Dates on Paper

Before we concern ourselves with actually reading the dates aloud, let’s make sure that we know how to recognize dates when we see them, and how to write dates in Indonesian.

Indonesia is host to an enormous variety of local languages, many of them with elaborate traditional scripts like Javanese, Balinese, and Sundanese. You’ll see these scripts around town, but you can rest easy knowing that most Indonesians are significantly more comfortable with the Latin-based Indonesian alphabet, and by extension, its Arabic numerals.

So unless you’re a specialist, you don’t have to worry about learning dates in several alphabets. (Though you should, because they’re beautiful!)

Instead, dates are written day-month-year in Indonesian, like so:

• 10-10-1910
  October 10, 1910
• 3-12-2014
  December 3, 2014

Just knowing these basic formats will significantly help you with dates in Bahasa, Indonesia and elsewhere!

2. Reading Years

Any year is read out as if it’s a large number. This may be one of the most challenging things about reading dates out loud—they’re long words!

The way you end up differentiating between numbers and dates is pretty simple. It’s mandatory to say the word tahun, or “year,” to let your listener know you’re talking about dates.

So the dates below end up being pronounced as follows:

• 1970
  tahun seribu sembilan ratus tujuh puluh
• 2015
  tahun dua ribu lima belas

Also, you may notice that tahun, or “year,” is a noun and not a preposition. Indonesians rarely add prepositions before mentioning years, like English speakers would. But when they do, they would use pada which roughly translated to “on”:

• Saya lahir tahun 1992.
  “I was born in 1992.”
• Saya lahir pada tahun 1992.
  “I was born in 1992.”
• Tahun itu Olimpiade diadakan di Barcelona.
  “In that year, the Olympic games were held in Barcelona.”
• Pada tahun itu, Olimpiade diadakan di Barcelona.
  “In that year, the Olympic games were held in Barcelona.”

To talk about certain decades, Indonesians simply add -an (a suffix that turns words into nouns) to the year.

• Saya anak 90-an (sembilan puluhan).
  “I’m a child of the 1990s.”

And what about talking about ancient history? Well, you’ll find that a lot of Indonesian texts use the acronyms CE/AD and BCE/BC. Those are read out just like normal letters—see our page on the Indonesian alphabet for that.

However, there are also common phrases for these eras, called Masehi for “AD/CE” and Sebelum Masehi for “BC/BCE.” The word Masehi is related to the word “messiah” in English, so it’s just another way of expressing the same concept.

• 250 BC
  tahun dua ratus lima puluh sebelum Masehi

3. The 13 Most Important Months in Indonesian

Thirteen? Yes, actually. It’s not on the calendar, but there’s one month here that’s very important in Indonesian culture. I bet you’ll be able to recognize it right away.

Here are the months in Indonesian.

The holy month of Ramadan occurs at slightly different times each year because it’s based on the Islamic lunar calendar. But no matter your religion, in Indonesia you’ll know when it’s Ramadan, thanks to the prominent advertisements, banners, and TV specials. Not to mention the fact that so many places close down!

By the way, don’t let the similarity of these months lure you into thinking you don’t need to learn them. If you say “August” instead of Agustus, no matter how loudly and slowly, it’s probably going to take the other person a little while to understand you, since the sounds and rhythms of the two words are different. Don’t ignore accent here!

In English and many European languages, we have to specify an ordinal number when we’re saying a day of the month. Not so in Indonesian—simply say the day and then the month, and you’re good to go. However, just like with the year, you’ll want to say tanggal, which means “date,” to specify you’re not just talking about a number.

• Saya pergi pada tanggal enam Agustus.
  “I’m leaving on the sixth of August.”

4. Days of the Week in Indonesian

Days of the week are next in our guide to dates in Indonesian. The Indonesian names for the days of the week are based on the Arabic names, so if you’ve ever studied Arabic in the past, these will be a breeze.

Naturally, the names of the days have short forms for ease of writing—better have a look at those too.

The word minggu also means “week” itself. The days are always capitalized, so you know that it’s just the ordinary noun if it appears in lowercase.

There are two commonly used words for “the weekend.” First we’ve got akhir minggu, which makes a lot of sense because it’s literally “the end of the week.” But people also use akhir pekan, for a reason you might not find in your Indonesian dictionary.

Pekan is interchangeable with minggu nowadays, but it originally came into use because in traditional Javanese and Balinese culture, a minggu wasn’t always fixed at seven days. With pekan, you always knew how many days you were dealing with.

5. Saying Dates in Their Entirety

Let’s briefly review by putting what we’ve learned all together in one phrase.

We’ll start with the day, and we’ll add the word hari meaning “day” for the sake of clarity. The word pada is the equivalent of the English word “on” when referring to dates.

• Pada hari Sabtu…
  “On Saturday…”

Then the date, the month, and then finally the whole year.

• Pada hari Sabtu, lima belas Februari, tahun dua ribu enam belas.
  “On Saturday, the fifteenth of February, in the year 2016.”

All that gets written out numerically as 15-2-2016.

6. Special Days

As we’ve seen, the word for “day” is hari. Whenever there’s a special date on the Indonesian calendar, it’s likely to be called hari something-or-other. Here are a handful of examples:

• Hari libur
  “Vacation day/day off”
• Hari raya
  “Day of celebration/holiday”
• Hari kemerdekaan
  “Independence Day”
• Hari Kartini
  “Kartini’s Day” (a famous fighter for women’s rights in Indonesia)

Whether you’re in school, on vacation, or at work in Indonesia, these days will affect you in some way. Businesses are often closed, for example, and it’s tough to know exactly when that’ll happen unless you’ve got an idea of when the libur days are on the calendar.

You can use these phrases to figure things out more precisely:

• Apa ada hari libur bulan ini?
  “Are there days off this month?”
• Apa toko ini buka pada hari kemerdekaan?
  “Is this shop open on Independence Day?”

During Ramadan, many shops have reduced hours, so you’d better find out:

• Jam berapa tutup di bulan Ramadan?
  “What time do you close during Ramadan?”

7. How to Use Dates in Conversation

So how do people end up talking about dates in real life? What are the situations and phrases you’ll need?

• Hari ini hari apa?
  “What day is it today?”

Note with the above example that you might want to use the word mana meaning “which,” but instead, it’s correct to say apa meaning “what?”

• Hari kelahiran saya tanggal satu April.
  “My birthday is April 1.”
• Idul Fitri hari apa tahun ini?
  “What day is Eid al-Fitr this year?”

Lastly, let’s briefly discuss talking about “this,” “next,” and “previous” days and weeks. It’s a total piece of cake.

Essentially, the words besok meaning “tomorrow,” and kemarin meaning “yesterday,” also function as markers for days in the future and past, respectively. So by saying “Thursday tomorrow,” depending on the context, you could also mean “next Thursday.”

• Boleh kita bertemu pada hari Jum’at besok?
  “Can we meet next Friday?”

For months and weeks in general, we’ll use the words depan meaning “future” and lalu meaning “already past.”

• Saya lihat dia di sekolah minggu lalu.
  “I saw her at school last week.”

The word besok has a particular meaning in Indonesian culture. Much like if a child wants something and the parent says “we’ll see,” saying that an activity can happen besok is kind of shorthand for “who knows when it’ll happen.”

• A: Boleh kita pergi ke Bali?
  B: Mungkin besok.

  A: “Can we go to Bali?”
  B: “We’ll see.”

8. Conclusion: How IndonesianPod101 Can Help You Master Indonesian

There’s simply no better way to learn something tough than to practice it. Frequently making yourself actually sound out the dates that you see written on paper is the number one thing that will rocket your learning to the next level.

One little tip for when you can work date-study into your everyday life: when you’re handling money. Glance at the date on the bill or the coin and think “What year is this in Indonesian?” You’ll be an expert in no time.

What’s the most valuable thing you learned in this lesson? Let us know, and how you plan to use it! And to practice, write today’s date in Indonesian. 😉

And as always, check out our Indonesian Blog for more resources coming out regularly! Also keep in mind that by upgrading to Premium Plus, you can take advantage of our MyTeacher program and learn Indonesian with your own personal teacher!

Everybody knows about the beautiful beaches and temples of Bali. Millions of people flock there every year, and the island is developing at an incredible speed.

Did you know, though, that there’s a whole lot more to Indonesia—frequently referred to as the country of 1,000 islands—than just Bali?

And the beautiful thing for the tourist who wants to see it all is that the effort to promote the national Indonesian language has been enormously successful. The vast majority of Indonesians are perfectly bilingual in at least one local language as well as standard Indonesian.

So the visitor with Indonesian phrases for travelers under their belt gets to avoid the hassle of learning multiple local languages, and instead gets to experience the benefit of using the national language wherever they go.

And the benefits of knowing basic Indonesian travel phrases are many.

Table of Contents

1. What it’s Like Speaking Indonesian in Indonesia
2. Top Useful Travel Phrases to Get You All Around Indonesia
3. Conclusion: How IndonesianPod101 Can Help You Learn More Indonesian

1. What it’s Like Speaking Indonesian in Indonesia

Before you learn travel phrases in Indonesian, there are a few things you should know.

Many language learners tend to complain that the locals switch to English instead of speaking their native language. Nobody wants that—it’s embarrassing and makes you feel like you don’t know anything at all.

It’s true, though, that if you’re in Jakarta or Denpasar and you approach someone in a Starbucks and speak broken Indonesian to them, they’re probably going to use English with you just to save time and effort on your part. Can’t blame them.

English ability is considered very trendy in Indonesia. Not only are a lot of people actively studying English at school, but popular culture in English is commonplace.

You may be wondering, then, why you should learn travel phrases in Indonesian at all! But hope isn’t lost for the learner of Indonesian. Venture outside of a built-up area and you’re likely to meet plenty of people who are far more comfortable speaking Indonesian than English.

Even in Bali, a quick motorbike ride outside the cities will bring you to small towns where you’ll have to speak Indonesian to ask for directions or get a bite to eat.

And if you speak Indonesian confidently and competently, even fluent speakers of English are likely to continue in Indonesian with you from small topics to big ones.

In particular, if you can speak some Indonesian in touristy cities, you’ll set yourself apart from the crowds of English-only visitors and bring a smile to some faces.

Now that you know a little background and context on the topic, let’s get to our list of essential travel phrases in Indonesian!

2. Top Useful Travel Phrases to Get You All Around Indonesia

1- Greetings

Naturally, when you’re going around Indonesia, you won’t want to just barge into a conversation without starting it off politely.

The most common greetings in Indonesia are based on the time of day, or more accurately, the times between different calls to prayer (known as azan, which change very slightly month to month). However, they line up pretty nicely with English equivalents, and are some of the most useful Indonesian travel phrases (everyone’s happier after a nice greeting!).

• “Good morning!”
  Selamat pagi!
• “Good afternoon!”
  Selamat siang!
• “Good evening!”
  Selamat sore!
• “Good night!”
  Selamat malam!

