Indonesian Lesson 4: Articles and Demonstratives (Itu, Ini), Adjectives, Possessive Pronouns

Continuing my first series of Indonesian language lessons with A.M. Almatsier's book How to Master the Indonesian Language.

Lesson 4 covers the articles and demonstrative pronouns itu and ini, attribute adjectives, and possessive pronouns. Sounds complicated but it's really just some simple Indonesian language basics.

Here are my exercises for this lesson, which involved creating sentences from a variety of vocab words and translating, so yours may vary:

Murid ini tinggi. = This student is tall.
Nyonya itu kuat. = That woman is strong.
Tuan ini rajin. = This gentleman is industrious.
Tukang itu malas. = That workman is lazy.
Polisi ini besar. = This policeman is big.
Pelayan itu bodoh. = That waiter is silly.
Babu ini rajin. = This house-maid is industrious.

Pintu itu gelap. = That door is dark.
Jendela ini besar. = This window is big.
Kursi itu hitam. = That chair is black.
Kapal ini berat. = This ship is heavy.
Susu itu mahal. = That milk is expensive.
Gula ini murah. = This sugar is cheap.
Teh itu hijau. = That tea is green.
Kamar tidur ini terang. = This bedroom is bright.
Meja makan itu besar. = That dining table is big.
Lemari buku ini kuning. = This bookcase is yellow.
Meja tulis itu mahal. = That writing table is expensive.
Sepeda motor ini biru. = This motorcycle is blue.
Lampu listrik itu kecil. = That electric lamp is small.

Pelayan kita pintar. = Our (incl.) waiter is clever.
Ayah kamu tinggi. = Your (inf.) father is tall.
Anak saya malas. = My sibling is lazy.
Sekolah saudara besar. = Your (f.) school is big.
Sepeda kami mahal. = Our (excl.) bicycle is expensive.
Paman kamu rajin. = Your (inf.) uncle is industrious.
Koki kita malas. = Our (incl.) cook is lazy.

Barang polisi ini berat. = That policeman's stuff is heavy.
Jam kamar itu mahal. = That room's clock is expensive.
Rumah nona Kartini ini kecil. = Miss Kartini's house is small.
Jendela abang itu banyak. = Elder brother's windows are many.

So there we have it for lesson 4. Not bad, hey?

Selamat belajar,
Bahasa Brian

Indonesian Lesson 3: Personal Pronouns (Saya, Anda, Dia, Kami, Kita, Mereka and Other 2nd Person Terms)

Continuing my first series of Indonesian language lessons with A.M. Almatsier's book How to Master the Indonesian Language.

Lesson 3 covers personal pronouns, meaning the words for I, you, he, she, it, they, and so on.

Indonesian pronouns are fairly straightforward but vary from English in their use of formal you depending on the person being spoken to, as well as the distinction from inclusive and exclusive we (a different pronoun if the person being spoken to is included in we or not).

The exercises for this lesson involved sentence creation with a wide variety of pronouns and new adjectives and verbs. To avoid redundancy, I have constructed the sentences with the first person pronoun, and then included the other pronouns and vocab so that everything's covered.

Here are my exercises for this lesson:

Sentence Creation

Saya pintar. = I am clever.
Saya malas. = I am lazy.
Saya rajin. = I am industrious.
Saya bodoh. = I am silly.
Saya kecil. = I am small.
Saya pendek. = I am short.
Saya tinggi. = I am tall.
Saya berat. = I am heavy.
Saya ringan. = I am light.
Saya duduk. = I sit.
Saya pergi. = I go.
Saya pulang. = I go home.
Saya makan. = I eat.
Saya minum. = I drink.
Saya datang. = I come.
Saya tidur. = I sleep.
Saya tinggal. = I stay.
Saya mandi. = I bathe.

Indonesian Personal Pronouns

(Keep in mind that this edition is from 1988 and pronoun use may have changed, but it's still good to review some of the older words here.)

Saya/aku = I
Kamu/engkau = You (inf.)
Saudara = You ("comrade")
Tuan = You (to a male foreigner)
Nyonya = You (to a married female foreigner)
Nona = You (to an unmarried female foreigner)
Bapak = You ("father", to a respected male)
Ibu = You ("mother", to a respected female)
Dia/ia = He/she/it
Kamu (sekalian) = You (pl.)
Kami = We (excl.)
Kita = We (incl.)
Mereka (itu) = They

So there we have it. Learn your pronouns, they're important!

