Bahasa Indonesia - Indoensian language
Words phrases diction and more ...home
INDONESIAN LANGUAGE

Bahasa Indonesia or Indonesian Language has the root of Malay language which dialect is most widely spoken on the archipelago of Indonesia. It has been largely due to the trade among the archipelago, Arab, China and India. They needed a simple words and sentences in communicating with local producers in the field of buying, selling and payment terminologies. Even the Dutch at the beginning had to understand a simple Malay sentences to communicate with the local people. As the same parent of Malay, it was easy for Indonesian ethnic groups to learn the language, although some of the ethnic group has underwent further variation in pattern and diction. Bahasa Indonesia has become an active communication means among the learnt people during the struggle for independence which lead an oath among the ethnic representatives that they would use Bahasa Indonesia as the national language. This is known as " Sumpah Pemuda " or youth oath that was declared on 28 October 1920.

Grammatically bahasa Indonesia is simple, does not introduces patterns reflecting time, word flexion relating to subject, object, location and others. Basically all events are expressed with the same pattern and the same words. Only to indicate time it uses word of time such as yesterday, tomorrow, 2 minutes ago and others. To indicate plurality just put word " banyak means many or sedikit mean small number " or appoint fixed number for definite plurality. Basically to express pattern and flexion, simply use independence words arranged in the sentences. As a result of lack of pattern and flexion, the languages introduce many morphemes. The morphemes have various meanings according to the infinitive word which is conjugated with. This small writing is aimed to assist reader to get light idea on the basic concept of the grammar which is expected to be understood by those who never heard about bahasa Indonesia

Social Aspect of Bahasa Indonesia
Unlike Balinese or Javanese, bahasa Indonesia reflects egalitarian society. Polite and impolite are expressed at the level of small diction of personal pronounce, mimic and gesture and at the level of diction it is almost inexist the world of humiliation, curses or respect that symbolize the action, existence or thinking of others. A small collection of words relating to this social status can only be found among personal pronounce, such as kamu ( you ) is considered egalitarian opposed to " anda " ( your respectable ), aku ( I ) more colloquial as opposed to " saya " ( I ) more humble, dia ( she/he) is more colloquial compared to " beliau " ( she/he/they ) which are considered more respectable. At no time the children or younger people address parents or older people by " kamu ", instead they will be called by their aliases. In case one has to address older people or unknown people with his/her name one will put " Pak " to man and " Ibu" for woman. Pak is abbreviation of Bapak means literally father and Ibu means mother. In formal communication both tittles are used as respectable words to address man or women. Here is the new speaker of Bahasa Indonesia must be very careful.

Common Mistake
Foreign speakers of Bahasa Indonesia still have the difficulty in understanding between transitive and intransitive verbs, and subfix / ---i /. More detail nuances on both aspects will be discussed at each part. The most important here is to give early clue that here is the foreign speaker have to be more careful. There is no grammatical rule to explain the deep nuances except speaker has to train the situation by comprehensive practice or study considerable contexts of the verbs in various sentences.

Class Formation or Derivatives
As other languages, bahasa Indonesia also introduces forms such as infinitive, verb, noun, adjective, and pronounce. Almost all words except morphemes can be transformed into each class with the help of morphemes. Morpheme is the most productive language elements in bahasa Indonesia both in writing and spoken. Intensive study of class formation by morpheme can be said as a basic step for a fifty percent success in studying bahasa Indonesia

Sentence Construction
As other language, bahasa Indonesia has the structure of :
Subject + Predicate + Object ( for positive statement )
Object + Predicate + Subject ( for passive statement )
Adjective predicate following the law of " described - description " in contrary with English. For example :
# Ini tas merah ( ini = this, tas = bag, merah = red )----- This is red bag
# Ini tas merah besar mahal ( besar = big, mahal = expensive ) -- This is red big expensive bag
The position of each adjective can be interchanged, not necessarily like the sample.
The sentence can be constructed by infinitive and simple words, provided correct preposition can be put in context :
# Saya pergi ke pasar beli ikan (Saya = I, pergi = go, ke = to ( prep ), pasar = market, beli = buy, ikan = fish )
# I go to the market to buy fish.
Compared the pattern:

Bahasa Indonesia English
Saya pergi ke pasar beli ikan
Saya, tadi1 pergi ke pasar beli ikan
I go to the market to buy fish
I went to the market to buy fish
Saya akan2 pergi ke pasar beli ikan
( can be expressed with 6 English patterns )
I am going to the market to buy fish soon
I plan to go to the market to buy fish
I will go to the market to buy fish
I am going to go to the market to buy fish
I am to go to the market to buy fish
I shall go to the market to buy fish
Saya tadi jam3 2 sudah4 pergi ke pasar beli ikan

Saya besok5 jam 2 sudah pergi ke pasar beli ikan

Kemarin6 saya jam 2 sudah pergi ke pasar beli ikan

Saya sedang7 pergi ke pasar beli ikan
Dia ke pasar beli ikan
I had departed to the market at 2 o'clock to buy fish

Tomorrow at 2 o'clock I will have departed to the market ...

Yesterday at 2 o'clock I would have departed to the market ....

