Learn to speak Indonesian

1. 1

   Week 1: sounds and greetings

   Say hello (Halo) and thank you (Terima kasih) until they feel natural. Learn the sounds that differ from English, and say ten short sentences about yourself. Indonesian does not conjugate verbs, so you can say new sentences as soon as you know the words. That is the ideal case for speaking practice: build a sentence, say it, repeat.

2. 2

   Week 2: everyday requests

   Learn to order, ask the price, ask where things are and say you do not understand. Build each as a full sentence and say it three times.

3. 3

   Week 3: questions and answers

   Practise question words and the answers to them. Listen to each Indonesian sentence first, then say it, then compare.

4. 4

   Week 4: short exchanges

   Chain sentences into a mini conversation: greet, introduce yourself, ask a question, answer one. Record yourself and listen back.

Indonesian uses the Latin alphabet, so you can read and sound out words from day one.

One of the easiest languages for English speakers to start speaking. The sounds are simple and the grammar is light.

A good first target sentence: Saya mau makan nasi goreng. (I want to eat fried rice.).

• Ten to twenty minutes, same time every day.
• Say everything out loud, even when alone.
• Learn whole sentences, not isolated words.
• Repeat yesterday's sentences before learning new ones.
• After a couple of weeks, find a conversation partner or tutor and use what you have practised. At 30 minutes a day, Indonesian reaches working proficiency in roughly 4.9 years, and you will be speaking well before that.