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The game

Path — speak your way home

A new eastbound line each run. Construct a sentence at every city. The clock only bites when you miss. Amsterdam · Helsinki · Yerevan · Dhaka · Hanoi.

🔥 Good evening — your Indonesian path

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A ~5-minute daily loop that keeps Indonesian alive. Start anywhere.

Languages map

Click a country. Start the language.

A world map of courses we actually teach — not a booking map, and not Path.

🎯 Build Challenge

Build a sentence you've never seen

You already know two Indonesian words. Can you construct a brand-new sentence from them?

I wantquiero

coffeecafé

So how would you say “I want coffee.”?

That's LanguagePath.

The LanguagePath Method™

Reason it out — don't cram it in

You won't memorize phrases. You'll construct real sentences, then listen and rebuild them. Every step reuses what you already built — so the language compounds.

1 · UNDERSTANDGet one piece of the language.

2 · CONSTRUCTBuild a sentence you've never seen.

3 · SAYSay it out loud before you reveal.

4 · HEARListen and compare with the target.

5 · REBUILDReuse those pieces in the next sentence.

Language Bridges™

You're not always starting from zero

Every language you already know hands you free bridges to a new one. Words stick on first contact when you spot the connection.

English — information
French — informations
Spanish — información
Portuguese — informação

Add the languages you already speak in the 🌐 Hub → Settings — then tap ✨ Bridge on any phrase to surface the real cognates and shared roots that make new words click.

Real sentences you'll learn to build in Indonesian

Build real sentences from pieces you already know. Tap any phrase to hear it — then you'll build them yourself.

What you'll learn in Indonesian

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Each lesson builds on the last, reusing what you already know. Tap a lesson to jump in.

Explore the Learning Library

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Learn practical Arabic for life in the UAEHow to say greetings in SpanishSpanish numbers 1–20Introduce yourself in SpanishSer vs Estar — the two Spanish 'to be' verbsArabic greetings (MSA)

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Frequently asked questions

Is LanguagePath free?

Yes, every lesson, course and tool is free to use, with no account or sign-up. Two things are optional and paid: LanguagePath Pro ($4.99 a month or $29 a year), which removes ads and adds extra AI practice, and printable Travel Phrase Pack PDFs ($9 per city, or $19 for all 8). Advertising only loads after you consent — the site stays fully usable if you reject it.

Do I need an account?

No. Your progress is saved in your own browser's local storage. Nothing is uploaded to a server.

How is LanguagePath different?

You don't memorize phrases — you reason them out. The teacher gives you a piece, you build real sentences yourself, say them aloud, then reveal and check. Every step reuses what you already built.

Which languages can I learn?

Nine flagship courses (Mandarin, Arabic, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish, Telugu, Farsi) plus dozens more in the picker. Each Path rolls a new eastbound line of cities from languages you can practise here.

What is Path?

Path is LanguagePath’s race: construct a sentence at each city. Misses cost days; a clean build costs nothing. The eighty-day clock is the rule, not the title. Explore → Path, or tap Play Path above.

🧠 How this works

Indonesian — Indonesian is built the reason-it-out way: you learn the pieces, then construct real sentences yourself. It starts with everyday, useful sentences.

The 3 rules of the method

🗣️ Say everything out loud. Silent reading doesn't build speech. Speak before you reveal.

⏸️ Always pause and try first. When you hit a challenge, actually work it out — getting it slightly wrong is how it sticks. Then tap Reveal.

🔁 Don't fear forgetting. Everything comes back through use in later steps. Keep moving; understanding beats memorizing.

Your course (≈10 min each)

Do roughly one a day. They build in order — each lesson reuses the last.

Planning a trip to Bali, Indonesia?

Learning Indonesian for a trip? Use the phrases from this course on the ground, and sort the rest here.

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🎧 Lessons

Tap to begin. Speak each answer aloud before revealing.

🔁 Spaced recall

Your daily warm-up. Sentences you've built come back at growing gaps — but don't recall them from memory. Rebuild each one from its pieces, every time; that's what makes them permanent. Read the English, work it out aloud, then reveal.