Once you’ve met someone multiple times, the selamat gets dropped, and just saying the time of day is adequate. You’ll notice that the vowel sound usually gets stretched out for this.

• “Good eveniiiiing!”
  Soreeeee!

When you’re just trying to get someone’s attention, the greeting isn’t necessary—just say “excuse me” and add the correct pronoun.

• “Excuse me, sir…”
  Permisi, Pak…
• “Excuse me, ma’am…”
  Permisi, Bu…

Pak and Bu are short forms of bapak and ibu, meaning “father” and “mother” respectively. The short forms are used as polite pronouns for people older than you.

If you and the other person are both young (or you’re much older), then you should use mas for men and mbak for women.

• “May I ask…”
  Bolehkah saya tanya…
• “Goodbye!”
  Sampai jumpa!

2- Shopping

Indonesia is developing fast, and in any city you go to, you’ll have a choice between shopping at smaller markets and shopping at enormous malls. Generally speaking, people working in malls have better English, but definitely don’t count on it.

In any case, it’s incredible how far you can get with just a few simple words.

• “This one, please.”
  Yang ini.
• “Thank you! Thanks!”
  Terima kasih! Makasih!
• “Thank you very much!”
  Terima kasih banyak!

Seriously, the phrases and Indonesian words for travellers above are the bare bones of any commercial interaction. What if you want to expand a little bit on what you’re trying to say?

• “I really like this!”
  Saya sangat suka yang ini.
• “This is so beautiful!”
  Ini cantik sekali!
• “Do you have a bigger size? / Do you have a smaller size?”
  Apakah Anda punya yang lebih besar? / Yang lebih kecil?
• “I’m looking for jeans size 32/34.”
  Saya mau jeans dengan ukuran tiga puluh dua/tiga puluh empat.
• “Can you make it any cheaper?”
  Boleh sedikit lebih murah?
• “Okay, I’ll take it!”
  Oke, saya ambil yang ini.

3- Dining Out

The same general advice about English ability applies to restaurants as well as other shops. The smaller and more out-of-the-way the place—and the older the person behind the counter—the less likely it is that they’ll be able to speak English to you.

You may be glad to hear that lots of menus actually have English on them, even outside of tourist areas; this fits with English being a trendy language.

The simplest way to order is to simply point at the menu. Indonesians like to put pictures on their menus, so even locals are used to pointing. When you do so, say something like this:

• “One of these, and two of these.”
  Ini satu, dan ini dua.
• “Do you want it spicy? / Do you want peppers? / How many (peppers)?”
  Mau pedas? / Pakai cabe? / Berapa?

I enjoy spicy food, but I strongly recommend that you try one or even “half” (setengah) before confidently saying that you want several peppers. The Indonesian peppers are something else!

The word pakai here is occasionally pronounced as paké, especially in Javanese-speaking areas. It literally means “to wear” and it’s used when you’re asking or answering a question about what you’d like included with your food. You’ll often hear it with the yes-no tag question, like so:

• “Add rice, right?”
  Pakai nasi, nggak?

One of the biggest tests of your listening skills is the following question, usually delivered at breakneck speed on account of its frequency:

• “For here or to go?”
  Makan di sini atau dibungkus?

After you order, the most common thing is for the cashier to simply say the price, instead of saying, for example, “the price is…” beforehand.

• “Twenty-three thousand.”
  Dua puluh tiga ribu.

Here’s an all-purpose compliment you can use after your meal, practically guaranteed to win a smile:

• “The food was excellent!”
  Makanannya enak sekali!

Suppose it wasn’t so good, though? Lots of Indonesian food isn’t far from what’s normal in Western countries, but sometimes you may be offered a particular concoction of hot peppers and marinated eggs that you’d prefer to pass on. The polite way to decline is as follows:

• “Maybe next time.”
  Mungkin lain kali.

Some people might also say Mungkin besok, where besok literally means “tomorrow.” But it’s important to know that Indonesians more often than not use it to mean “any time in the future.” This is also true of its counterpart kemarin meaning “yesterday.”

• “The restaurant that we went to yesterday (or before) was better!”
  Resto yang kita pergi kemarin lebih bagus!

4- Transportation

Taxis are becoming less and less common in Indonesia as more and more people use ride-sharing apps.

Instead of Uber, the two main ride apps are called Grab (a Singaporean company) and Go-Jek (a homegrown Indonesian venture). Both offer car rides as well as much cheaper and faster motorbike rides.

Foreigners can easily download these apps and simply pay with cash instead of using an e-wallet.

However, you may not be comfortable ordering a ride by yourself with a new app and having to communicate with the driver. In that case, simply ask someone nearby to order one for you on their phone. Better do this politely!

• “Can you help me order a Grab/Go-Jek?”
  Bolehkah Anda membantu saya memesan Grab/Go-Jek?
• The word Grab is written the same as its English counterpart, but pronounced gréb.
• “I want to go to the Hotel Omah.”
  Saya mau ke Hotel Omah.

If you’re going back to a place you know well, but your driver does not, then you’ll have to direct them a little bit.

• “Turn left here, then make a U-Turn.”
  Di sini belok kiri, terus putar balik.

There’s a great line dance song, actually, which is perfect for memorizing kiri (left) and kanan (right). It’ll stay in your head for a loooong time!

Public transit is, unfortunately, not as developed as the rideshare economy. Many bus stops are poorly marked, and it can be quite uncomfortable to wait in a bus while an endless stream of motorbikes cuts your driver off.

But they sure are cheap! Long-distance bus rides can take advantage of the new highways that are frequently being opened across Java, cutting transit time to big cities to a fraction of what it used to be.

• “Does this bus go to…?”
  Apakah bis ini pergi ke …?
• “Where can I buy a ticket?”
  Di mana bisa beli tiket?
• “I want two tickets to … please.”
  Saya mau dua tiket ke …

Remember to include a “thanks” (makasih) after even little transactions like this one!

5- Emergencies

Indonesian cities usually have a “police station” (kantor polisi) in every district, as well as police boxes on major intersections. Officers don’t tend to patrol, though speed traps are pretty common. “Private security” (satpam) is pretty common, and they may be able to help you contact authorities in times of need.

• “Where is the police station?”
  Di mana kantor polisi?
• “I have to call the police.”
  Saya harus menelepon polisi.

Each medium-sized city will have a number of “hospitals” (rumah sakit) and “clinics” (klinik), and usually at least one “International” hospital, which generally has some English-speaking staff or translators. Don’t count on this in smaller cities, though.

• “I’ve got to get to the hospital!”
  Saya harus ke rumah sakit!

At “pharmacies” (apotek) you can describe your symptoms and get “over-the-counter medicine” (obat), no problem. The most important word is sakit which means “pain,” or “painful.”

• “My head hurts.”
  Saya sakit kepala.
• “Do you have medicine for a sore throat?”
  Ada obat untuk sakit tenggorokan?

In the case of asking for things in a shop, you wouldn’t use the construction apakah Anda punya or “do you have,” but instead the construction ada…? which means “is there…?”

6- Compliments

Why are you in Indonesia, why are you learning Indonesian, and how come you speak it so well?

You’re definitely going to get questions like these. Fortunately, you can use the same stock answers every time and nobody will ever know—plus, you’ll get so good at delivering them that people will be more and more impressed!

• “I really like Indonesian food.”
  Saya sangat suka makanan Indonesia.
• “I’m interested in the culture of Indonesia/Southeast Asia.”
  Saya tertarik dengan budaya Indonesia/Asia Tenggara.

Remember that, in Indonesian, you’re interested “with” something instead of interested “in,” as in English. What would interest you so much that you’d want to learn the language?

• “I like learning languages.”
  Saya suka belajar bahasa-bahasa.
• “Indonesian is very beautiful!”
  Bahasa Indonesia indah sekali!

To be honest, compared to other Asian languages, Indonesian isn’t particularly difficult to pick up the basics in.

For that reason, locals don’t tend to lavish praise on foreigners who can speak it. Instead, the foreigner with some linguistic ability will often hear this phrase:

• “Have you been in Indonesia long?”
  Sudah lama di Indonesia?

To which you can answer:

• “No, only a few weeks.”
  Tidak, hanya beberapa minggu.

3. Conclusion: How IndonesianPod101 Can Help You Learn More Indonesian

And for those few weeks, it’s amazing what you can end up learning to say in Indonesian!

Do you feel more prepared to travel in Indonesia with these Indonesian travel phrases? Or are there still some you’re struggling with? Let us know in the comments!

Why stop here with these simple phrases? You’ll absolutely be welcomed if you stop at a little warung or “small restaurant” and ask about the food—particularly if you tell them it’s delicious.

There are plenty of foreigners who have lived in Indonesia for a long time, and just slowly picked up the language without the need for much study.

Of course, if you’re into puzzles, learning the nuances of the prefixes and suffixes hinted at in this article is a challenge for anyone.

All that goes to show that travel phrases are really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to language knowledge.

There’s no time like the present to dive deeper, especially if you commit to a reliable and engaging language-learning program such as IndonesianPod101.

Author: Yassir Sahnoun is a HubSpot certified content strategist, copywriter, and polyglot who works with language learning companies. He helps companies attract sales using content strategy, copywriting, blogging, email marketing & more.

I remember that one of the hardest things for me when I was actually living in Indonesia was using numbers automatically.

Anybody can count through the numbers to ten in Indonesian—you can pick that up on the plane ride over.

When you actually have to use these Indonesian numbers, though, things are probably a bit more tight. It’s probably hot, and there’s probably somebody behind you in line who doesn’t care at all that it’s your first time in an Indonesian restaurant.

Can’t you just feel their gaze on the back of your head?

Well, probably not, because Indonesians are famously polite and patient. Nevertheless, it’s not a situation you want to be in. You want to have those numbers down pat.

And the best way to learn numbers in Indonesian is to have a good solid review. So, what are the numbers in Indonseian and how can you use them?

Let’s go over numbers in Indonesian, starting from square satu.

Table of Contents

1. The Number System – Zero to Ten
2. Numbers 21 – 99
3. Bigger and Bigger Numbers
4. Ordinal Numbers in Indonesian
5. Phone Numbers
6. Prices
7. Using Prices and Numbers as Conversation Starters
8. Conclusion

1. The Number System – Zero to Ten

If you’re new to Indonesian numbers, you’ve got a lovely surprise coming. The counting system in Indonesian is extremely simple and regular, perhaps more so than the vast majority of systems around the world.

Indonesians use the Arabic numerals widely seen all over the world, even in a traditional script like Javanese or Balinese. Only in the most formal or ritualistic occasions will you ever have a chance to see the traditional numbers in Indonesian written out, and so we won’t cover them here.

Here’s how to count in Indonesian:

Now let’s have a look at counting in Indonesian beyond that. First we’ll look at the names for the numbers themselves, and then we’ll examine something that can trip up a lot of first-time learners.

