Bahasa Indonesian

[gunn_parker]

Hi All
We are headed back in April and for the last few months I have been trying to learn Bahasa Indonesian. Now the scary part, when I meet someone and I say Apa Kabar? And when they reply, I am not going to have much of a clue what they are saying :)

So how did you others get on when you first started?

Cheers

[spicyayam]

Just practice what you know. If all you know is "apa kabar" that's a start. You will here the various replies and that's how you will start to learn.

[gunn_parker]

Hi
I know more than just that :) just that if someone breaks into a long reply I'll be lost :)

[bolli]

The best way to learn is to talk to locals as much as possible. I make them let me try in Indonesian even though they speak English perfectly.
I began with a program I downloaded to my ipod.www.learningindonesia.com.

[gunn_parker]

Hi
Yes that the program I am using. I am up to about lesson 35, not that I remember every word :). I have it on cd in my car and now on an ipod.
cheers

[Jimbo]

It is unlikely that you will get a long answer to the question of 'apa Kabar' other than 'baik baik' but the whole point is to make a start and try and pick up the language. At the basic level the language is very simple and you can learn enough to have a conversation in a few weeks depending on how much you immerse yourself. My advice is to plunge in there and stop worrying.

[hazman]

Hi All
We are headed back in April and for the last few months I have been trying to learn Bahasa Indonesian. Now the scary part, when I meet someone and I say Apa Kabar? And when they reply, I am not going to have much of a clue what they are saying :)

So how did you others get on when you first started?

Cheers

some example that i made :p

YOU: Hai, apa kabar? (Hi, how are you?)
BALINESE: kabar baik, bagaimana anda? (fine, how bout' you?)
YOU: sangat baik! (really good!)

after that, usually they give a various question, but if they look you still have a difficulties on speaking indonesian, they will ask you with english.. unless you ask them with indonesian language..

YOU: permisi, dimana saya bisa mencari hotel murah? (excuse me, where can i find some cheap hotel?)

YOU: permisi, bagaimana cara saya bisa ke DOUBLE SIX? (excuse me, how do i get to DOUBLE SIX?)

and etc...

well, you could practice here..right? :p

[Jesse]

It basically what happens when you're just starting to learn the language. But if you keep on observing and making conversation using some of the language, you'll sure get used to it.

[Carolinaandretti]

As a foreigner, you should learn Bahasa. Same as Indonesian, they try to speak in English and get course to make them more fluent and able to speak.

[LATAH]

Hi All
We are headed back in April and for the last few months I have been trying to learn Bahasa Indonesian. Now the scary part, when I meet someone and I say Apa Kabar? And when they reply, I am not going to have much of a clue what they are saying :)

So how did you others get on when you first started?

Cheers

I think understanding responses is the hardest part of learning a new language - there is no easy way around it. I'm always struggling to recognise the first few words that I'm sure I know and very quickly loose track of the conversation. It seems so easy to chat with your teacher/tutor who knows exactly what words you know.

If you have a teacher it is important for them to start speaking Indonesian only to you ASAP - it helps as you start to guess a words they are using that you haven't already learnt. Also make sure you always explain to anyone you are speaking with that you have only just started learning and to please speak slow and simple - learn a lot of terms that will help you explain your comprehension levels and problem.

It takes patience and being able to laugh when you feel like a fool. Believe it or not, I find drinking helps - go and get drunk and rabbit on to people. You'd be amazed at how you can suddenly loosen up and not get hooked up trying to catch every word.

Everyone says Indonesian is an easy language to learn but normally when you are learning a language in country you are submersed in it. In Bali you are often hearing people speaking Balinese. Which often means you don't always get the benefit of being able to sit and listen...which I find helps with comprehension. In my case I found this particularly confusing as I used to speak a little Khmer which has many words that sound very similar to Balinese but have an entirely different meaning. It does my head in!