🧩 Build

The real test of the method: brand-new sentences you've never seen, made only from words and structures you've already learned. You can't recall these — you have to construct them. That's fluency in miniature.

👂 Listening drills

Real conversations hit your ear with no subtitles. Here you only hear the language — work out the meaning, then reveal. This trains the skill you'll actually use in real conversations.

🗣️ Shadowing

A powerful way to develop more natural rhythm and pronunciation: hear a line and repeat it immediately, copying the rhythm and melody — not translating. 10–15 focused minutes beats an hour of tired mimicry.

✚ Chunk builder

Heard a useful phrase out in the world? Capture it here. Every chunk you save joins your Recall, Listen, Shadow and Quiz automatically — so it actually sticks.

📺 Resources & daily plan

Free listening you can understand and enjoy — the comprehensible-input piece. Mix these with your lessons.

💬 Real conversations

Full exchanges you'll actually have, start to finish. Tap 🔊 on any line, or play the whole conversation. Try covering the English and reading the other language aloud.

🎯 Quiz

Test yourself across everything you've learned. Multiple-choice both ways, plus a typing challenge. You need 80% to call a set solid.

🤖 Conversation partner

The practice no drill gives you: a real back-and-forth. Chat with an AI partner that stays at a beginner level and gently corrects you — a powerful way to turn what you've learned into speech.

🌍 Culture & etiquette

Speaking well is half of it — these unwritten rules will make locals warm to you instantly.

🗂️ Pocket phrases

Grab-and-go reference for real situations — greetings, numbers, emergencies that you just need ready. Search or filter, tap 🔊.

🔊 Sounds

Quick grammar

🌐 Hub

Your command centre — progress across every language, one daily plan, a single review that spans them all, and a phrase explorer that shows how your languages connect.

Learning Indonesian: a practical guide

This is a written companion to the free Indonesian course on LanguagePath: what the language is like, how it sounds, the phrases you will use first, how the course is structured, and what to watch out for. Everything here comes from the same lessons you can practise interactively above.

What Indonesian is like

Indonesian is wonderfully regular: no tenses, no plurals, and no articles ever change a word. saya = I, kamu = you, dia = he/she — one word does the work of the past, present and future. Time comes from context words like besok (tomorrow) and sudah (already). Word order is subject-verb-object, exactly like English: saya mau kopi = I want coffee. To make a question, just add apakah at the start.

Words you may already know

🇬🇧 English. Indonesian borrows plenty of words you already know: kopi (coffee), hotel, taxi, televisi, internet, kupon. 🇲🇾 Malay. Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Malaysia are close cousins — learn one and the other is largely readable. (In Indonesian, bahasa literally means 'language'.)

Pronunciation notes

Indonesian is phonetic — every letter is always said the same way. Learn these and you can read any word aloud.

c — always "ch" as in church, as in cinta = CHIN-tah · cari = CHAH-ree.
j — always "j" as in jam (never a "y"), as in jalan = JAH-lan.
ng — "ng" as in sing — never a hard "g", as in makan = MAH-kahn · tinggal = TING-gahl.
ny — "ny" as in canyon, as in banyak = BAH-nyahk.
e — often a relaxed "uh" (schwa); sometimes "eh", as in empat = uhm-PAHT · enak = uh-NAHK.
r — a light tapped r, closer to Spanish, as in rusa = ROO-sah.
h — always sounded — even at the start of a word, as in hari = HAH-ree.

First phrases

The pocket phrases below are the ones learners reach for most often. Say each one out loud a few times before moving on.