So go back and look at “ten” there, sepuluh. Look familiar?

In Indonesian, when we count “one of” something, we almost always use the prefix se- instead of saying satu in front of that thing.

And instead of having unique words for most numbers like in English, or saying the equivalent of “six ten four” (64) like in Chinese, Indonesian is actually counting how many of each “digit place” you have. Let’s look at an example.

So the root behind “ten” is puluh, and therefore when we have “one ten” we’ll say sepuluh. Belas is a little harder to find an analogue in English. If you want, you can think of it like “one ‘tens place’” but to be honest, simply memorizing these words may be just as effective.

The important thing is that you keep sepuluh or “ten” and sebelas or “eleven” separate in your mind. That should be easy once you take the next step:

2. Numbers 21 – 99

You’re now ready to make all the numbers in Indonesian up to 99. They follow a simple pattern, best explained through example:

• tiga puluh — “thirty”
• tiga puluh satu — “thirty-one”
• empat puluh dua — “forty-two”
• enam puluh enam — “sixty-six”
• delapan puluh lima — “eighty-five”
• sembilan puluh sembilan — “ninety-nine”

As you can see, we’re now counting puluh, so “four ten two” is the way to say “forty-two.”

That’s all we have to do all the way up to 99, and even beyond!

3. Bigger and Bigger Numbers

Remember that satu puluh and satu belas always combine into sepuluh and sebelas. This pattern continues all the way to a billion! The second pattern of simply stating the numbers in order also continues uninterrupted.

• seratus — “one-hundred”
• seratus dua puluh sembilan — “one-hundred twenty-nine”
• seribu — “one-thousand”
• seribu tiga ratus empat puluh lima — “one-thousand three-hundred forty-five”
• sejuta — “one-million”
• semiliar — “one-billion”

Remember that miliar is much, much bigger than “million” in English. After miliar, Indonesian borrows internationally-used words for the absurdly large numbers.

Since they’re not as widely used, you don’t need to turn satu into a prefix anymore. Simply say satu quintilliun and people will understand perfectly. For writing numbers in Indonesian for all of the rare and huge numbers out there, go ahead and check this handy guide for the spelling rules.

English uses “millions” or “hundreds” as shorthand for saying the exact number when something is “a lot.” How can you do that in Indonesian if words don’t have plural forms?

All you need is the suffix -an. Observe:

• Ratusan orang di Bandung tinggal di Jalan Srikandi.
• “Hundreds of people in Bandung live on Srikandi Street.”

The equivalent of “dozens,” then, is puluhan, literally “tens.”

• Puluhan mahasiswa mengisikan jalan-jalan Jakarta.
• “Dozens of students are filling the streets of Jakarta.”

That’s not the only thing we can fix to Indonesian numbers.

4. Ordinal Numbers in Indonesian

Ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc.) are an absolute breeze in Indonesian. Let’s get “first” out of the way first:

pertama — “first”

This word can comfortably fit after any noun, like so:

• Ini mobil pertama yang saya punya.
• “This is the first car I’ve had.”

After that, we simply add ke- as a prefix to any other number and get the ordinal form. Here’s a full list.

When writing out numbers in text, especially big ones, that ke- is attached to the digit with a hyphen.

• Ini abad ke-21. (kedua puluh satu)
• “This is the twenty-first century.”

5. Phone Numbers

The phone number system in Indonesia is quite different from that of Western countries. Many people have two phones, or a phone capable of dual SIM cards. You keep one number for actually placing calls, and have another phone for data. Then you swap out your data card every few months with a new one after it expires. Don’t worry, this is simple and easy at any phone store.

Phone numbers begin with the country code +62, then a city/region code, then a personal phone number that can vary in length. Some are ten digits, and some are eleven, depending on when you got your number and if it’s a mobile or landline.

Enough cultural notes for now, though. Let’s look at the language.

The first big difference in how to say numbers in Indonesian is that the number “zero” is read as kosong (literally “empty” when translated) when reading out phone numbers.

The second is that “eight” (delapan) is often truncated to lapan. If you’re not expecting it, it can really throw you off!

Here are a couple of phrases you can use to ask people for their numbers.

• Apa nomor teleponmu?
• “What’s your phone number?”

• Nomorku kosong empat lima…
• “My number is zero four five…”

• Maaf mbak, satu kali lagi — kosong empat lima apa?
• “Sorry miss, one more time — zero four five what?”

Unlike in English, each number is read out individually, not combined into two-digit numbers.

English and Indonesian have a couple of false friends when it comes to talking about phones. A “SIM card” in English is not a “SIM” in Indonesian; that’s what they call a driver’s license. To buy a SIM card, you’ll need to ask for a kartu ponsel.

Similarly, a mobil in Indonesian might sound a lot like “mobile phone” in English, but it’s the word for “car.” A cell phone is called HP, read as if you’re simply reading out the letters. It’s also known a little more formally as a ponsel, short for telepon selular or “cellular telephone.”

6. Prices

Indonesia uses the rupiah, which is currently at around 14.000 to the US dollar. There are coins and bills, divided into several sizes as follows.

• seratus rupiah — “100 rupiah”
• dua ratus rupiah — “200 rupiah”
• lima ratus rupiah — “500 rupiah”
• seribu rupiah — “1.000 rupiah”
• dua ribu rupiah — “2.000 rupiah”
• lima ribu rupiah — “5.000 rupiah”
• sepuluh ribu rupiah — “10.000 rupiah”
• dua puluh ribu rupiah — “20.000 rupiah”
• lima puluh ribu rupiah — “50.000 rupiah”
• seratus ribu rupiah — “100.000 rupiah”

What a list! It might seem overwhelming now, but it’s the same numbers we’ve been working with all through the article.

When you go shopping or ask for the bill in Indonesia, people say these numbers fast. Interestingly, it’s just as common for people to say the equivalent of “thirty-five” as it is for people to say “thirty-five thousand rupiah.” Some people will be explicit and some not, but you’ll pick it up fast enough to avoid being confused for too long.

By the way, it would be a good idea for you to practice speaking that list aloud at natural speed, just so that when the opportunity to talk about money comes up, you won’t feel lost for words. Here are some phrases to help you along:

• Berapa harganya?
• “How much is it?”

• Harganya seratus tiga puluh enam ribu.
• “The price is one-hundred and thirty-six thousand.”

• Berapa?
• “How much?” (a little more informal)

• Kok mahal!
• “Whoa, that’s expensive!”

• Bisa lebih murah tidak?
• “Can it be made cheaper?”

• Bagaimana kalau seratus ribu dua puluh?
• “How about one-hundred and twenty thousand?”

• Delapan puluh, boleh tidak?
• “Eighty-thousand, how about it?” (informal)

One more word you should be aware of is pas. It means “just right” or “exactly.” You’ll hear it more often than you use it, which is when you give exact change. Have a look at this exchange:

Clerk: Enam puluh ribu lima ratus rupiah, mbak.
“Sixty-thousand and five-hundred rupiah, ma’am.”

You: Enam puluh ribu… ah, punya lima ratus.
“Sixty-thousand…ah, I’ve got a 500.”

Clerk: Pas, ya?
“Exact change.”

You’ll notice that I threw in a little mbak there, which is essential to understand when you deal with people in the service industry. It’s a little filler word used for politeness, and even though I’ve translated it as “ma’am,” it isn’t nearly as formal as the English equivalent.

The intricacies of these pronouns deserve a lesson all of their own, but I’ve included them here because they may confuse you if you’re listening intently for numbers and nothing else.

In short, men will hear bro, mas, or pak, and women will hear sis, mbak, or kak depending on their ages and locations in Indonesia. You should do your best to match that polite pronoun when speaking in return.

7. Using Prices and Numbers as Conversation Starters

There’s a lot to be said for language practice in unlikely places. When I lived in Indonesia, I used convenience stores as one of my main sources of conversation practice—without wasting anybody’s time.

In Indonesia, you’ll probably find yourself in convenience stores a lot because they’re air-conditioned and they have cold drinks. Usually, there’s a sale on with a big MURAH! or “cheap” sign next to it.

Your mission is to ask about the terms of the sale, especially if it might be something you’re interested in. Can you buy water bottles by the case? Is one brand of toothpaste deeply discounted? Ask about these things in Indonesian!

Then, to really get numbers in your mind, think out loud as you weigh the pros and cons of participating in the sale. Not only does this give you more time in the air conditioning, it also gives the clerk an opportunity to check your math.

You: Empat puluh ribu, lima kotak, jadi sepuluh ribu sekotak.
“Forty-thousand, five boxes, that’s ten-thousand a box.”

Clerk: Maaf pak, sebenarnya delapan ribu sekotak.
“Sorry sir, that’s actually eight-thousand a box.”

8. Conclusion

The single best way I’ve found for actually learning the meanings of numbers in other languages is to force myself to use them. I know it’s really, really easy to just skip over them when you read, and automatically convert the digits to your native language in your head.

When you do that, you’re robbing yourself of the practice you need.

All it really takes is a couple of minutes of practice every so often—probably the only part of language-learning that can be so described!

As you go through your IndonesianPod101 lessons, ask yourself what the lesson numbers were in Indonesian. As you browse through Indonesian news or Twitter, check the dates of the articles, if not the numbers in the articles themselves.

Every little bit helps, and the more you do it, the better you become.

Are there any Indonesian numbers or number-forming rules you’re still confused about? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll do our best to help you out!

When I was little, I always hated getting in trouble at a friend’s house.

Something about being in a slightly unfamiliar environment made the feeling of shame and embarrassment ten times worse.

It’s kind of the same when you have to apologize for something in a foreign language, right?

You’re completely out of your comfort zone, to begin with, and now you’ve gone and messed something up to the point where you’ve got to rely on your language skills to get you out of trouble, and say sorry in the Indonesian language.

Lucky for you, if you land into trouble in Indonesia, you’ve already got an advantage.

Indonesians are extremely accommodating and are more often than not perfectly willing to let an altercation go without so much as a raised voice.

But you don’t want to just rely on the goodness of others, do you? You want to do the right thing and own up to your mistakes. As you learn to say sorry in Indonesian, lessons like this one will greatly benefit you!

To that end, here are the words, phrases, and grammar you’ll need to pull off a flawless apology in Indonesian. Start with a bonus, and download your FREE cheat sheet – How to Improve Your Indonesian Skills! (Logged-In Member Only)

1. Saying Sorry for Small Things: The Magic Word Maaf
2. Saying Sorry for Big Things
3. Everything’s Okay: How to Accept an Apology
4. When to Apologize in Indonesian Culture? Hint: All The Time.
5. Conclusion

1. Saying Sorry for Small Things: The Magic Word Maaf

As you learn how to say sorry in Indonesian, vocabulary is the first step. The simplest word for apologizing is maaf. As you may recall, the doubled letter means that you pronounce it with a little hitch in your voice, like in the English word “uh-oh.”

