Asking Questions

By Speak Indo, from the Speak Indo Indonesian course.

Question words often stay where the answer would go. Everyday yes/no questions usually rely on context and intonation.

How it works

Indonesian usually keeps a question word in the position where the answer would appear: Kamu tinggal di mana? In conversation, yes/no questions often use the ordinary sentence order with a rising tone: Kamu lapar? The marker apakah is correct, but it is more common in careful, formal, or written language than in relaxed conversation. Question words: • apa, what • siapa, who • di mana, where • kapan, when • berapa, how much / how many • bagaimana, how; often gimana in casual speech • kenapa, why; mengapa is more formal

Examples

• Apa ini?
  What is this?
• Siapa dia?
  Who is he/she?
• Kamu tinggal di mana?
  Where do you live?
• Kenapa kamu sedih?
  Why are you sad?
• Apakah kamu lapar?
  Are you hungry?