Indonesian	Pronunciation	Meaning
Halo	HAH-loh	Hello
Selamat pagi	suh-LAH-maht PAH-gee	Good morning
Selamat malam	suh-LAH-maht MAH-lahm	Good evening
Apa kabar?	AH-pah KAH-bahr	How are you?
Sampai jumpa	SAHM-pai JOOM-pah	See you
Terima kasih	tuh-REE-mah KAH-seeh	Thank you
Terima kasih banyak	tuh-REE-mah KAH-seeh BAH-nyahk	Thanks a lot
Sama-sama	SAH-mah SAH-mah	You're welcome
Tolong	TOH-long	Please / help
Maaf	MAH-ahf	Sorry / excuse me
Ya	yah	Yes
Tidak	tee-DAHK	No
Satu	SAH-too	1
Dua	DOO-ah	2
Tiga	TEE-gah	3
Makan	MAH-kahn	to eat / food
Minum	MEE-noom	to drink
Nasi	NAH-see	rice
Air	AH-eer	water
Kopi	KOH-pee	coffee
Di mana...?	dee MAH-nah	Where is...?
Kiri	KEE-ree	left
Kanan	KAH-nahn	right
Lurus	LOO-roos	straight ahead
Stasiun	stah-see-OON	the station
Berapa harganya?	buh-RAH-pah hahr-GAH-nyah	How much is it?
Mahal	MAH-hahl	expensive
Saya beli	SAH-yah buh-LEE	I'll take it
Tolong!	TOH-long	Help!
Sakit	SAH-keet	sick

How the Indonesian course is structured

The course has 16 short lessons that build on each other. Each one introduces a few new pieces and then asks you to construct sentences you have never seen, before revealing the answer:

Greetings — halo · selamat pagi · selamat malam · apa kabar
Being polite — terima kasih · tolong · maaf · sama-sama
Numbers 1–10 — satu · dua · tiga · sepuluh · berapa
I want" — mau — saya mau · mau · kopi · air
Food & drink — makan · minum · nasi · ayam
Getting around — di mana · kiri · kanan · lurus
Questions & "do you have…?" — ada · apakah ada · kamar
Family & people — keluarga · ayah · ibu · teman
Time, days & weather — hari ini · besok · kemarin · cuaca
Introducing yourself — nama saya · siapa nama kamu · senang bertemu
Help & health — tolong! · dokter · sakit · saya tidak mengerti
Tying it together — mau · ada · di mana · berapa
Airport & tickets — bandara · paspor · tiket · gerbang
The taxi — taksi · mau ke · hotel · berhenti
The hotel — reservasi · kamar · kunci · malam
Ask for help — saya tidak mengerti · pelan-pelan · bahasa Inggris

Inside the lessons

Here is how a few of the lessons explain the language, with worked examples and the word-by-word breakdown the course uses.

Greetings

Key pieces: halo · selamat pagi · selamat malam · apa kabar

We'll start with the word you'll use most: halo — hello (and hi). Say it out loud.

halo (HAH-loh) — hello / hi Memory hook: ≈ English hello.
selamat pagi (suh-LAH-maht PAH-gee) — good morning
selamat malam (suh-LAH-maht MAH-lahm) — good evening / night
selamat tinggal (suh-LAH-maht TING-gahl) — goodbye

To say “Hello” in Indonesian: Halo (HAH-loh). Built from halo = hello.

To ask how someone is: Apa kabar? The reply is baik, terima kasih — well, thanks.

Apa kabar? (AH-pah KAH-bahr) — How are you?
Baik, terima kasih (bah-EEK, tuh-REE-mah KAH-seeh) — Well, thanks
Baik-baik saja (bah-EEK bah-EEK SAH-jah) — Just fine

To say “Hello, how are you?” in Indonesian: Halo, apa kabar? (HAH-loh, AH-pah KAH-bahr). Built from halo = hello; apa kabar? = how are you?.

Being polite

Key pieces: terima kasih · tolong · maaf · sama-sama

The most important words for any trip: terima kasih — thank you.

terima kasih (tuh-REE-mah KAH-seeh) — thank you
terima kasih banyak (tuh-REE-mah KAH-seeh BAH-nyahk) — thanks a lot
sama-sama (SAH-mah SAH-mah) — you're welcome
tolong (TOH-long) — please / help
maaf (MAH-ahf) — sorry / excuse me

To say “Thank you” in Indonesian: Terima kasih (tuh-REE-mah KAH-seeh). Built from terima kasih = thank you.

