Do you speak Indonesian?

The vast majority of Indonesians speak no languages except Indonesian                      (and usually their local local language),
English is spoken by around 8% of Jakarta's population, but that number was taken from a survey that assumed anyone able to write a half reasonable email in English was an English speaker.

Essentially, speaking Indonesian is essential if you want to live here and interact properly with the locals.
Indonesian has limited grammar when compared to English and it lacks all the weird spellings, irregular verbs that hardly make sense and has no gender specific pronouns.

Start with "Thank you" as polite is always a good start, then move on to "how much?" and the numbers - that'll get you shopping.

As a note for oddity's sake ...
When you go into the villages you'll meet older people who don't speak Indonesian at all. The language wasn't widely used in many places before 1945 so poor people with no education never learnt it. I know a few old dudes who only speak Javanese, but time is taking its toll on that section of the population.
However, if you wander into regions such as central Java, you'll find most can speak Indonesian happily, but they use their local language when talking amongst themselves. Can be confusing at first.

This thread reminded me of my first weeks in Indonesia when I knew so little of the language and had real problems communication with locals.
I've never had a single lesson but picked things up as I went along; the improvements being exponential as the more you know, the more you can work out what you don't.
I can now manage everyday stuff without the slightest problem and get most of the conversations I have as I wander around but I'm still not quite ready to translate Shakespeare's sonnets into Indonesian.

akankah saya membandingkan engkau untuk hari musim panas ... or maybe not

After 10 years I can read it, almost understand it when I hear it but rarely speak it as everyone I connect with speaks English or tries too.
I don't really bother to learn more as I have found it has caused me more problems in the past than it should have.
Speaking Indonesian to my team at work is ok and if in shops looking for small things but that's about it.
My wife speaks English when she likes me, speaks the language of silence when is not sure and Indonesian when she is mad so actually I should be fluent by now!

Dear Priscilla,
I do agree with you. It's not only about integration in Indonesia but also with other countries.
If one wants to enjoy fully and integrate with local community then local language is the first thing to know especially a country like Indonesia where people don't speak English much or rather to say love to speak their own mother tongue!
I love to travel a lot and explore new places. Most of the time I go for solo and sometimes with my unknown backpacker friends whom I meet first time during the trip. That time I always realise the need of local language as I don't know much Bahasa and other guys don't speak much English.
so, I fully support your views about this!

regards,
VK

Yes i can speak indonesia but not very well..God be willing i will try my best to speak indo as good as possible...

I was 61 when I moved to Indonesia. I was sure I would learn Bahasa Indonesia quite quickly. I already speak three languages fluently and a fourth I know enough to have some basic conversation. But at 61 it is not so easy anymore to learn a new language. And when you have a loving Indonesian girlfriend whose English is enough to have a conversation with, the motivation to learn a new language is not so big anymore.

So, I can understand most of a menu in the restaurant. I know how to say hello, how are you, good morning, noon, afternoon and night. But not very much more.

I live in Bali where I can do most of what I want in English. The Balinese are smart enough to learn English to earn a buck from the bules. So, again, no much motivation to learn Bahasa.

BTW, one of languages I know is Dutch and there are 7000 Dutch words in the Indonesian language. Problem is I don't know which ones

1.)    Is mastering the Indonesian language essential for a successful integration?

-    On the one hand we have people like LUKEREG, who does not seem to “really really” need the language…. He mentions being here for 10 years already, and I would guess that he is fairly well integrated… (the reason he gave why he should be fluent already, had me laugh so much though, lol).
-    On the other hand I remember the Head at one of the Language Schools where I inquired information a few years ago, saying that: “Sadly none of our language students, in my 20 years of experience, have ever ‘really’ integrated with the locals after attending our 3-year school”.

So I would guess that:
-    It depends on your Purpose in a country how badly you need to master the Language to integrate,  and
-    seeing as Language is only part of successful integration, it would mainly help you to integrate faster.

2.)    Do you speak Indonesian?

I understand and speak Indonesian fairly fluently. I could probably not translate a field-specific paper (like Medical, Mechanical, or whatever) too well, but I never use another language here (apart from on this Forum) and I get along really well.