The word originally comes from the Arabic word mu’aaf, which means “exempt.” Over time, the word entered Malay, and eventually Indonesian.

It’s pretty versatile for four little letters! Let’s take a look at some of the ways it can be used.

1- As an Exclamation

When you learn how to say sorry in Indonesian language, simple apologies are a good place to start. If you bump into someone, you can say something like this:

• Oh! Maaf!
  “Oh! Excuse me!”

And just like the English phrase “excuse me,” which has a few meanings, you can also use maaf to get someone’s attention. Not always, though. The cultural norms here run pretty deep, so let’s break down what it means.

You use maaf to ask for attention when the person is your superior. In a class, for instance, students will usually prefix their questions with maaf, and they’ll certainly do so if they’re about to go use the bathroom or take a phone call.

There’s another word, permisi, which also means “sorry,” “excuse me,” and “please let me by.” You use permisi to get attention from a serviceperson, or in other words, in a situation when you’re expected to need the attention or service of others.

Here, you can see how to use it in a restaurant:

• Permisi! Minta bill ya.
  “Excuse me! I’d like the bill please.”

And now compare how you’d use maaf:

• Maaf, tapi saya tidak pesan ini.

  “Sorry, but I didn’t order this.”

2- With Particles

We already mentioned oh, maaf, but you can also use the particle ya, placed after the word, to indicate that the thing you’re apologizing for was a little bit serious (but there’s really no harm done).

• Kok, lupa membawa surat. Maaf ya.
  “Whoops, I forgot to bring the letter. Sorry!”

This same ya is occasionally replaced by loh, particularly in informal written dialogue.

It sounds perfectly natural once or twice, but make sure you don’t add in the particle when something serious has gone wrong. The implication is that you’ll either fix the mistake, or that it wasn’t a big deal to begin with.

The particle ya can also be directly attached to the English word “sorry,” usually spelled sori in Indonesian to reflect its pronunciation. It’s even less serious than maaf ya!

3- As a Verb or Noun

By itself, maaf simply means “excuse” or something like “freedom from punishment.”

Just like most words in Indonesian, maaf can be made into a verb or noun with the careful use of prefixes. There’s a number of obscure words that can be made with the wide variety of Indonesian prefixes out there, but you only really need to know one.

When learning how to say sorry in Indonesian, grammar is essential. So here’s a tip: By adding the me- prefix and the -kan suffix, we get memaafkan, “to excuse.”

• Saya tidak akan memaafkan kamu.
  “I’m not going to forgive you.”

Note that this doesn’t mean “to apologize.” For that, we use the phrase minta maaf, or literally “ask for forgiveness.” It’s most often paired with the two prepositions kepada and atas, which both have many meanings, but mean “to someone” and “for something” in this context. Let’s see how to say sorry in Indonesian phrases with some examples:

• Saya harus minta maaf kepada istriku.
  “I have to apologize to my wife.”
• Dia minta maaf atas apa yang dia melakukan.
  “He apologized for what he did.”

The polite and humble way to say “I apologize” (as opposed to “I’m sorry,” which is less serious) is simply Saya minta maaf. Adding mau, meaning “want,” helps it even further, in the way that you can say “I would like to apologize,” in English.

• Saya mau minta maaf kepada kamu.
  “I want to apologize to you.”

Let’s get a little more serious for a moment.

2. Saying Sorry for Big Things

It turns out that maaf works well all the way up the politeness scale, beyond “I’m sorry” in Indonesian.

To make it more serious, we’ll add a few more words to the sentence.

• Saya benar-benar minta maaf.
  “I’m truly sorry.”

Benar means “truly” or “seriously.” Doubling it, or “reduplicating” in linguistic terms, intensifies the word. The effect is far more genuine than saying “I’m really, really sorry” in English. By the way, some people spell the word bener, but that’s looked down on as incorrect.

We can also swap out the word minta for the word mohon, meaning “to beg.” They mean almost exactly the same thing, but mohon is a more formal word associated with speechmaking and writing.

• Saya mohon maaf atas kesalahan saya.
  “I beg forgiveness for my mistakes.”

Indonesian is relatively special among world languages in that it doesn’t have a wide set of vocabulary to express different levels of the word “apologize.” Instead, there are additional phrases around a single root word.

For instance, there’s a particular formal phrase used in religious ceremonies related to apologies, and it still includes that same word maaf.

• Mohon maaf lahir dan batin.
  “I apologize for my life and soul.”

You wouldn’t use this outside of religious contexts, which means it’s not actually an apology that you can use in daily life. It does appear on greeting cards for Ramadan, though!

So when things get more serious in terms of what you did wrong, it’s important to own up to your own faults and specifically say what your mistakes were.

Spell them out explicitly and use the same words we’ve been looking at, and you’ll see that you come across as a lot more serious and humble.

• Saya mohon maaf atas kesalahpahaman hari ini.
  “I apologize for the misunderstanding today.”

Kesalahpahaman, meaning “misunderstanding,” is one of my favorite words in Indonesian because it looks so different from its English counterpart yet ends up meaning exactly the same thing.

Salah means “wrong” and paham means “to understand.” The circumfix (a prefix plus a suffix) ke-an creates a noun from a root word, very much like “to understand” can become “an understanding” with the addition of a suffix in English.

Put all that together and you have a “misunderstanding!” This word is commonly used in speeches and newspaper reports, as it’s nice and long and impressive.

• Saya bertanggung jawab atas semuanya.
  “I am responsible for everything.”

The ber- prefix here is a little bit hard to translate, and you’d be better off consulting a more complete grammar guide if it’s completely new to you.

Essentially, you’re saying that you have or possess whatever’s attached to that prefix. And in this case, that’s tanggung jawab, a set phrase meaning “responsibility.”

One word or two, that phrase is often paired with untuk or atas, meaning “for,” to explain, well, what you’re responsible for.

With this example, you’re responsible for semuanya or “everything!” That’s a lot of responsibility! It doesn’t take any changes to the phrase, though, to lessen that burden.

• Saya bertanggung jawab untuk keterlambatan paket.
  “I am responsible for the package’s delay.”

Let’s have a look at what you can do to convince others that you’ve turned over a new leaf. You can’t just say you’re sorry and then keep on doing the same old things.

• Saya tidak akan melakukan hal ini lagi.
  “I won’t do this thing again.”

We can, of course, bring in benar-benar at any time to really make our feelings clear.

Lagi means “again” and can be used for things happening again in the past or the future.

• Saya lupa mematikan lampu dan AC lagi!
  “I forgot to turn off the light and the air-con again!”

This should keep you in the clear through whatever mistakes you might have made.

3. Everything’s Okay: How to Accept an Apology

Now, though, let’s look at a few cases where you’re on the opposite end of the apology. What can you say?

The catch-all phrase, interestingly enough, is very close to its English equivalent.

• Tidak apa-apa.
  “It’s nothing.”

Tidak is one of a handful of commonly used words meaning “not.” This word, and this particular phrase, are so common that they often get shortened in rapid speech.

• Gapapa.
  “No prob’.”

Very formally, you can respond to a request for forgiveness in the affirmative. Remember that we can turn maaf into a verb meaning “to forgive” like so:

• Saya maafkan Anda.
  “I forgive you.”

No big deal!

4. When to Apologize in Indonesian Culture? Hint: All The Time.

It’s kind of a joke among foreigners living in Indonesia: in order to do anything politely, you have to first apologize for existing. Saying sorry in Indonesian culture is just a part of life.

Virtually every email or letter that makes a formal request will include the word maaf to show deference on the part of the person making the request.

And at the end of speeches or presentations, it’s customary to apologize for any misinformation or mistakes you may have inadvertently included.

• …terima kasih. Saya minta maaf atas kesalahan apapun.
  “…thank you. I’d like to apologize for any mistakes.”

If you happen to be employed as a teacher, you may even feel frustrated as your students apologize for asking questions! Then again, teachers leading classes of foreigners have to get used to students simply asking without any formality.

• Maaf Pak, tapi saya mau tanya…
  “Excuse me, sir, but I’d like to ask…”

Lastly, when you take your leave from a group, you’ll have to apologize as well. In some cultures, it’s normal to say something when you’re heading off, and in others no special phrase is necessary. But in Indonesia, it’s expected that you’ll say:

• Maaf, saya akan pergi.
  “Sorry, I’m gonna go.”

What if you don’t follow this? What are the consequences?

The thing is, Indonesians are almost never going to correct you for missing this cultural cue. However, you run the risk of slowly being perceived as ruder and ruder over time. People probably won’t be able to articulate why they think you’re not fitting in, but there’s always going to be something that separates you from others.

That’s why it’s so important to be aware of the kinds of cultural differences that can exist, because how are you supposed to follow cultural cues that you’re not even expecting?

5. Conclusion

People often give the advice that if you want to pick up certain cultural nuances in a foreign culture, you should watch a lot of TV.

That advice is particularly useful here when talking about norms of politeness. TV shows let you watch people from different levels of society interact constantly, and you can really learn a lot about the right times to say each of the phrases in this article.

Even more modern web series will shed a lot of light on this. Some of them don’t show the more traditional levels of politeness, but they’re still valuable because you’ll get to see how young and trendy Indonesians navigate apologies.

The more exposure you have to actual Indonesians living out their lives through TV, movies, or online videos, the more you’ll internalize how this all works together.

And then, if worst comes to worst and you find yourself in hot water in Indonesia, you’ll know exactly how to keep cool and make apologies in Indonesian.

Do you feel more prepared now to say sorry in Indonesian? Or are you still a little fuzzy on how to apologize in Indonesian? Let us know in the comments!

Author: Yassir Sahnoun is a HubSpot certified content strategist, copywriter and polyglot who works with language learning companies. He helps companies attract sales using content strategy, copywriting, blogging, email marketing & more.

Out of the many, many countries that I’ve been to, Indonesia is one that I can describe as the “friendliest.”

People just want to talk to you, in a real and genuine way that doesn’t happen in some other countries where foreigners are either too commonplace or too much of a curiosity.

And although a lot of younger people in big cities can hold conversations in English, there are also quite a few people who would love to chat and find out more about you—if only you knew how to introduce yourself in Indonesian. So, must you learn how to introduce yourself to learn Indonesian? Yes!

When you learn Indonesian, how to introduce yourself can’t be skipped over! That’s where we come in, as we’ll teach you how to introduce yourself (English to Indonesian).

The Indonesian language has been called easy to pick up, but it’s opaque enough that a helping hand is always welcome. With this guide to introducing yourself in Indonesian, you’ll hit the ground running and make a marvelous first impression.

By the way, before we begin, make sure to check out our video on Self-introductions in Indonesian in Three Minutes for a quick summary of what we’ll go over here!

