The best way to learn Indonesian is a mix: mostly Indonesian you can understand, plus review and real conversation, with the balance set by your goal. Indonesian you can mostly understand is called comprehensible input. Below, you'll see what each way of learning builds and the mix that suits six common goals.
Which Ways of Learning Indonesian Work Best?
Reading and listening to Indonesian at your level works best, and each other method adds one skill on top of it.
| Method | What it builds | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and listening at your level | Words, grammar and listening | Most of your time |
| A structured course | An order for the basics | Your first months |
| A tutor or conversation partner | Speaking and quick replies | Using what you know |
| Flashcards or other review | Words that stay with you | A few minutes each session |
| Shows, podcasts and the news | Indonesian at natural speed | Fun, once you follow most of it |
| Grammar study | How prefixes and endings build new words | Patterns that confuse you |
Input is the base of the mix: a 2016 review of 49 studies in Reading in a Foreign Language, a University of Hawaii journal, found that reading a lot of easy material improves reading in a new language.
What Is the Best Way to Learn Indonesian for Your Goal?
For every goal, the best way is the same base of reading and listening, with the rest of your time on the skill that goal needs most.
- Travel in IndonesiaSpend most of your time on short dialogues about ordering food and getting around, and say each one out loud.
- Talk With Family or FriendsRead and hear lots of everyday conversations, and spend the rest of your time talking with them or with a tutor.
- Watch Indonesian FilmsPut most of your time into listening, starting with cartoons dubbed into Indonesian and moving on to films with Indonesian subtitles.
- Score Well on the UKBIRead and listen at your level most of the time, and try the sample questions on the official UKBI site as the test gets close.
- Read the NewsSpend most of your time reading short stories, and move on to news sites such as Kompas once everyday conversations feel easy to follow.
- Work in IndonesiaRead and hear Indonesian about your field most of the time, and practice the formal Indonesian of meetings and emails with a tutor.
To see how many hours each stage takes, read how long it takes to learn Indonesian.
What Are the Best Resources for Each Part?
Each part of the mix has a good free option, such as Let's Read for easy stories or BIPA Daring for grammar, and an app or service for when you want more. Bubblegum, which appears in a few rows, is a language app where Poppy, an AI tutor, writes Indonesian lessons at your level about things you like.
| Part | Free option | App or service |
|---|---|---|
| A course for the basics | Duolingo's Indonesian course, which is free | Memrise, or Pimsleur for audio lessons you answer out loud |
| Reading and listening at your level | Picture books on Let's Read and stories sorted by level on StoryWeaver | Bubblegum, IndonesianPod101 or LingQ |
| Videos, podcasts and news | Simply Indonesian for videos, SBS Indonesian for news | Language Reactor for Indonesian films and series on Netflix |
| Review | Readlang, which saves the words you look up as flashcards | Bubblegum's Regenerative Review™, which brings saved words back in new lessons |
| Conversation | A language exchange on HelloTalk | A tutor on italki or Preply |
| Grammar | Free materials on BIPA Daring, from Indonesia's Language Agency | LingoDeer, which builds grammar into its lessons |
What Should You Avoid?
Avoid anything that keeps you away from real Indonesian sentences you can follow.
- Malay Lessons by MistakeA post office is kantor pos in Indonesia and pejabat pos in Malaysia, so check that a course or video teaches Indonesian.
- Tables of Prefix RulesA prefix can change the start of a word, as when tulis (write) becomes menulis, so learn these changes from words you meet in sentences.
- Films You Can't Follow YetSave Indonesian films for when you can follow a scene with Indonesian subtitles on, and watch Simply Indonesian's graded videos before that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it better to learn Indonesian with an app or a teacher?
Use an app for the hours of reading and listening, and a teacher for speaking and corrections. Lessons with a tutor on italki or Preply are paid, so spend that time talking, and do your reading and listening on your own. Some italki tutors are certified to teach Indonesian to foreign speakers.
Should I learn Indonesian grammar first?
No. Start reading and listening right away, and look a pattern up when it confuses you. A rule is easier to learn once you have seen it a few times: after teman-teman (friends) and buku-buku (books), it is easy to see that saying a word twice often means there is more than one.
Which Indonesian app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Indonesian, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Our Indonesian app comparison covers courses, tutors and speaking apps too.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Jeon and Day (2016), The effectiveness of ER on reading proficiency: A meta-analysis, Reading in a Foreign Language 28(2), University of Hawaii
- UKBI, Uji Kemahiran Berbahasa Indonesia, the official Indonesian proficiency test from Indonesia's Language Agency (sample questions)
- BIPA Daring, free learning materials from Indonesia's Language Agency
- Readlang, free plan (saves the words you translate as flashcards)
- HelloTalk, learn Indonesian (free language exchange)
- Wikipedia: Comparison of Standard Malay and Indonesian (kantor pos and pejabat pos)
