WELCOME TO

LEARN BAHASA INDONESIA FOR ENGLISH SPEAKERS

WITH TONI YUNANTO, S.Pd., M.M

Indonesia is the fourth most populated country in the world, also known for its many islands, with the total of 17,508 islands to be exact. Indonesia is known to have at least 700 living languages being spoken across the country, however, the official language that is recognised by the country is Bahasa Indonesia.

1. Essential for Singaporeans/Foreigners Who Work in Private Bank and Real Estate Industry

If you are working in private banks and real estate industry, learning Indonesian is a must skill to have these days to boost your career. A lot of Indonesian rich men invest heavily in real estate and have fortune saved in Singapore private bank. They would prefer to hire individuals who speak Indonesian to some extent. They are entrusting somebody else to manage their wealth after all, you cannot blame them to go with somebody whom they feel they can communicate with at ease.

2. Easy Communication with Indonesia Counterparts

Whether you are aiming to target Indonesian market for your business, or have a team in Indonesia that you work alongside with, overtime you will find it crucial to learn Bahasa Indonesia to be able to express your thoughts well. You will want to avoid miscommunication that can hinder the efficiency of your business. To project a trustworthy image and build meaningful working relationships with your business partners, clients and employees, ensuring external and internal smooth communication become a priority, and this is how your Bahasa Indonesia skills will definitely up your game.

3. Relatively Easy to Learn

Unlike other existing languages, Bahasa Indonesia does not contain any special characters (unlike French or Norwegian). Also, it does not require changes when it comes to saluting a certain gender (unlike English or German). Last but definitely not the least, when speaking Bahasa Indonesia, you do not need to worry about using a certain tone when pronouncing words in the language. No tenses. Unlike the English language, The Indonesian language has no tenses at all. Adding time indicators (like tomorrow, 2 days ago, now, etc.) and aspect markers into your sentences will do.

No genders. Unlike in German, The Indonesian language has no genders or grammatical cases attached to the nouns.

A simple system of word formation. Indonesian has a straightforward system for combining words with prefixes, suffixes, and infixes to create new words. For example, satu means one, whereas bersatu means to unite (i.e. to make into one). This means fewer words to memorize and you can (sort of) mix-and-match words to form your own word.

No Tones. Unlike in Chinese, The Indonesian language has no tone in pronunciation. No matter where you put the stress, people will still recognize the word and understand the sentences.

A Simple Sentence form. Indonesian sentence structure is similar to English: Subject + Verb + (Object). So, you can easily form sentences in the Indonesian language.

4. Priority for Hospitality Industry

Love working in hospitality industry? Who wouldn’t? If your industry is in travel and tourism, lodging and recreation, you may have known that Indonesian Tourist in Singapore has always been the number one tourist in Singapore year after year, China only beat this record once. By learning Bahasa Indonesia language you can always deal with Indonesian tourists in order to provide a friendly customer environment at ease. Get a plus point in the eyes of your customers! They will all be extra grateful that you have taken the time and effort to try and learn their language.

5. Chance to Expand Social Life

Studying Indonesian means that you can communicate with more than 250 million Indonesians according to population, of which only a small percentage can speak English. In addition, the Malaysian (Malay Malaysian) is close to Indonesian. You can learn both easily as there are only minor differences in the vocabulary. Thus, learning Indonesian gives immense access to nearly 270 million people, including the inhabitants of Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei.

With more than 250 million of the country’s population, by being able to speak Bahasa Indonesia, it will open more opportunities and chances for you to expand your network and social life. It will be a fun and rewarding experience to make more friends that come from a different ethnic background and speaks different languages.

6. Makes Visiting Indonesia Easy

When it comes to visiting Indonesia, it is advisable for tourists to know a few words in Bahasa Indonesia for daily purposes. Not only to ask for road directions but also if you have any food allergy, knowing how to ask whether a food contains certain ingredients can become a major lifesaver.

Indonesia is blessed with a lot of majestic landscape that is still pure and ‘untouched,’ making it to be an enticing destination to visit. If you are planning to backpack, you will most likely navigate the road less travelled, and learning practical Bahasa Indonesia would be a necessity. Good thing is Think Bahasa offers a practical short course specifically catered for tourists for only $220. You will learn to read road signs, bargain, book flight and hotel, and many other useful stuffs!

7. To Get Better Prices With Local Merchants

The use of Bahasa Indonesia will immediately make the prices of everything drop from the price of a kilo of mangoes at the local market all the way to the rental of your villa. The reason is that locals believe you are an expatriate and you ”know” the real price. You will be able to earn a reasonable bargained price when purchasing souvenirs or any other things, for instance when you are visiting tourist cities such as Yogyakarta or Denpasar. Do you also want to bargain your way to get a free upgrade? Why don’t you try your luck asking for it in Bahasa Indonesia? Try it and you’ll be in for surprises.

8. To Better Understand the Unique Indonesian Culture

Many English speakers seem to believe that wherever you go on holiday you can ”get by” simply by speaking English so there is no point in learning any other languages. If people don’t understand you all you have to do is speak slowly or all demonstrate to them by a gesture. You can more or less get away with this, as long as you stick to popular tourist resorts and hotels where you can usually find someone who speaks English. However, if you are the type of tourist who like to travel off the beaten path places and love learning the local culture, knowing the local language is necessary. If you have the knowledge of the language you can have real conversations with the people you meet, which can be very interesting and will add a new dimension to your holiday.

9. To Keep Your Mind Healthy

The Indonesian language is one of the easiest languages in the world – honest! Even if you had a dreadful time trying to learn a second language in school, learning Bahasa Indonesia can actually be a very enjoyable experience. Practice it often in a fun & interactive environment is the key! Practicing your Bahasa Indonesia skills with native speaker will not be a problem now that Think Bahasa hosts Bahasa Indonesia Conversation Club that is opened for Bahasa Indonesia Learners from all levels. Do you know that it is free of charge? The group is meeting on a bi-weekly basis. Utilise this chance and check out the group here.