Table of Contents

1. Start with Hello
2. What’s Your Name? (Siapa Nama Anda?)
3. Where are You From? (Dari Mana?)
4. Why are You Learning Indonesian? (Mengapa Anda Belajar Bahasa Indonesia?)
5. Why are You Visiting? (Mengapa Anda Ke Sini?)
6. What Do You Do? (Apa Pekerjaan Anda?)
7. What Do You Like to Do? (Apa Yang Anda Suka Lakukan?)
8. Do You have Siblings? (Apakah Anda Punya Saudara?)
9. Conclusion

1. Start with Hello

When learning how to speak Indonesian when introducing yourself, keep in mind that any good interaction begins with a greeting. Though the borrowed word “hello,” or even “hey guys,” is pretty common in Indonesia, you can’t go wrong with a slightly more formal greeting.

Indonesian has four different greetings that are used throughout the day, based on the Islamic prayer calls that are easily audible from any point in a city.

Fortunately, they translate pretty easily to greetings in English!

Just like in English, the first word of these can be—and is—often dropped, leaving you with an exchange like: Pagi! Pagi! Essentially, this is how to introduce yourself in Indonesian language informally.

2. What’s Your Name? (Siapa Nama Anda?)

Talking about your name in Indonesian is a must. Above is a simple question, and one that you’re likely to hear a number of times. Truly, it’s the backbone of any self-introduction in Indonesian. When learning to introduce yourself in Indonesian, lessons will always include this phrase.

• Nama saya Dilan.
  “My name is Dilan.”

Indonesians are known for having very short names at times, and very long names at others. For instance, the first president of Indonesia was called Soekarno, and a famous Indonesian poet goes by Sapardi Djoko Damono.

If you happen to have a long and difficult name, there’s one common way that you can ease the burden for others.

• Nama saya Alexander. Panggil Al saja.
  “My name is Alexander. Just call me Al.”

Incidentally, this happens all the time when Indonesians introduce themselves in a formal context—except the phrasing is different.

Perkenalkan, nama saya Rinawati, singkatnya Rini.
“Let me introduce myself, my name is Rinawati, Rini for short.”

3. Where are You From? (Dari Mana?)

You’ll definitely learn to recognize this question no matter how quickly it’s spoken. It may be the most common question asked to foreigners anywhere, and is essential when learning how to introduce yourself in Bahasa, Indonesia. In certain contexts in the West, asking this of a visitor may seem a little rude, but that’s certainly not the case in Indonesia.

Since dari simply means “from,” it’s not a stretch to come up with the answer:

• Saya dari Rusia.
  “I’m from Russia.”
• Saya dari Amerika Serikat.
  “I’m from the US.”

Maybe the person you’re speaking to is familiar with the place, so they ask for more specifics.

• Dari mana di Amerika?
  “Where in America?”
• Dari Kalifornia!
  “From California!”

If you’re giving some kind of lengthier introduction, there’s another acceptable phrase. However, it sounds a little stilted coming as a response to the simple question dari mana:

• Saya orang Jepang.
  “I’m from Japan.” (Literally: “I’m a Japanese person.” )

4. Why are You Learning Indonesian? (Mengapa Anda Belajar Bahasa Indonesia?)

The Indonesian language isn’t a particularly common one to study. And Indonesians know this.

So at some early point in a conversation with a curious local, expect to explain yourself: Why would you choose to study a language like this? And, possibly, how are you doing it?

Of course, there are as many correct answers to this as there are people in Indonesian classes. Here are some possible ones:

• Karena saya mau pindah ke Bali.
  “Because I want to move to Bali.”
• Karena saya sedang belajar hubungan internasional.
  “Because I’m studying international relations.”
• Karena pacar saya dari Indonesia.
  “Because my girlfriend/boyfriend is from Indonesia.“
• Karena saya suka Indomie!
  “Because I like Indomie!” (a very popular brand of instant noodles)

After you’ve explained, you might get this follow-up:

• Apakah bahasa Indonesia sulit?
  “Is Indonesian difficult?”

Maybe yes, maybe no. I personally answer something like this:

• Tidak terlalu sulit. Tetapi kosakata susah diingat.
  “Not too hard. But the vocabulary is hard to remember!”

If you’re from a country where English isn’t the official language, you can get some smiles by saying:

• Lebih mudah daripada bahasa Inggris!
  “Easier than English!”

5. Why are You Visiting? (Mengapa Anda Ke Sini?)

In English, you could render this question as “Why are you here?” but it’s nowhere near as brusque in Indonesian.

Every Indonesian knows that Bali is a tourist magnet for people from all over the world. Perhaps that’s why you’re visiting?

• Karena saya mau lihat pantai-pantai di Bali.
  “Because I want to see the beaches on Bali.”

Or perhaps it’s because you’re really into traditional music—such as gamelan, a musical style made up of bells and gongs of different sizes, played by several people at once. Or you’re simply there to see the sights.

• Karena saya suka musik gamelan.
  “Because I like gamelan music.”
• Pariwisata saja. Saya sudah ke Jakarta dan Yogyakarta.
  “Just tourism. I’ve already been to Jakarta and Yogyakarta.”

People that are into cultures and languages and travel just for that cultural experience may have a different answer…

• Saya belajar bahasa Indonesia karena saya mau ke Indonesia. Saya mau ke Indonesia karena saya belajar bahasa Indonesia!
  “I’m studying Indonesian because I want to go to Indonesia. I want to go to Indonesia because I’m studying Indonesian!”

6. What Do You Do? (Apa Pekerjaan Anda?)

Now, this question is likely to come as a guess. In my own experience, people tend to try their luck guessing your job first, then asking.

• Apakah Anda mahasiswa?
  “Are you a student?”

In Indonesian, it’s technically possible to formulate your answer explicitly in this way:

• Saya bekerja sebagai dokter.
  “I work as a doctor.”

But nobody talks like that in English, and few people would talk like that in Indonesian.

• Saya dokter.
  “I’m a doctor.”

That’s better!

That verb, though, bekerja meaning “to work,” is very flexible. Perhaps the question-and-answer goes like this:

• Anda bekerja di mana?
  “Where do you work?”
• Saya bekerja di restoran tiongkok Wok & Pan.
  “I work at the Wok & Pan Chinese restaurant.”

7. What Do You Like to Do? (Apa Yang Anda Suka Lakukan?)

Here’s when you can begin talking about your hobbies in Indonesian—probably quite different from your work!

• Saya suka nonton sinetron.
  “I like to watch sinetrons (Indonesian soap operas).”

Watching TV isn’t a bad hobby. Plenty of Indonesians these days are interested in art, and even social media stuff like vlogging:

• Saya mau menjadi vlogger.
  “I want to be a vlogger.”

Finally, Indonesia has a ton of nature to explore. Quite a few younger Indonesians join hiking clubs or simply go it on their own.

• Saya sangat suka naik gunung.
  “I really like hiking on mountains.”

By the way, you might think that it could be hard to find the necessary things for these hobbies in a developing country like Indonesia. But once you see the lines of camera shops and outdoor equipment shops on main streets, you’ll see why I chose these examples!

8. Do You have Siblings? (Apakah Anda Punya Saudara?)

This is a question that young people (in their twenties, usually) tend to get asked. It’s a way to show polite curiosity about someone’s life back in their home country, and to place you in their own social framework. Talking about your family in Indonesian is a wonderful way to keep the other party interested.

Indonesian, like many other Asian languages, has separate words for older and younger brothers and sisters.

• Saya punya adik perempuan.
  “I have a little sister.”

Here’s a quick table for reference:

As you may have noticed, there’s a word for “sibling,” saudara. While people will certainly understand it, it’ll probably come across as a little evasive, because from the point of view of an Indonesian, why not be more specific?

If you offer more info about your sibling, they’ll enjoy it! Family is important in Indonesian culture, and chatting—even briefly—about your own is a nice way to keep the conversation moving forward.

• Dia baru lulus dari SMA.
  “He/she just graduated from high school.”
• Saya mau dia datang ke Indonesia!
  “I want him/her to come to Indonesia!”

9. Conclusion

So, reader, how do you feel about introducing yourself when studying Indonesian? More comfortable? Or are you still fuzzy on something? Let us know in the comments!

As you may have noticed, you can simply string together your own answers to these questions and come up with a fairly robust self-introduction. If you’re taking classes as a student abroad, this kind of mini-monologue is sure to appear at least once in your assignments!

And outside of self-led self-introductions, these questions really do get asked pretty frequently. It’s a wonderful feeling to be practiced enough that you can rattle off your answers with zero preparation.

Not only does it make you feel super fluent, but whoever you’re talking to is likely to be quite impressed at your level!

These phrases are just jumping-off points for your actual conversation. You’ll have to do the work of coming up with interesting things to say and questions to ask in return. But once you do, you’ll enjoy a wonderful chat in excellent Indonesian.

To help you reach this point, IndonesianPod101.com offers a variety of insightful blog posts, free vocabulary lists, podcasts, and even a MyTeacher program for Premium Plus members. If you found this article helpful, you’re sure to find even more by exploring our site.

Your hard work will pay off, and with enough practice and studying, you’ll be speaking Indonesian like a native before you know it!

Do you often feel lonely and sad? Do you long for romance and are willing to do whatever it takes to meet that special person? Speaking another language could revolutionize your love life! So, why wait? Learning how to say ‘love’ in Indonesian could be just what you need to find it.

Or perhaps you were lucky, and have found your Indonesian partner already. Fantastic! Yet, a cross-cultural relationship comes with unique challenges. Learning how to speak your lover’s language will greatly improve your communication and enhance the relationship. At IndonesianPod101, our team will teach you all the words, quotes and phrases you need to woo your Indonesian lover with excellence! Our tutors provide personal assistance, with plenty of extra material available to make Indonesian dating easy for you.

Table of Contents

1. Common Phrases You’ll Need for a Date
2. The Most Romantic Ideas for a Date
3. Must-know Valentine’s Day Vocabulary
4. Indonesian Love Phrases for Valentine’s Day
5. Indonesian Quotes about Love
6. Marriage Proposal Lines
7. 15 Most Common Break-Up Lines
8. Will Falling in Love Help You Learn Indonesian Faster?

Start with a bonus, and download the ‘How To be a Good Lover Cheat Sheet’ for FREE! (Logged-In Member Only)

1. Common Phrases You’ll Need for a Date

So, you have met your Indonesian love interest. Congratulations! Who knows where this could take you…?! However, the two of you have just met and you’re not ready to say the Indonesian word for love just yet. Great, it is better to get to know him/her first. Wow your prospective love by using these Indonesian date phrases to set up a spectacular first date.

Would you like to go out to dinner with me?

• Apakah kamu mau pergi makan malam dengan saya?

The important question! In most cultures, this phrase indicates: ‘I’m romantically interested in you’. Flirting in Indonesian is no different, so don’t take your date to Mcdonald’s!

Are you free this weekend?

• Apakah kamu ada acara akhir pekan ini?

This is a preamble to asking your love interest on a date. If you get an immediate ‘Yes’, that’s good news!

Would you like to hang out with me?

• Apakah kamu mau bergaul dengan saya?