3.)    Where did you learn this language?

I knew I would need the language quite fast after deciding to move here, so I contacted a few Language Schools in my city then.
The problem was, that most of them did not offer Part-Time studies (so that I could work while I study there, in order to pay them piece-by-piece).
And the ones who did offer Part-Time studies, were totally unaffordable for me (as they mainly use Personal Coaches then, at a much higher cost).
So I decided to avoid interacting with other foreigners as much as I could, as I would speak English then (which is also why I never spoke up on Forums like this before 2 years had lapsed).
I wanted to force myself to HAVE TO use the local language at all times, which in my area is (1) Indonesian, and (2) Sundanese (their mother tongue).

-    I started with ‘sign language’, sometimes (though rarely) drawing pictures, and sometimes doing ‘mimes’ (lol). The locals were amazing in helping me to find words, and how to say things. The most helpful was being able to say: “Excuse me, I am sorry to bother you, but can you tell me what the word for ‘this’ (pointing at the object) is in Indonesian?” thereby growing my VOCABULARY.
-    In the 2nd phase for me (when I was able to SPEAK it well enough), the better interaction with locals felt truly amazing! I LOVED going around like a little kid repeating things, telling different people the (same) few things I could say all day long, smiling wide and feeling like a million bucks.
-    Then slightly later (when I was able to also UNDERSTAND it well enough), it really hurt sometimes….. Like I would walk in the street / market / wherever, and hear what locals say about foreigners, and often that was quite painful…. But in that, I also learnt a tremendous amount about how most locals generally view foreigners. Now I respond with a joke to such comments, which has them GASP at the fact that I understood them, and then, suddenly….. everyone follows my laughter and we become “friends” then (especially if I keep going back there…. on purpose).
-    Another thing that has helped me tremendously, is that most kids in the villages here want help with their English. After I made it clear that I am NOT qualified to teach, and they made it clear that they do NOT care, it became a beautiful exchange of helping each other with language. This is where a lot of my GRAMMAR got sorted out, in a “safe to make mistakes” environment, plus it doesn’t cost anyone money (which neither I or them can afford).
Last year it came to my attention that (in this area) they are actually taught the pronunciation of some words wrong in school, so I made contact with a few teachers, confirmed it, and then made a little video for them to sort that out, which I gave them DVD’s for. Later I decided to upload it to YouTube also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyjVWi-aUVg
JUST A NOTE:
While helping locals with their English will help you a LOT with your own language learning, DO NOT see this as an opportunity to make money, because IF you decide to do that, and Immigration finds out that you do that without having a Work Permit to do so, they will take your Passport and start the process to get you out of the country. I heard this happened to someone else.

4.)    Where can one attend a language course in Indonesia?

I have not attended any, but a few months ago, I found a place of Language Learning at www.alambahasa.com that also offers a "Distance Learning Program" via Skype.
By the time I found them I have apparently already surpassed what they teach, so I’ve never tried them to be able to give an account of how good or not they are, but incase anyone else is interested, when I last checked on their website:
-    They give 15 Skype sessions x 2 hours each, which you have to complete within 2 months.
-    Registration (Rp 146 ribu) + Course Fees for 1 person (Rp 5110 ribu) = Rp 175.200 / hour.

If you're stuck - Google translate comes to the rescue.
It makes mistakes but it's still very handy for many people, especially newer arrivals.

No I am trying but I do not learn languages well at all. I only speak english todate. I do not even speak my Local UK language, Welsh even though my mother could speak it fluently. My father was English and only spoke english so my mother never spoke Welsh at home.

Indonesia is rather a surprise to me as a long time expat having traveled, worked and live around the world.

I have to say that the percentage of English spoken in Indonesia is very low by far the lowest I have ever experienced in my travels this is particularly true if you compare capital cities. 
The english speaking percentage has already been stated at around 8% this would seem to be correct from my observations so far (18 Months West Java, mainly Jakarta & Cijulang). If you take into account the quality of the English spoke then the 8% would be much lower again. Even in the Capital, Jakarta.