Tolong means please, but it also means help — shout Tolong! if you need a hand.

ya (yah) — yes
tidak (tee-DAHK) — no / not

To say “Please help me” in Indonesian: Tolong bantu saya (TOH-long BAHN-too SAH-yah). Built from tolong = please / help; bantu = to help; saya = me.

Numbers 1–10

Key pieces: satu · dua · tiga · sepuluh · berapa

Numbers are the fastest win. Listen and repeat: satu, dua, tiga .

satu (SAH-too) — 1
dua (DOO-ah) — 2
tiga (TEE-gah) — 3
empat (uhm-PAHT) — 4
lima (LEE-mah) — 5
sepuluh (suh-POO-looh) — 10

To say “Two coffees, please” in Indonesian: Dua kopi, tolong (DOO-ah KOH-pee, TOH-long). Built from dua = two; kopi = coffee; tolong = please.

To ask a price: Berapa? — how much? It's the key word for shopping.

To say “How much is it?” in Indonesian: Berapa harganya? (buh-RAH-pah hahr-GAH-nyah). Built from berapa = how much; harganya = its price.

I want" — mau

Key pieces: saya mau · mau · kopi · air

The magic phrase to order anything: saya mau — I want.

Mau on its own means "want". No endings, no tense changes — it never changes.

To say “I want a coffee” in Indonesian: Saya mau kopi (SAH-yah mow KOH-pee). Built from saya = I; mau = want; kopi = coffee. ≈ English coffee.

kopi (KOH-pee) — coffee Memory hook: ≈ English coffee.
air (AH-eer) — water
nasi (NAH-see) — rice
teh (teh) — tea Memory hook: ≈ English tea.

To say “I want water” in Indonesian: Saya mau air (SAH-yah mow AH-eer). Built from saya = I; mau = want; air = water.

Food & drink

Key pieces: makan · minum · nasi · ayam

Eating out? Key words: makan (to eat), minum (to drink).

makan (MAH-kahn) — to eat / food
minum (MEE-noom) — to drink
nasi (NAH-see) — rice
ayam (AH-yahm) — chicken
air (AH-eer) — water

To say “I want to eat” in Indonesian: Saya mau makan (SAH-yah mow MAH-kahn). Built from saya = I; mau = want; makan = to eat.

To say “I want to drink water” in Indonesian: Saya mau minum air (SAH-yah mow MEE-noom AH-eer). Built from saya = I; mau = want; minum = to drink; air = water.

Enak! = delicious. Say it and the cook will love you.

To say “It's delicious!” in Indonesian: Enak! (uh-NAHK). Built from enak = delicious.

Getting around

Key pieces: di mana · kiri · kanan · lurus

The most useful question anywhere: Di mana…? — where is…?

Di mana...? (dee MAH-nah) — Where is...?
kiri (KEE-ree) — left
kanan (KAH-nahn) — right
lurus (LOO-roos) — straight ahead
stasiun (stah-see-OON) — the station Memory hook: ≈ English station.

To say “Where is the station?” in Indonesian: Di mana stasiun? (dee MAH-nah stah-see-OON). Built from di mana = where; stasiun = the station. ≈ English station.

Belok kiri = turn left, belok kanan = turn right.

To say “Turn left” in Indonesian: Belok kiri (buh-LOHK KEE-ree). Built from belok = to turn; kiri = left.

Questions & "do you have…?"

Key pieces: ada · apakah ada · kamar

Ada means "there is / have". Add a question word: Apakah ada…? = is there…? / do you have…?

Apakah turns any statement into a yes/no question. Apakah ada kamar? = is there a room?

To say “Is there water?” in Indonesian: Apakah ada air? (ah-PAH-kah AH-dah AH-eer). Built from apakah = question word; ada = there is; air = water.

kamar (KAH-mahr) — room
makanan (mah-KAH-nahn) — food
minuman (mee-NOO-mahn) — drinks
tidak ada (tee-DAHK AH-dah) — there is not / none

To say “Do you have a room?” in Indonesian: Apakah ada kamar? (ah-PAH-kah AH-dah KAH-mahr). Built from apakah = do (question); ada = have / there is; kamar = room.