You like her/him, but you’re not sure if there’s chemistry. Ask them to hang out first to see if a dinner date is next.

What time shall we meet tomorrow?

• Jam berapa kita harus bertemu besok?

Set a time, and be sure to arrive early! Nothing spoils a potential relationship more than a tardy date.

Where shall we meet?

• Di mana kita harus bertemu?

You can ask this, but also suggest a place.

You look great.

• Kamu kelihatan keren.

A wonderful ice breaker! This phrase will help them relax a bit – they probably took great care to look their best just for you.

You are so cute.

• Kamu sangat lucu.

If the two of you are getting on really well, this is a fun, flirtatious phrase to use.

What do you think of this place?

• Apa pendapat kamu tentang tempat ini?

This another good conversation starter. Show off your Indonesian language skills!

Can I see you again?

• Bolehkah saya bertemu dengamu lagi?

So the date went really well – don’t waste time! Make sure you will see each other again.

Shall we go somewhere else?

• Haruskah kita pergi ke tempat yang lain?

If the place you meet at is not great, you can suggest going elsewhere. It is also a good question to follow the previous one. Variety is the spice of life!

I know a good place.

• Aku tahu tempat yang bagus.

Use this with the previous question. However, don’t say if you don’t know a good place!

I will drive you home.

• Aku akan mengantarmu pulang.

If your date doesn’t have transport, this is a polite, considerate offer. However, don’t be offended if she/he turns you down on the first date. Especially a woman might not feel comfortable letting you drive her home when the two of you are still basically strangers.

That was a great evening.

• Malam yang sangat menyenangkan.

This is a good phrase to end the evening with.

When can I see you again?

• Kapan aku bisa bertemu denganmu lagi?

If he/she replied ‘Yes’ to ‘Can I see you again?’, this is the next important question.

I’ll call you.

• Aku akan meneleponmu.

Say this only if you really mean to do it. In many cultures, this could imply that you’re keeping the proverbial backdoor open.

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2. The Most Romantic Ideas for a Date

You learned all the Indonesian phrases to make a date – congratulations! Now you have to decide where to meet, which can be tricky. Discuss these options with your lover to gauge whether you like the same things. Check out romantic date ideas in Indonesian below!

museum

• museum

If you’re looking for unique date ideas that are fun but won’t break the bank, museums are the perfect spot! You won’t be running out of things to say in the conversations.

candlelit dinner

• makan malam candle lit

A candlelit dinner is perhaps best to reserve for when the relationship is getting serious. It’s very intimate, and says: “Romance!” It’s a fantastic choice if you’re sure you and your date are in love with each other!

go to the zoo

• pergi ke kebun binatang

This is a good choice for shy lovers who want to get the conversation going. Just make sure your date likes zoos, as some people dislike them. Maybe not for the first date, but this is also a great choice if your lover has children – you’ll win his/her adoration for inviting them along!

go for a long walk

• pergi untuk berjalan-jalan

Need to talk about serious stuff, or just want to relax with your date? Walking together is soothing, and a habit you can keep up together always! Just make sure it’s a beautiful walk that’s not too strenuous.

go to the opera

• pergi ke opera

This type of date should only be attempted if both of you love the opera. It can be a special treat, followed by a candlelit dinner!

go to the aquarium

• pergi ke akuarium

Going to the aquarium is another good idea if you need topics for conversation, or if you need to impress your lover’s kids! Make sure your date doesn’t have a problem with aquariums.

walk on the beach

• berjalan di pantai

This can be a very romantic stroll, especially at night! The sea is often associated with romance and beauty.

have a picnic

• berpiknik

If you and your date need to get more comfortable together, this can be a fantastic date. Spending time in nature is soothing and calms the nerves.

cook a meal together

• memasak makanan bersama-sama

If you want to get an idea of your date’s true character in one go, this is an excellent date! You will quickly see if the two of you can work together in a confined space. If it works, it will be fantastic for the relationship and create a sense of intimacy. If not, you will probably part ways!

have dinner and see a movie

• makan malam dan nonton bioskop

This is traditional date choice works perfectly well. Just make sure you and your date like the same kind of movies!

3. Must-know Valentine’s Day Vocabulary

Expressing your feelings honestly is very important in any relationship all year round. Yet, on Valentine’s Day you really want to shine. Impress your lover this Valentine’s with your excellent vocabulary, and make his/her day! We teach you, in fun, effective ways, the meanings of the words and how to pronounce them. You can also copy the characters and learn how to write ‘I love you’ in Indonesian – think how impressed your date will be!

4. Indonesian Love Phrases for Valentine’s Day

So, you now have the basic Valentine’s Day vocabulary under your belt. Well done! But, do you know how to say ‘I love you’ in Indonesian yet? Or perhaps you are still only friends. So, do you know how to say ‘I like you’ or ‘I have a crush on you’ in Indonesian? No? Don’t worry, here are all the love phrases you need to bowl over your Indonesian love on this special day!

I love you.

• Aku cinta kamu.

Saying ‘I love you’ in Indonesian carries the same weight as in all languages. Use this only if you’re sure and sincere about your feelings for your partner/friend.

You mean so much to me.

• Kamu sangat berarti bagi saya.

This is a beautiful expression of gratitude that will enhance any relationship! It makes the receiver feel appreciated and their efforts recognized.

You’re so beautiful.

• Kamu sangat cantik.

If you don’t know how to say ‘You’re pretty’ in Indonesian, this is a good substitute, gentlemen!

I think of you as more than a friend.

• Saya menganggap kamu lebih dari sekedar teman.

Say this if you are not yet sure that your romantic feelings are reciprocated. It is also a safe go-to if you’re unsure about the Indonesian dating culture.

A hundred hearts would be too few to carry all my love for you.

• Seratus hati akan terlalu sedikit untuk memuat semua cinta saya untuk kamu.

You romantic you…! When your heart overflows with love, this would be the best phrase to use.

Love is just love. It can never be explained.

• Cinta adalah cinta. Hal itu tidak pernah bisa dijelaskan.

If you fell in love unexpectedly or inexplicably, this one’s for you.

You’re so handsome.

• Kamu sangat tampan.

Ladies, this phrase lets your Indonesian love know how much you appreciate his looks! Don’t be shy to use it; men like compliments too.

I’ve got a crush on you.

• Aku naksir dengan kamu.

If you like someone, but you’re unsure about starting a relationship, it would be prudent to say this. It simply means that you like someone very, very much and think they’re amazing.

You make me want to be a better man.

• Kamu membuat saya ingin menjadi pria yang lebih baik.

Gentlemen, don’t claim this phrase as your own! It hails from the movie ‘As Good as it Gets’, but it is sure to make your Indonesian girlfriend feel very special. Let her know that she inspires you!

Let all that you do be done in love.

• Biarkan semua yang kamu lakukan, dilakukan dalam cinta kasih.

We hope.

You are my sunshine, my love.

• Kamu adalah sinar matahari saya, sayang.

A compliment that lets your lover know they bring a special quality to your life. Really nice!

Words can’t describe my love for you.

• Kata-kata tidak dapat menjelaskan cintaku padamu.

Better say this when you’re feeling serious about the relationship! It means that your feelings are very intense.

We were meant to be together.

• Kita ditakdirkan untuk bersama.

This is a loving affirmation that shows you see a future together, and that you feel a special bond with your partner.

If you were thinking about someone while reading this, you’re definitely in love.

• Bila kamu berpikir tentang seseorang saat membaca ini, kamu pasti sedang jatuh cinta.

Here’s something fun to tease your lover with. And hope he/she was thinking of you!

Will you be my Valentine?

• Apakah Anda mau melewatkan hari Valentine bersama saya?

With these words, you are taking your relationship to the next level! Or, if you have been a couple for a while, it shows that you still feel the romance. So, go for it!

5. Indonesian Quotes about Love

You’re a love champ! You and your Indonesian lover are getting along fantastically, your dates are awesome, your Valentine’s Day together was spectacular, and you’re very much in love. Good for you! Here are some beautiful phrases of endearment in Indonesian that will remind him/her who is in your thoughts all the time.

6. Marriage Proposal Lines

Wow. Your Indonesian lover is indeed the love of your life – congratulations! And may only happiness follow the two of you! In most traditions, the man asks the woman to marry; this is also the Indonesian custom. Here are a few sincere and romantic lines that will help you to ask your lady-love for her hand in marriage.

7. 15 Most Common Break-Up Lines

Instead of moving towards marriage or a long-term relationship, you find that the spark is not there for you. That is a pity! But even though breaking up is never easy, continuing a bad or unfulfilling relationship would be even harder. Remember to be kind to the person you are going to say goodbye to; respect and sensitivity cost nothing. Here are some phrases to help you break up gently.

8. Will Falling in Love help you Learn Indonesian faster?

Most people will agree that the above statement is a no-brainer – of course it will! Your body will be flooded with feel-good hormones, which are superb motivators for anything. IndonesianPod101 is one of the best portals to help help make this a reality, so don’t hesitate to enroll now! Let’s quickly look at the reasons why falling in love will speed up your learning of the Indonesian language.

Three Reasons Why Having a Lover will Help you Learn Indonesian Faster!

1- Being in a love relationship with your Indonesian speaking partner will immerse you in the culture
IndonesianPod101 uses immersive methods and tools to teach you Indonesian, but having a relationship with a native speaker will be a very valuable addition to your learning experience! You will gain exposure to their world, realtime and vividly, which will make the language come alive even more for you. The experience is likely to expand your world-view, which should motivate you to learn Indonesian even faster.

2- Having your Indonesian romantic partner will mean more opportunity to practice speaking
Nothing beats continuous practice when learning a new language. Your partner will probably be very willing to assist you in this, as your enhanced Indonesian language skills will enhance the relationship. Communication is, after all, one of the most important pillars of a good partnership. Also, you will get to impress your lover with the knowledge gained through your studies – a win/win situation!

3- A supportive Indonesian lover is likely to make a gentle, patient teacher and study aid!
With his/her heart filled with love and goodwill for you, your Indonesian partner is likely to patiently and gently correct your mistakes when you speak. This goes not only for grammar, but also for accent and meaning. With his/her help, you could sound like a native in no time!

Three Reasons Why IndonesianPod101 helps you learn Indonesian Even Faster when you’re In Love

Start with a bonus, and download the ‘How To be a Good Lover Cheat Sheet’ for FREE! (Logged-In Member Only)

1- All the Resources and Materials Will Help Both of You
Falling in love with a man or woman speaking Indonesian is an opportunity for both of you to learn a new language! For this reason, every lesson, transcript, vocabulary list, and resource at IndonesianPod101 is translated into both English and Indonesian. So, while your partner can help you learn Indonesian faster, you can potentially also help him/her learn and master English!