I find this very strange and not consistent with other countries / cultures I have experienced.
For example the surrounding Asian cultures do not exhibit the same, Malaysia, Brunei (worked 15 yrs), Philippines, Singapore (not a fair comparison), Thailand, all have a very high percentage of English and in many cases high quality English is high to. More correctly perhaps I should say in these countries, If English is spoken, it tends to be higher Quality.

In Jakarta in the big Malls and Department Stores therein one would expect the very well dressed, presented, polite, professional sales staff to speak reasonably good English, particularly in the high end goods sections.   This is not the case most speak little or no English and more strangely they will often call over a security staff member, who will speak some english and normally enough to translate between staff and customer/me.  On occasions these security staff speak moderately good English. There are however some security staff that also do not speak any English.  I should not here that this is not the same for Local Police who follow the normal Indonesian trend and perhaps is even slightly lower, in the general rans at least but high up also seems to follow.  That is the Police speak very Little or no English in a lot of cases. You may get yourself understood (or think you do) but they can not speak to you even in basic terms some times. International language of gestures seems to have better results.

The lack of English In a country surrounded by Countries with a moderately high English speaking capability and particularly in a capital that has lots of foreigners who speak English, not normally as first language, but also do not speak Indonesian, trying to buy in high end stores is very unusual by world International standards.

Do not get me wrong I love Indonesia; I want to learn Indonesian. I am not being super critical or antagonistic. I am simply answering factually as far as my experiences.

I have just discovered that whilst trying to learn Bahasa Indonesia my wife's family is not speaking Bahasa in the home but is speaking Sudanese.  I would have thought I would have noted this sooner, I have been in the home for several weeks now, but the fact that they and even my wife speak very little English does not help me learn Bahasa, which is actually Sudanese, in the home at least.

In summary do I  speak Indonesian? NO, not yet and it will be a long while for me.

Do you need to speak Indonesian to get along be accepted in Indonesia?
Actually no, not if you have the right temperament, approach, personality, attitude you can manage and moderately well.   I must also say here at it is a fact and an important one, that should you be a westerner and have reasonable financial resource, this can ease things a lot. Not necessarily the way it should be or you would like but still true.

In reality the answer is a BIG YES.
If you speak Indonesian you will be excepted much quicker and the whole experience will be much smoother and simpler.  You will not miss opportunities that you almost certainly would if you did not speak Indonesian. Though you may well achieve the same end latter.

I Love Indonesia, apart from its TRAFFIC!!! and wish to stay here.  It is a fact though to stay here i must learn Indonesian and it seems now Sudanese.
I am 60 now and like us all my time in this world is finite. I only pray that god الله grants me the time to learn, understand and enjoy the language and the culture.

lukereg wrote:

After 10 years I can read it, almost understand it when I hear it but rarely speak it as everyone I connect with speaks English or tries too.
I don't really bother to learn more as I have found it has caused me more problems in the past than it should have.
Speaking Indonesian to my team at work is ok and if in shops looking for small things but that's about it.
My wife speaks English when she likes me, speaks the language of silence when is not sure and Indonesian when she is mad so actually I should be fluent by now!

LOL Now I relate to that! Well the last part anyway!!!

Hi,

       No I can't speak any Indonesian language.Will you please
teach me.Cheers.

Hello! My name is djie. bahasa indonesia teacher, tutor and language consultant from jakarta. I have a wealth of experience, I am very successful at teaching bahasa I am an open, friendly, and creative person, with a highly individual teaching style, always with many ideas on how to personalize and animate a lesson. I have very good experience of one to one teaching and an excellent understanding of how to teach group classes. I can offer lessons at your home, your place of work (office), at a café within jakarta area. I am based at central jakarta Are you scared or nervous to speak Bahasa? Do you lack confidence? Are you worried that people can’t understand you? I CAN HELP YOU! I am aware of; - The most common mistakes made by non-native speakers - How to improve your pronunciation and vocabulary! - How to speak and understand native Indonesian speakers perfectly! • My Student nationalities: Spanish, American, French, Australian, Latvian, Hong Kong, Korean, Singaporean

Hi Priscilla,
It has been more than three months that I live here and I must confess that my level of bahasa Indonesian is  poor. I am willing to learn the language cause I see that I won't go far without it.
I gather force to give it a serious try. 

regards

Celal

Hi.. Mehmetcelal
I am Yuni Indonesian girl if you want to learn bahasa Indonesia i can teach you.
But now I am leaving in Hongkong for work there. Perhaps other friends who want to learn as well I'm willing to teach you.

