Notes on learning Indonesian.

Grammar deep-dives, cultural notes, and the kinds of subtleties textbooks gloss over. Written for foreigners who want to actually speak Bahasa fluently.

Latest posts

• Bisa, boleh, dapat, three ways to say "can" in Indonesian, bisa is ability, boleh is permission, dapat is formal. Picking wrong changes what you meant.
• Indonesian numbers 1–100: how to count in Bahasa Indonesia, pronunciation, the belas / puluh / ratus pattern, and real-world uses for prices, phone numbers, and addresses.
• Saya, aku, gue, which Indonesian "I" should you use?, three words for "I" encode the entire social relationship. Getting this wrong is the clearest tell of a foreign learner.
• Indonesian affixes explained: ber-, me-, di-, ter-, pe-, ke-an, the single grammar topic that triples your effective vocabulary overnight, with examples for every pattern.
• How long does it take to learn Indonesian?, an honest answer broken down by goal: travel-ready in 4 weeks, conversational in 6 months, fluent in 2 years.
• Tidak vs Bukan: which Indonesian "no" do you use?, the rule, the mnemonic, and the edge cases (belum, jangan) that catch out almost every learner.
• Kami vs Kita: the "we" that includes you and the "we" that doesn't, the single most common mistake English speakers make in Indonesian, and how to stop making it.