2- Lessons Are Designed to Help You Understand and Engage with Indonesian Culture
At IndonesianPod101, our focus is to help our students learn practical vocabulary and phrases used by everyday people in Indonesia. This means that, from your very first lesson, you can apply what you learn immediately! So, when your Indonesian partner wants to go out to a restaurant, play Pokemon Go, or attend just about any social function, you have the vocabulary and phrases necessary to have a great time!

3- Access to Special Resources Dedicated to Romantic Indonesian Phrases
You now have access to IndonesianPod101’s specially-developed sections and tools to teach you love words, phrases, and cultural insights to help you find and attract your Indonesian soul mate. A personal tutor will assist you to master these brilliantly – remember to invite him/her to your wedding!

So, you’re heading for Indonesia to travel or work. Awesome! You’re in for an amazing adventure! It’s a beautiful country, steeped in a rich culture that may be very unlike your own.

However, showing respect to the locals is a big deal in every country around the world. A respectful manner and attitude could open doors for you that would otherwise remain mystifyingly closed. Aside from just knowing ‘Thank you’ in Indonesian, greeting someone correctly in Indonesian could incline a local to treat you more favorably than otherwise! So, the clever thing to do would be to learn Indonesian greetings before you embark on your journey. Indonesian greetings are different from other languages and probably not what you’d expect. But if learning how to say ‘Hello!’ in Indonesian in easy and fun ways is important to you, you’ve come to the right place at IndonesianPod101.

1. Must-Know Indonesian Greetings

Start straight away with this greeting lesson. It’s short, but it packs a punch!

This short, but powerful lesson teaches you the basic ways to greet someone correctly in Indonesian! At IndonesianPod101, you will be taught the correct pronunciation and intonation, as well as the correct times to greet in Indonesian. And you will have fun!

The focus of this lesson is greetings in Indonesian

Topic 1: How to Say “Hello”

Sentence from the lesson:

‘Halo’
“Hello (Informal)”

Halo means “Hi,” or “Hello.” We use it when we meet. It’s very casual, so we should only use this greeting with friends or relatives. If you have to greet someone in a formal situation, say: selamat siang! Literally, selamat siang means “good day”; As a rule of thumb we can use selamat siang only during the daytime—from 11 a.m. until about 3 p.m.
During the afternoon we say: selamat sore! Sore is Indonesian for “Afternoon,” so selamat sore means “good afternoon.” This is used from about 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. During the night we say: selamat malam. Malam is Indonesian for “night.” This is used from 6 p.m. to midnight. And finally, during the morning we say: selamat pagi. Pagi is Indonesian for “morning. This is used in the morning until 11 a.m. Those four greetings are used when we meet someone, but when we leave, we don’t say them again.

For Example:

Selamat siang!
“Hello (formal)”

Topic 2: How to Say “good-bye”

Sentence from the lesson:

Sampai jumpa
“Goodbye (informal, formal)”

Sampai jumpa is an expression meaning “See you” that can be considered both formal and informal. Selamat tinggal means “Good-bye,” and it is a formal expression.

Language Tip!

In formal situations, Indonesian people commonly greet each other by shaking hands and bowing the head slightly. However, if we meet someone we are very friendly with, we can just wave!

2. Common Ways to Say Hello in Indonesian

Standing at the airport in a foreign country for the first time can be a somewhat scary experience for anyone, especially if you need assistance. However, don’t worry – at IndonesianPod101 we teach you how to quickly get a local’s attention with friendly, correct Indonesian greetings! You are more likely to get helped this way.

Here is our Indonesian greetings list of all the general ways to address a person upon meeting. It is tailored for formal and informal situations.

1- Good morning.

Selamat pagi.

‘Good morning’ in Indonesian is acceptable any time between approximately 5:30am and 12:00pm, when the day is still young. And smile – it’s the universal ice-breaker!

2- Good evening

Selamat malam.

This greeting is one you would use casually when night begins to fall. Address your friends, close family or close acquaintances, and those who are not your superiors, with this phrase.

3- How are you?

Apa kabar?

Show your friendly interest in another person’s well-being by asking this question. This is the casual greeting form that you would use with your friends and family. For the sake of the friendship, it would be good to listen carefully to the answer! It shows caring and selflessness on your part.

4- How have you been?

Bagaimana keadaanmu?

This is a good question to ask someone you have not seen for a while. The inference is that some catching-up is needed!

5- What’s up?

Ada apa?

An universally informal and energetic way to greet your friends or equals! Literally, it means ‘What’s going on in your life?’, yet often no answer is expected. It’s just a greeting! Crazy, right?!

6- Long time no see.

Sudah lama tidak bertemu.

This phrase means is another greeting comment that means “I have not seen you for a while!” Often, no response is expected, except to reciprocate.

7- Hey!

Hei

This is a friendly exclamation to greet your friends or equals with. Reserve its use more for people you see regularly!

8- Good afternoon.

Selamat sore.

‘Good afternoon’ in Indonesian is an informal greeting and is used during the second part of the day. The appropriate period falls, in most cultures, from 12:00am till sunset.

9- How’s it going?

Apa kabar?

This greeting phrase basically means the same as ‘How are things progressing?’, ‘How are things going in your life?’ or even ‘What’s up?’ Depending on the friendship, a lengthy answer is not always expected.

10- It’s nice to see you again.

Senang bisa bertemu dengan Anda lagi.

This friendly, welcoming phrase is best used after greeting someone you have not seen for a while. If you mean it, you will make the person feel special! This is a good thing to say to make someone feel welcome in Indonesian.

11- How’s everything?

Bagaimana kabarnya?

This is a variation of ‘How’s it going?’ Use casually with your equals or close acquaintances.

12- How’s your day?

Bagaimana kabar kamu hari ini?

Ask this when you’re speaking to your Indonesian friend during the day. It’s a friendly phrase to start a conversation with.

13- Yo!

Eh!

Yo! is English slang and a universal greeting popular among young men of most nationalities. Rather don’t answer the phone with this, unless you know your caller well!

14- Hello!

Halo!

Suitable for use in most settings, situations and persons, this is an important Indonesian greeting to know. Be sure to master this word first at IndonesianPod101!

15- It’s nice to meet you.

Senang bertemu denganmu

When meeting someone for the first time, this is a polite and friendly way to welcome them. It means you are happy to make their acquaintance.

3. Why Should You Choose IndonesianPod101 To Learn How To Greet In Indonesian?

Online learning systems abound, and it’s not easy to know which one will suit your needs best. This means you have to be careful and select a system with a good reputation, and that has proven longevity. IndonesianPod101, which is part of InnovativeLearning.com, ticks all the boxes! With millions of lesson downloads and over a decade of teaching, we can say with confidence that this is one of the best language learning systems on the web. Why is it such an excellent system? Let us count the ways…

1- Video Presentations with Native Speakers

Friendly native Indonesian speakers guide you step-by-step through the process of learning vocabulary, phrases and much more. They demonstrate correct pronunciation and emphasis of the words, so as to ensure that you speak like a native when you’re done! Watching the enthusiastic tutors makes not only for a pleasant and more personal experience – it also allows you to copy mouth and lip movements. It’s like learning from your own Indonesian friend in your own home!

2- Superb Flexibility with 24/7 Access to Learning Material – Anywhere and on Any Device connected to the Internet!

PC, Android, iPhone, iPad, laptop, even TV – whatever device you prefer! Go online with our FREE app to do your lessons, no matter where you are or which device you are using. All you need is a good internet connection to log on and learn to speak Indonesian at your own pace, in your own place!

3- Pronunciation Tool Ensures You Really Speak Indonesian!

In any language, correct pronunciation is often crucial. The nuances in language require this, or you could find yourself saying things you don’t mean. You will find our Pronunciation Tool invaluable to wrap your mouth around the correct way to greet in Indonesian!

4- Our Content is Always New and Dynamic

Every week, new audio and video lessons are uploaded, so as to keep our promise that learning Indonesian with IndonesianPod101 is always fun and exciting! In addition, you will get access to bonus material and basic Indonesian phrases. These are a fantastic way to build your comprehension and speaking skills!

5- Need to Fast Track your Learning? We Have the Solution!

Most learning activities are more fun when you’re not doing them alone. For this reason we developed Premium PLUS, which gives you a personal tutor – 24/7! Also, this way you’re likely to learn to speak Indonesian much faster!

So, if our lively Indonesian blog is not enough for you, just upgrade to Premium PLUS to get your very own teacher. Personalised goals and lessons based on your needs, assessment of your progress, non-stop feedback and many other super features makes this a very attractive option.

Say ‘Hello’ to a wonderful, exciting way to learn another language, and learn how to say ‘Hello’ in Indonesian in no time! You will be very happy you did!

Most everyone is familiar with this day, as it is celebrated nearly everywhere the world. Yet, when exactly is April Fools’ Day? And where did April Fools come from? April Fools’ Day is observed on April 1st every year. This day of jokes and pranks is believed to have stemmed from the 16th-century calendar change in France, when New Year’s Day was moved from April 1 to January 1. This action was taken due to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar.

However, a few people were resistant to the calendar change, so they continued to observe New Year’s Day on April 1st, rather than the new date. They were referred to as the “April Fools”, and others started playing mocking tricks on them. This custom endured, and is practiced to this day around the world!

Table of Contents

1. Top One Million Words You Need to Know for April Fools’ Day
2. Indonesian Phrases You Can Use on April Fools’ Day
3. Some of the Coolest April Fools’ Pranks To Play on Anybody
4. How Can IndonesianPod101 Make Your April Fools’ Day Special?
5. Top 1000 Most Useful Phrases in Indonesian – Testing New Technology

1. Top One Million Words You Need to Know for April Fools’ Day

Do you want to know how to say April Fools’ Day in Indonesian? Well, there are millions of ways and words, but here are the top one million Indonesian words you really need to know! Simply click this link. Here are some of them you will find useful:

1. joke – bergurau
2. funny – lucu
3. surprise – kejutan
4. sneaky – licik
5. prankster – orang iseng
6. prank – lelucon
7. lie – bohong
8. humor – humor
9. fool – bodoh
10. deceptive – menipu
11. play a joke – menggodakan
12. April 1st – tanggal 1 April

2. Indonesian Phrases You Can Use on April Fools’ Day

Don’t limit yourself to practical jokes – use these April Fools’ phrases in Indonesian to prank your favorite Indonesian friend or colleague!

1. I learned Indonesian in 1 month.
   • Saya belajar bahasa Indonesia dalam 1 bulan saja.
2. All classes for today got canceled.
   • Semua kelas untuk hari ini telah dibatalkan.
3. I’m sorry, but I’ve just broken your favorite pair of glasses.
   • Maaf, saya baru saja mematahkan kacamata kesayangan kamu.
4. Someone has just hit your car.
   • Seseorang baru saja menabrak mobil Anda.
5. I’m getting married.
   • Saya akan menikah.
6. You won a free ticket.
   • Anda memenangkan tiket gratis.
7. I saw your car being towed.
   • Saya melihat mobil Anda ditarik.
8. They’re giving away free gift cards in front of the building.
   • Mereka membagi-bagikan kartu hadiah gratis di depan gedung.
9. A handsome guy is waiting for you outside.
   • Seorang pria yang tampan menunggu kamu di luar.
10. A beautiful lady asked me to give this phone number to you.
    • Seorang wanita cantik meminta saya untuk memberikan nomor telepon ini untuk kamu.
11. Can you come downstairs? I have something special for you.
    • Bisakah kamu turun ke bawah? Saya punya sesuatu yang istimewa untuk kamu.
12. Thank you for your love letter this morning. I never could have guessed your feelings.
    • Terima kasih atas surat cinta kamu pagi ini. Saya tidak pernah bisa menebak perasaan kamu.

