Your Indonesian Learning Partner
‘Kamar’, ‘Ruang’ or ‘Ruangan’ There are three words in Indonesian that mean room. They are ‘kamar’, ‘ruang’ and ‘ruangan’. The three words are used in quite a distinguished manner and it’s important to know the difference. ‘Kamar’ means room and it’s usually used
‘Bisa’, ‘Boleh’ or ‘Dapat’ Using the word can in Indonesian can be a bit tricky especially if you have tried to explore ways to order food in Indonesian. There are 3 words that are commonly used in Indonesian that mean
‘Tua’ or ‘Lama’ The word old in English is one of the most used words when describing a thing or a person. Indonesian has two words that mean old: ‘tua’ and ‘lama’. Do you know the difference? ‘Tua’ is an
Selamat Tahun Baru 2015! We hope that you have a great and lovely year ahead! I’ll start the New Year by helping you use one of the words above even more… the word ‘baru’! The word ‘baru’ is an adjective that
Selamat Hari Natal You might have known that the phrase above means Merry Christmas in Indonesian. But do you know the meaning of each of the words? Selamat The word ‘selamat’ can mean to wish you a good… (as a part of a phrase),
Listening Tip #3: Telling time casually In the last post we went through different ways to say ‘when’ in Indonesian (click here if you haven’t read it yet). Since we’re still in the topic of time, I thought it will be
‘Kapan’, ‘Ketika’ or ‘Waktu’ The word when is arguably one of the most used words in any language. Sooner or later you will find yourself wanting to ask a question about time or to tell stories about the time when you
Listening Tip #2: Notice the Honorifics Respect and formality are very important in the Indonesian culture and is conveyed strongly in the language. If you have learnt Indonesian for a while, I’m sure you have heard these words before: Bapak (Pak),
‘Lebih’ or ‘Lagi’? Do you love Indonesian food? If you do, you must have heard the words ‘lebih’ and ‘lagi’. ‘Lebih’ and ‘lagi’ both mean more. However, have you used them correctly? ‘Lebih’ is an adjective and verb modifier that
‘Hal’, ‘Barang’ or ‘Benda’ ‘Hal’, ‘Barang’ and ‘Benda’ mean (a) thing in Indonesian but they are substantially different to one another. Do you know the difference? ‘Hal’ is a noun that is used to refer to intangible things. Intangible things that are often referred with