Family & people

Key pieces: keluarga · ayah · ibu · teman

Family words: keluarga (family), ayah (father), ibu (mother).

keluarga (kuh-loo-AHR-gah) — family
ayah (AH-yah) — father
ibu (EE-boo) — mother
anak (AH-nahk) — child
teman (tuh-MAHN) — friend

To say “I have a friend” in Indonesian: Saya punya teman (SAH-yah POO-nyah tuh-MAHN). Built from saya = I; punya = have / own; teman = friend.

Punya = to have / own. Saya punya = I have.

To say “This is my mother” in Indonesian: Ini ibu saya (EE-nee EE-boo SAH-yah). Built from ini = this; ibu = mother; saya = my.

Time, days & weather

Key pieces: hari ini · besok · kemarin · cuaca

Today is hari ini , tomorrow is besok , yesterday is kemarin .

hari ini (HAH-ree EE-nee) — today
besok (buh-SOHK) — tomorrow
kemarin (kuh-MAH-reen) — yesterday
hari (HAH-ree) — day
cuaca (choo-AH-chah) — weather
hujan (HOO-jahn) — rain

To say “See you tomorrow” in Indonesian: Sampai jumpa besok (SAHM-pai JOOM-pah buh-SOHK). Built from sampai jumpa = see you; besok = tomorrow.

Ask about the weather: Bagaimana cuacanya?

To say “It's raining” in Indonesian: Hujan (HOO-jahn). Built from hujan = rain / it rains.

Introducing yourself

Key pieces: nama saya · siapa nama kamu · senang bertemu

Introduce yourself: Nama saya… = my name is…, and Senang bertemu = pleased to meet you.

To say “My name is Alex” in Indonesian: Nama saya Alex (NAH-mah SAH-yah Alex). Built from nama = name; saya = my; Alex = your name.

To ask someone's name: Siapa nama kamu?

To say “What's your name?” in Indonesian: Siapa nama kamu? (see-AH-pah NAH-mah KAH-moo). Built from siapa = who; nama = name; kamu = you.

To say “Pleased to meet you” in Indonesian: Senang bertemu (suh-NAHNG buhr-TUH-moo). Built from senang = glad / happy; bertemu = to meet.

Help & health

Key pieces: tolong! · dokter · sakit · saya tidak mengerti

If you need help: Tolong! (help!), dokter (doctor), apotek (pharmacy).

Tolong! (TOH-long) — Help!
dokter (DOHK-tehr) — doctor Memory hook: ≈ English doctor.
rumah sakit (ROO-mah SAH-keet) — hospital
apotek (ah-POH-tehk) — pharmacy Memory hook: ≈ Dutch apotheek.
sakit (SAH-keet) — sick / painful

To say “I need help” in Indonesian: Saya butuh bantuan (SAH-yah BOO-tooh bahn-TOO-ahn). Built from saya = I; butuh = need; bantuan = help / assistance.

To say you don't understand: Saya tidak mengerti .

To say “I don't understand” in Indonesian: Saya tidak mengerti (SAH-yah tee-DAHK muhng-uhr-TEE). Built from saya = I; tidak = not; mengerti = understand.

Tying it together

Key pieces: mau · ada · di mana · berapa

Great — you've built a real toolbox. This capstone uses only words you've met. Build each line yourself before revealing.

To say “Hello, how are you?” in Indonesian: Halo, apa kabar? (HAH-loh, AH-pah KAH-bahr). Built from halo = hello; apa kabar? = how are you?.

To say “I'd like a coffee, please” in Indonesian: Saya mau kopi, tolong (SAH-yah mow KOH-pee, TOH-long). Built from saya mau = I want; kopi = coffee; tolong = please.

To say “Where is the station?” in Indonesian: Di mana stasiun? (dee MAH-nah stah-see-OON). Built from di mana = where; stasiun = the station.

To say “How much is it?” in Indonesian: Berapa harganya? (buh-RAH-pah hahr-GAH-nyah). Built from berapa harganya? = how much is it?.