Choose your victims carefully, though; the idea is to get them to laugh with you, not to hurt their feelings or humiliate them in front of others. Be extra careful if you choose to play a prank on your boss – you don’t want to antagonize them with an inappropriate joke.

3. Some of the Coolest April Fools’ Pranks To Play on Anybody

Right, now that you know the top million April Fools’ words in Indonesian, let’s look at some super pranks and tricks to play on friends, colleagues and family. Some April Fools ideas never grow old, while new ones are born every year.

Never joke in such a way that it hurts anyone, or humiliates them badly in front of others – the idea is for everybody to laugh and enjoy the fun! Respect is still key, no matter what day of the year it is.

1- Infestation

This trick is so simple, yet so creepy, it’s almost unbelievable. Take black paper, cut out the silhouette of a giant cockroach, a spider or another insect, and stick it inside the lampshade of a table lamp. When the lamp is switched on, it will look like a monstrous insect is sitting inside the lampshade. Or, get a whole lot of realistic-looking plastic insects, and spread them over a colleague’s desk and chair, or, at home, over the kids’ beds etc. Creep-factor: stellar.

2- Which One Doesn’t Fit?

Put the photo of a celebrity or a notorious politician in a frame, and take it to work on April Fools’ Day. Hang the photo on the staff picture wall, and wait. You’ll be surprised how long it can take for people to notice that one picture doesn’t fit.

3- Something Weird in the Restroom

At work, replace the air freshener in the restroom with something noxious like insect killer, oven cleaner or your own odious mixture in a spray bottle. Be sure to cover the bottle’s body so no one suspects a swap.

Or paint a bar of soap with clear nail polish, and leave it at the hand wash basin. It will not lather.

Or, if your workplace’s restroom has partitioned toilets with short doors, arrange jeans or trousers and shoes on all but one of the toilet covers, so it looks like every stall is occupied. Now wait for complaints, and see how long it takes for someone to figure out the April Fools’ Day prank. You’ll probably wish you had a camera inside the restroom. But, unless you don’t mind getting fired, don’t put your own recording device in there!

4- Call Me Funny

Prepare and print out a few posters with the following instructions: Lion Roar Challenge! Call this number – 123-456-7890 – and leave your best lion’s roar as voicemail! Best roarer will be announced April 10 in the cafeteria. Prize: $100. (Lion’s roar is just an example; you can use any animal call, or even a movie character’s unique sound, such as Chewbacca from Star Wars. The weirder, the funnier. Obviously!) Put the posters up in the office where most of the staff is likely to see them. Now wait for the owner of the number to visit you with murderous intent. Have a conciliatory gift ready that’s not a prank.

5- Minty Cookies

This is another simple but hugely effective prank – simply separate iced cookies, scrape off the icing, and replace it with toothpaste. Serve during lunch or tea break at work, or put in your family’s lunch boxes. Be sure to take photos of your victim’s faces when they first bite into your April Fools’ cookies.

6- Wild Shopping

At your local grocer, place a realistic-looking plastic snake or spider among the fresh vegetables. Now wait around the corner for the first yell.

7- The Oldest Trick in the Book

Don’t forget probably the oldest, yet very effective April Fools’ joke in the book – smearing hand cream or Vaseline on a door handle that most staff, family or friends are likely to use. Yuck to the max!

8- Sneeze On Me

Another golden oldie is also gross, yet harmless and utterly satisfying as a prank. Fill a small spray bottle that you can easily conceal with water. Walk past a friend, colleague or one of your kids, and fake a sneeze while simultaneously spraying them with a bit of water. Expect to be called a totally disgusting person. Add a drop of lovely smelling essential oil to the water for extra confusion.

9- Word Play Repairs

Put a fresh leek in the hand wash basin at home or work, and then tell your housemates or colleagues this: “There’s a huge leak in the restroom/bathroom basin, it’s really serious. Please can someone go have a look?!” Expect exasperation and smiles all around. Note that this prank is only likely to work where people understand English well.

10- Scary Face

Print out a very scary face on an A4 sheet of paper, and place it in a colleague’s, or one of your kid’s drawers, so it’s the first thing they see when they open the drawer. You may not be very popular for a while.

11- Wake Up To Madness

Put foamy shaving cream, or real whipped cream on your hand, and wake your kid up by tickling their nose with it. As long as they get the joke, this could be a wonderful and fun way to start April Fools’ Day.

12- Computer Prank

This one’s fabulous, if you have a bit of time to fiddle with a colleague, friend or your kid’s computer. It is most effective on a computer where most of the icons they use are on the desktop background itself (as opposed to on the bottom task bar).

Take and save a screenshot of their desktop with the icons. Set this screenshot as their background image. Now delete all the working icons. When they return to their computer, wait for the curses when no amount of clicking on the icons works.

13- Monster Under the Cup

This one will also work well anywhere people meet. Take a paper cup, and write the following on it in black pen: “Danger! Don’t lift, big spider underneath.” Place it upside-down on prominent flat surface, such as a kitchen counter, a colleague’s desk or a restaurant table. Expect some truly interesting responses.

14- Prank Door

Write in large letters on a large and noticeable piece of paper: PUSH. Tape this notice on a door that should be pulled to open, and watch the hilarious struggle of those clever souls who actually read signs.

4. How Can IndonesianPod101 Make Your April Fools’ Day Special?

If you happen to visit Indonesia, or if you work for any Indonesian company, knowing the above Indonesian prankster phrases can really lighten up your day. Showing you have a sense of humor can go a long way to cement good relationships in any situation. These phrases are at your disposal for free, as well as are these 100 core Indonesian words, which you will learn how to pronounce perfectly.

Also, don’t stop at learning April Fools’ phrases in Indonesian – bone up your Indonesian language skills with these FREE key phrases. Yes, IndonesianPod101 doesn’t joke when it comes to effective, fun and easy learning.

Now, as a bonus, test our super-learning technology, and learn the Top 1000 most useful phrases in Indonesian below! But that’s not all. Read on to learn how you can be eligible for large enrollment discounts at IndonesianPod101.

5. Top 1000 Most Useful Phrases in Indonesian – testing new technology

Help us by being a language guinea pig! Listen to this video above with embedded cutting-edge, frequency-based learning technology that enables you to learn large amounts of data in record time.

• Note: This technology is in beta-phase of development, and we invite your input for fine-tuning.
• To participate: Watch the video for instructions, and leave a comment to rate it. Your comment will make you eligible for large enrollment-fee discounts. To watch the video, please click the play button.

Thank you for helping IndonesianPod101! We’re serious about making learning Indonesian fun.

Not only is it possible to learn Indonesian in your car, there are 3 great benefits that will help you master the language faster and with less effort.

With everyone so pressed for time these days, it might seem like a daydream to believe that you could learn Indonesian in your car—but it’s not! Thanks to a wide range of new technologies and resources, learning a language in your car is easier than ever. Not only is it easy to learn a language while driving, there are actually a number of benefits, especially if the lessons are part of a structured learning program like IndonesianPod101. Here are three specific benefits to learning Indonesian or any other new language in your car.

Create Your Free Account and Learn Indonesian from the Very Beginning!

1. Transform Downtime into Progress

How much time do you spend commuting to and from work? Learning a language in your car transforms your commute time into tangible progress towards your dream. So instead of being stressed over how much time you are “wasting” on errands and daily commutes, you can decompress and have some fun while you learn Indonesian in your car!

2. Daily Exposure Leads to Passive Learning

Practice makes perfect and learning a new language is no different. The daily exposure you get when you learn Indonesian while driving helps improve listening comprehension, pronunciation, and of course helps build vocabulary and improve grammar. Don’t worry: You don’t need to memorize everything as you listen in Indonesian while driving. Just having continuous exposure to a foreign language helps you improve your vocabulary, learn faster, and ultimately retain more through passive learning.

3. Learning While Driving is Fun

Learning a new language does require a serious commitment, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun! When you learn Indonesian in your car, you get to take some time away from the PC or smartphone and immerse yourself in the language instead of just “studying” it.

Plus, there are a number of “fun” activities that you can do and still learn in your car, such as:
– Singing Along with Indonesian Songs
– Playing Word Games or Trivia
– Just Listening Along and Seeing How Much You Can Pick Up and Understand

Yes, you can learn a language while driving and have loads of fun doing it. Now let’s take a look at some specific things you can listen to while driving to help you learn a new language.

BONUS: 3 Ways to Learn Indonesian in Your Car

–Listen to Podcasts: Typically designed to focus on one topic or lesson, podcasts are a great way to learn a language while driving. Unfortunately, podcasts are rarely at the same listening/comprehension level as the language learner so listeners may not get their full value. But at IndonesianPod101, our podcasts are created for every skill level so you don’t waste any time on material that isn’t relevant or suited to your exact needs.

–Sing Along to Indonesian Songs: Remember, just immersing yourself in a language can create passive learning and improve your pronunciation. Plus, with IndonesianPod101, you can sing along and memorize the lyrics, and then look the words up and add them to your personal dictionary.

–Playing Word Games or Trivia: There are audio games available online that you can download to any media device and listen to on your commute. Although we recommend this option for more advanced users, games are a fun and productive way to learn Indonesian in your car because they require listening and comprehension skills.

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You won’t recognize or understand every word you hear in a Indonesian song, podcast, or game—but that’s ok. The daily repetition and immersion in the language leads to passive learning that gradually increases your knowledge of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. And the greater your foundation in grammar and vocabulary, the more you’ll understand and learn from the audio lessons, podcasts, or whatever you listen to while learning Indonesian in your car.

Yes, you can learn Indonesian while driving because it leads to passive learning via daily immersion in the language. Although you may not understand all or even most of what you hear at first, the exposure helps improve pronunciation, vocabulary, and even grammar over time. Learning a language while driving also helps transform your commute into exciting “exotic adventures” that secretly teach you Indonesian in the process. Podcasts, songs, and even games can all help you learn Indonesian in your car while eliminating the “boring commute” in the process!

At IndonesianPod101, we have more than 2500+ HD audio lessons and podcasts for every skill level that you can download and use to learn Indonesian while driving!
So don’t forget to sign up for a Free Lifetime Account on IndonesianPod101.com to access tons of FREE lessons and features to become fluent in Indonesian!