Thread: Learning Bahasa Bali

Get a Balinese girl friend! Always the best and most enjoyable way to learn a language - not, necessarily the cheapest though :lol:

I found a private teacher who has been really good. If you do group classes people learn at different speeds and have different motivations for learning the language.

The learningindonesian website is also a great resource.

Gilbert, Sir

When, many years ago, I had finally decided to really learn proper bahasa Indonesia, I found a teacher in Ubud (he was a school principal in a Kedewatan school) and I went to his house for one hour every day, except sundays, until we had finished the two books of Beginning Indonesian Through Self-Instruction, by John Wolff, Dede Oetomo, and Daniel Fietkiewicz, from Cornell University (it took MANY months!). Cornell is the #1 university in the USA for Indonesian studies, and this method has the reputation to be one of the best, if not the best available. Personally, I found it very logical and complete in its organization and content.

There are more books in the series, such has Formal Indonesian, or Indonesian Conversations, or Indonesian Readings, but these were above my guru's competence, and I quit (also, I forgot how much Ihe charged, but it was cheap).

But I had been told, and he confirmed it, that if I first mastered bahasa Indonesia, I would have no problem with bahasa Bali, and I could become fairly proficient in the latter in no time. I don't know if this would have been true, because I never got to bahasa Bali. :roll:

PS. The Wolff's books has since been put on CDs.

hi tintin,
jangan pangil saya tuan, hihihi, saya belum cukup tua jadi tuan. :wink:
Thanks all for the info provided. It's not the Bahasa Indonesia i'm struggling with, that's going already pretty well, considering I learned most from watching subtitled movies, a dictionary and listening while asking questions when friends of mine talk Indonesian.
But when they switch to the Bahasa Bali, I'm lost....
It sounds very different from Indonesian, and is probably also written very different. Too bad tin, you didn't get too learning the Balinese language, but who knows, maybe in the future you still might want to learn it.

Spicyayam...I think you're talking about Indonesian as well, and not Balinese?

Markit....you're funny and I like your humor. All the girls I have somewhat dated with here, are more interested in other things then teaching me Balinese. And to be honest, me too, hahaha.

Thanks again y'all who have posted so far....
friendly greetings, Gilbert.

Hi Hinakos,

That's why I used the dictonary too, to check (translate) the indonesian subtitles to dutch and then the dutch to English what actualy was said in the movie. a bit complicated I know, :lol: , but it worked for me.
I also had a rosetta stone language disc...but that didn't make sense to me, never gave it a second look or try, so I threw that in the bin.
friendly greetings........Gilbert.

most of the ones i get make no sense whatsoever whether its english to english, or english to Indo but make a good laugh for a while

One line I always remember was in the English film "Maybe Baby" when the female lead says she will go and check if she is ovulating and the translation was she was going to feed the dog! :lol:

Sin City was one of the funniest ever subtitles - I dont remember the film at all because the subtitles (english) had us in stitches!

Spicyayam...I think you're talking about Indonesian as well, and not Balinese?

Sorry, didn't read you post properly :oops:

I sometimes have the English subtitles on and I can't believe how bad they are.

I agree watching movies with Indonesian subtitles is a good way to pick up the language, but I wonder if they are as bad as the English ones.

Hi spicyayam,
No worries about the mis-read :) , can happen to anyone and no need to be sorry!

I wouldn't know about the English subtitles, but given the fact that English seems to be hard to learn for Indonesians I have no doubt they are very bad. Sometimes the Indonesian subtitles don't make sense at all, for the same reason, hahaha. I mean how can someone do english subtitles if they themself are not fluent in the Language?
But with the dictionary and some common sense, it worked ok for me, combining ofcourse the will to really learn :wink: .
Friendly greetings......Gilbert.

Ps: still haven't found someone or something that would enable me to learn Bahasa Bali :roll: