Indonesian grammar, in plain English

30 rules that cover most of what a beginner needs. Indonesian has no verb conjugation, no grammatical gender and no articles, so this is a shorter list than you are expecting.

Level A1

• Sentence Structure (SVO) Neutral Indonesian often uses Subject-Verb-Object, but context allows subjects or objects to be omitted or moved.
• Pronouns Indonesian has formal and informal pronouns, and two words for 'we'.
• No verb 'to be' Indonesian skips 'am/is/are' in most sentences.
• Negation: tidak, bukan, belum, jangan Four different words for 'no/not'. Which one to use depends on what you are negating.
• Asking Questions Question words often stay where the answer would go. Everyday yes/no questions usually rely on context and intonation.
• Time: sudah, sedang, akan, belum Indonesian verbs do not inflect for tense. Time words and aspect markers show when or how an event happens.

Level A2

• Plurals & Reduplication Usually you don't mark plurals. When you want to, repeat the word.
• Possession (word order) Put the owner after the thing owned: 'book me' = 'my book'.
• The ber- prefix ber- turns a word into 'doing/being/having' something.
• Telling time Use jam + number. Add lewat (past) or kurang (to) for fractions.
• The yang particle 'yang' connects a noun to a description or relative clause. Similar to 'which' or 'that' in English.
• Must, should, need to harus, perlu, mesti, wajib, sebaiknya. How to pick the right one.
• Let's, come on: ayo, mari, yuk Three words for 'let us'. Which one to pick depends on formality.
• Asking permission: boleh, bisa, mohon Use boleh for permission, bisa for possibility or a request, and mohon for formal requests.
• Ordinal numbers (first, second, third) Add ke- before the number: kedua, ketiga, kesepuluh.

Level B1

• The me- prefix (active verbs) The meN- family forms many active verbs. Its spelling changes with the first sound of the root.
• Classifiers (measure words) Indonesian can use classifiers when counting, but they are often optional in ordinary conversation.
• Joining sentences Combine ideas with dan, tapi, karena, kalau, supaya.
• Comparisons: bigger, biggest Use lebih for comparatives, paling (or ter-) for superlatives.
• The versatile -nya suffix -nya can mark a third-person possessor, a known referent, or build several common discourse and adverbial forms.
• The ke- -an abstract noun The ke- and -an circumfix often forms abstract nouns, states, and experiences.
• Passive voice with di- Indonesian has two common passive patterns. Both are normal in speech, not just formal writing.
• Colloquial vs formal Everyday Indonesian uses shorter forms, but the right choice depends on relationship, region, and setting.
• If... then: kalau, jika, seandainya Real conditions use kalau/jika. Hypotheticals use seandainya.
• Reporting what someone said kata, bilang, menurut. Reporting other people's words.
• Making someone do: -kan suffix Adding -kan to a verb makes it causative or transitive.
• When, while, until: ketika, selama, sampai Connect events in time with these conjunctions.
• The ter- prefix ter- can mark an unintentional event, a resulting state, ability, or a superlative. The exact meaning is lexical and contextual.
• The peN- family (people and roles) The pe-/peN- family forms many nouns for people, roles, tools, or things associated with an action.
• Casual particles: dong, sih, kok, deh, lah Tiny words that add tone: pleading, mild irritation, surprise, persuasion.