Airport & tickets

Key pieces: bandara · paspor · tiket · gerbang

You have landed. The building is the bandara . Your document is a paspor .

bandara (bahn-DAH-rah) — airport
paspor (PAS-por) — passport
tiket (TEE-ket) — ticket
pesawat (puh-SAH-waht) — flight / plane
gerbang (guhr-BAHNG) — gate

To say “Where is the airport?” in Indonesian: Di mana bandara? (dee MAH-nah bahn-DAH-rah). Built from di mana = where; bandara = airport.

To say “Here is my passport” in Indonesian: Ini paspor saya (EE-nee PAS-por SAH-yah). Built from ini = this; paspor = passport; saya = my.

To say “A ticket, please” in Indonesian: Satu tiket, tolong (SAH-too TEE-ket, TOH-long). Built from satu tiket = one ticket; tolong = please.

To say “Where is the gate?” in Indonesian: Di mana gerbang? (dee MAH-nah guhr-BAHNG). Built from di mana = where; gerbang = gate.

The taxi

Key pieces: taksi · mau ke · hotel · berhenti

The driver is waiting. Taksi is taxi. Tell them where to go with saya mau ke .

taksi (TAHK-see) — taxi
sopir (SOH-peer) — driver
saya mau ke (SAH-yah mow kuh) — I want to go to
berhenti di sini (buhr-HEN-tee dee SEE-nee) — stop here

To say “Taxi, please” in Indonesian: Taksi, tolong (TAHK-see, TOH-long). Built from taksi = taxi; tolong = please.

To say “I want to go to the hotel” in Indonesian: Saya mau ke hotel (SAH-yah mow kuh ho-TEL). Built from saya mau ke = I want to go to; hotel = hotel.

To say “Stop here, please” in Indonesian: Berhenti di sini, tolong (buhr-HEN-tee dee SEE-nee, TOH-long). Built from berhenti = stop; di sini = here; tolong = please.

To say “How much is it?” in Indonesian: Berapa harganya? (buh-RAH-pah hahr-GAH-nyah). Built from berapa = how much; harganya = its price.

The hotel

Key pieces: reservasi · kamar · kunci · malam

At the desk: saya punya reservasi — I have a reservation.

hotel (ho-TEL) — hotel
reservasi (reh-sehr-VAH-see) — reservation
kamar (KAH-mahr) — room
kunci (KOON-chee) — key
satu malam (SAH-too MAH-lahm) — one night

To say “I have a reservation” in Indonesian: Saya punya reservasi (SAH-yah POO-nyah reh-sehr-VAH-see). Built from saya punya = I have; reservasi = reservation.

To say “A room for one night, please” in Indonesian: Kamar untuk satu malam, tolong (KAH-mahr OON-took SAH-too MAH-lahm, TOH-long). Built from kamar = room; untuk satu malam = for one night; tolong = please.

To say “The key, please” in Indonesian: Kuncinya, tolong (KOON-chee-nyah, TOH-long). Built from kuncinya = the key; tolong = please.

To say “Where is my room?” in Indonesian: Di mana kamar saya? (dee MAH-nah KAH-mahr SAH-yah). Built from di mana = where; kamar saya = my room.

Ask for help

Key pieces: saya tidak mengerti · pelan-pelan · bahasa Inggris

When the language is too fast: Pelan-pelan, tolong — slower, please.

pelan-pelan (puh-LAHN puh-LAHN) — slower
lagi (LAH-gee) — again
bahasa Inggris (bah-HAH-sah ING-gris) — English
bisa bantu? (BEE-sah BAHN-too) — can you help?

To say “I don't understand” in Indonesian: Saya tidak mengerti (SAH-yah tee-DAHK muhng-uhr-TEE). Built from saya = I; tidak = not; mengerti = understand.

To say “Slower, please” in Indonesian: Pelan-pelan, tolong (puh-LAHN puh-LAHN, TOH-long). Built from pelan-pelan = slower; tolong = please.

To say “Can you help me?” in Indonesian: Bisa bantu saya? (BEE-sah BAHN-too SAH-yah). Built from bisa = can; bantu = help; saya = me.

To say “Do you speak English?” in Indonesian: Apakah Anda bisa bahasa Inggris? (ah-PAH-kah AHN-dah BEE-sah bah-HAH-sah ING-gris). Built from apakah Anda bisa = can you; bahasa Inggris = English.

Culture and etiquette

Coffee is a daily ritual

A kopi tubruk (a strong, unfiltered black coffee) is part of everyday life — often from a humble roadside warung where you sit, sip, and chat. Coffee is served sweet and strong; asking for 'kopi susu' gets you coffee with milk.

Traffic and the ojek

Motorbike taxis (ojek) weave through traffic in most cities, and apps like Gojek and Grab make ordering one easy. On long rides, drivers are as friendly as they are fast.

Respectful words for people

Address older men as 'Pak' (Sir) and older women as 'Bu' (Ma'am) — it's a simple sign of respect. A light touch when handing someone something shows good manners.

Rice is the center of a meal

Nasi (rice) is the anchor of almost every plate, in dishes like nasi goreng (fried rice) and nasi ayam (chicken rice). Many people eat with their right hand, using the fingertips to gently mix the food.

Smiling softens everything

Indonesian culture values friendliness and a gentle tone. A warm smile and a polite 'maaf' (sorry) go a very long way — and a direct 'no' is often softened, so watch for a polite hesitation.

A little goes a long way

A cheerful 'selamat pagi' and 'terima kasih' open every door. Indonesians light up when visitors try the language — effort matters far more than perfection.

Example dialogues

At a warung (café)

You: Selamat pagi! Satu kopi, tolong. (suh-LAH-maht PAH-gee, SAH-too KOH-pee, TOH-long) — Good morning! One coffee, please.

Seller: Satu kopi. Mau makan juga? (SAH-too KOH-pee, mow MAH-kahn JOO-gah) — One coffee. Want to eat too?

You: Tidak, terima kasih. Ada roti? (tee-DAHK, tuh-REE-mah KAH-seeh, AH-dah ROH-tee) — No, thanks. Do you have bread?

Seller: Ada. Itu sepuluh ribu. (AH-dah, EE-too suh-POO-looh REE-boo) — Yes. That's ten thousand.

You: Terima kasih banyak! (tuh-REE-mah KAH-seeh BAH-nyahk) — Thanks a lot!

At the station

You: Permisi, di mana stasiun? (puhr-MEE-see, dee MAH-nah stah-see-OON) — Excuse me, where is the station?

Local: Lurus, lalu belok kanan. (LOO-roos, LAH-loo buh-LOHK KAH-nahn) — Straight, then turn right.

You: Terima kasih. Satu tiket ke Jakarta, tolong. (tuh-REE-mah KAH-seeh, SAH-too tee-KET kuh jah-KAHR-tah, TOH-long) — Thanks. One ticket to Jakarta, please.

Ticket: Dua puluh ribu rupiah. Kereta jam sembilan. (DOO-ah POO-looh REE-boo roo-PEE-ah, kuh-REH-tah jahm suhm-BEE-lahn) — Twenty thousand rupiah. The train is at nine.

At a restaurant

Waiter: Selamat malam! Mau pesan? (suh-LAH-maht MAH-lahm, mow puh-SAHN) — Good evening! Want to order?

You: Satu nasi ayam, tolong. (SAH-too NAH-see AH-yahm, TOH-long) — One chicken rice, please.

Waiter: Mau minum? (mow MEE-noom) — Want to drink?

You: Satu teh panas, terima kasih. (SAH-too teh PAH-nahs, tuh-REE-mah KAH-seeh) — One hot tea, thank you.

Waiter: Baik, tunggu sebentar. (bah-EEK, TOONG-goo suh-BEHN-tahr) — OK, wait a moment.

Written by the LanguagePath editorial team from our own course material. Pronunciation guides are approximate English respellings; tap any phrase in the app above to hear it. Native-speaker review of every course is ongoing — tell us if you spot an error.