Selamat belajar,
Bahasa Brian

Indonesian Lesson 2: Negative (Bukan) and Contradiction (Tetapi)

Continuing my first series of Indonesian language lessons with A.M. Almatsier's book How to Master the Indonesian Language.

Lesson 2 covers the words for negative (bukan) and contradictory (tetapi) meanings. Here are my exercises.

1. Ini bukan batu, tetapi tanah. 
This is not a stone, but earth.

2. Itu bukan atap, tetapi pagar.
That is not a roof, but a fence.

3. Ini bukan saputangan, tetapi kertas.
This is not a handkerchief, but paper.

4. Itu bukan pisau, tetapi gunting.
That is not a knife, but scissors.

5. Ini bukan toko, tetapi warung.
This is not a shop, but a small stand.

6. Itu bukan lemari, tetapi meja.
That is not a cupboard, but a table.

7. Ini bukan roti, tetapi batu.
This is not bread, but a stone.

8. Itu bukan anjing, tetapi kuda.
That is not a dog, but a horse.

9. Ini bukan gereja, tetapi kantor.
This is not a church, but an office.

10. Itu bukan pagar, tetapi jendela.
That is not a fence, but a window.

11. Itu bukan kertas, tetapi kain.
That is not paper, but cloth.

12. Ini bukan keranjang, tetapi tas.
This is not a basket, but a bag.

13. Ini bukan air, tetapi bensin.
This is not water, but petrol.

14. Itu bukan susu, tetapi mentega.
That is not milk, but butter.

15. Itu bukan tas, tetapi kotak.
That is not a bag, but a box.

So there we have it for lesson 2. Again, starting a little bit slow but it's important to practice the sentence structures and vocab.

Selamat belajar,
Bahasa Brian

Indonesian Lesson 1: Demonstrative Pronouns (Ini, Itu) and Question Words (Apa, Siapa)

Starting my first series of Indonesian language lessons with A.M. Almatsier's book How to Master the Indonesian Language.

Lesson 1 covers demonstrative pronouns (ini, itu) and question words (apa, siapa) as well as some basic vocabulary. Here are my exercises.

Part A: Apa ini? = What is this?

Ini jalan. = This is a road.
Ini toko. = This is a shop.
Ini kucing. = This is a cat.
Ini rumah. = This is a house.
Ini anjing. = This is a dog.
Ini buku. = This is a book.
Ini pohon. = This is a tree.
Ini kantor. = This is an office.
Ini sepeda. = This is a bicycle.
Ini kebun. = This is a garden.

Part B: Apa itu? = What is that?

Itu pensil. = That is a pencil.
Itu kamar. = That is a room.
Itu toko. = That is a shop.
Itu kursi. = That is a chair.
Itu kertas. = That is paper.
Itu kucing. = That is a cat.
Itu lemari. = That is a cupboard.
Itu gelas. = That is a glass.
Itu jam. = That is a clock.
Itu roti. = That is bread.
Itu tas. = That is a bag.

Part C: Siapa ini? = Who is this?

Ini adik. = This is little brother.
Ini pembantu. = This is a servant.
Ini supir. = This is a driver.
Ini murid. = This is a pupil.
Ini Saudara Kho. = This is Mr. Kho.
Ini kakak. = This is elder sister.
Ini orang laki-laki. = This is a man.
Ini babu. = This is a house-maid.
Ini tukang. = This is a workman.
Ini ayah. = This is father.

Part D: Siapa itu? = Who is that?

Itu abang. = That is elder brother.
Itu polisi. = That is a policeman.
Itu guru. = That is a teacher.
Itu Saudara Sardi. = That is Mr. Sardi.
Itu supir. = That is a driver.
Itu kakak. = That is elder sister.
Itu ibu. = That is mother.
Itu ayah. = That is father.
Itu murid. = That is a pupil.

So there we have it for lesson 1. A little tedious, but vocabulary is a good place to start!

Selamat belajar,
Bahasa Brian