Regards

Yuni

Hello Yuni,
Thank you for your reply. How do you plan teaching me Indonesian?
Will it be by correspondence and how much do I have to contribute to your effort?
With my best regards

Celal

You're right Fred, in what you write I don't deny it. Dutch invaded my country in 350 years of our people should not be a school just rich people who can go to school. So that why our unusual foreign languages in addition to our local language. To be able to speak another language we have to take course, or take other languages courses. Like me.. Hahaha 😅

Regards

Yuni

Hello Cela
Thanks for your reply.
Perhaps through whatsapp only. Sure you ask me  try to answer well.
Greetings also to your...

Yuni

yunisweetgirl wrote:

You're right Fred, in what you write I don't deny it. Dutch invaded my country in 350 years of our people should not be a school just rich people who can go to school. So that why our unusual foreign languages in addition to our local language. To be able to speak another language we have to take course, or take other languages courses. Like me.. Hahaha 😅

Regards

Yuni

There goes much of the reason Indonesia is still quite a closed society.
The Dutch colonization of Indonesia had a long lasting effect, even after over 70 years of their removal.
Nationalism and Indonesians being very protective of their country has not really allowed development, and that's slowed Indonesia down a little.
That's changing now with new political policies that allow investment, that bring a greater need for foreigners in Indonesia, but also means Indonesia needs more English speakers so it can compete in world markets.

That said, if a foreigner is going to make a life here, it's essential to learn the language. You can always stick to a driver taking you to work, hang around in posh malls that hire English speaking staff, then go to western bars where everyone speaks English....

You'll never know the beauty of Indonesia, but you can live that way.

Learning Indonesian isn't essential, but it's a really good idea.

Perhaps, just putting my "Expert" hat on for a moment, we could hold off advertising and avoid posting contact details on the open forums.

The simplest of all languages here to learn is to say yes to food regardless. Then once tried make big visual expressions which everyone understands and people accept you quicker. You then get told what it is and words to describe it and people treat you nicer.

Fred, I can appreciate the rationale behind that stance (probably company policy too) but in this particular case (language instruction) I suggest you make an exception, as it is not "commercial" in the same sense as attempting to sell a house or lure someone into investing.

The local teachers posting seem to do so in good faith and were I in need of private instruction I'd trust expat.com members to be qualified and helpful much more than someone advertising in a publication.

Just saying.

Advertising is free of charge in the commercial sections,
All are welcome to post there and get greater visibility for their ad when they do.

I liked Zoe7's reply and think she has absolutely cracked the best way of learing a language, by not speaking anything other than bahasa Indonesia.  I am really keen to learn to speak BI fluently, but unfortunately I have had to leave for a secondment in India. I hope to be back later this year and in the meantime will try to improve what BI I already know with online lessons. My pacar, speaks mainly Indonesian, but our time together is curtailed right now, so I miss the natural improvement that would come from being together.

Pimsleur had a good course for beginners, but have yet to follow up with a more advanced set. Someone should deal with slang and SMS language as well, as those are pretty different from spoken and even more so from written BI.

I used to get a teacher to visit my office from SIB, but the progress was quite slow I thought. The other thing I find helpful is to listen to well spoken BI on the radio or TV (usually a little slower)  as hearing phrases repeated in the context of a specific subject has the effect of sort of embedding them into the subconscious. They may then spontaneously appear at some future point out of ones own mouth! Very satisfying!

I absolutely agree, am trying to teach myself as I go along, got myself Babel and a little pocket book and gradually making progress....would be keen on a immersion course somewhere ...
Best wishes
John