I am going to the market to buy fish
he/she goes to the market to buy fish
1) tadi = just now, 2) akan = to be going to, will, shall, 3) jam = time, 4) sudah = already, 5) besok = tomorrow, 6) kemarin = yesterday, 7) sedang = in progress.
Please note that whatever the subject it is applicable for the sentences without changes of verbs.

Complemental Subject / Object
Personal : him, her, them, are change with "dia, or mereka " for example:
# Wayan panggil dia = Wayan calls him/her/them
If between speakers already know the object or subject in discussion and the context is clear, dia and mereka replaceable by / -- nya /, but verb must be modified into derivative form.
# Wayan memanggilnya ( see formation by morpheme / -- nya /
# Wayan pergi bersama dia = Wayan goes with him/her
# Wayan pergi bersamanya = Wayan goes with him/her
Impersonal " It " This is not known, both in the position of subject and object replaceable by / -- nya /
# Wayan potong kayu = Wayan cuts wood
# Wayan potong kayu dan membakarnya = Wayan cut wood and burnt it ( me + bakar = to burn, dan = and )

Dgree of Comparison
The comparative, and superlative construction in bahasa Indonesia is expressed in words such as lebih = more, kurang = less, sama = comparative ( as ---- as ), and paling = the most or utmost.
# Wayan dan Made sama tinggi = Wayan is as high as Made
# Wayan lebih tinggi dari Made = Wayan is higher then Made
# Nyoman paling tinggi = Nyoman is the highest
All adjective in bahasa Indonesia can be expressed with this pattern without any changes of adjective form.

Auxiliary Words
Indonesian language does not introduce auxiliary, but it can translate with more or less the same reference as English :
* To be : is basically translated as " adalah " an intransitive word also productively used in exchange of predicate, and it can be omitted simply without changing the meaning of the sentence:
# Dia adalah guru = he is teacher
# Dia guru = he is teacher
# Mereka adalah guru dulu = They were teachers
# Mereka guru dulu = They were teachers
* Can, Able are expressed with " bisa, boleh, menjadi " Bisa and menjadi express potency, and boleh express permission and agreement.
# Dia bisa kerja = he can work
# Ini bisa jual = This can sell
# Harga bisa mahal = Price become expensive. See more with the formation of / di --- /

Morphemic Formation
Indonesian language introduces many morphemes that form the words into derivatives having different meaning according to the meaning of the infinitive. With derivative the sentence structure will be more refine and eloquent both in writing and spoken. Bahasa Indonesia introduce many morphemes :
Prefixes : me---, ber---, ke--- , ter---, di---, pe---, per---, pra---
Subfixes : ---kan, ---an, ---i, ---nya
/me---/ forms transitive and intransitive verbs
# words starting with /m/ does not got nazalitation but much need subfix /---kan/---i/ as combination except such as :
me + makan ---> memakan = eat
me + minum ---> meminum = drink
# words starting with /s/, the /s/ changed into /ny/:
me + sapu ----> menyapu = sweeping
me + serah ----> menyerah = surrender
# words starting with /t/, the /t/ changed into /n/ :
me + tebang ----> menebang = cutting
me + tendang ----> menendang = kick
# words starting with /d/, /c/ got /n/ before it:
me + dendang -----> mendendang = singing
me + dera ----> mendera = hit
me + cekal ---> mencekal = ban
# words starting with /k/, the /k/ changed into /ng/:
me + ketuk ----> mengetuk = knock
me + kejar ----> mengejar = run after
# words starting with /h/ got /ng/ before it :
me + hirup ---> menghirup = respire
me + hibah ----> menghibah = transfer
Some examples
Wayan menyapu halaman rumah = Wayan sweeps the house floor
Made menabur bunga = Made is spreading flower petals
Myoman mendera anjing = Nyoman hit the dog
Ketut mengerat padi = Ketut tie rice
Dia menghibur teman = she entertains friend
/ber---/ form intransitive verbs
ber + nounce means have ( own ):
ber + uang ---> beruang = have money
ber + adab ---> beradab = have culture ( civilized )
ber + tanggal ---> bertanggal = have date
ber + verb form intransitive verb:
ber + sua ---> bersua = meeting
ber + gema ---> bergema = echoing
ber = deru ---> berderu = noisy
Phoneme does not get nazalization or changes after conjugated with infinitive except:
ber + ajar ---> belajar = learning
ber + kerja ---> bekerja = working
For beginner it is dangerous to use this prefix since it is not all words can be fixed with this morpheme, and if miss-fixed will result a real funny word, especially with verbs. Unfortunately there is no rule which is to be fixed and which is not. Only dictionary can tell learner.
# ber + repeated word form adverb
ber + angan-angan ---> berangan-angan = being obsessed
ber + api-api ---> berapi-api = with anthusiastically
ber + senang-senang ---> bersenang-senang = joyfully
ber + angsur-angsur ---> berangsur-angsur = gradually
/ke --- / forms passive verb and superlative composition
# /ter --- / + adjective forms superlative comparison
ter + kuat ---> terkuat = the strongest
ter + kecil ----> terkecil = the smallest
ter + tinggi ---> tertinggi = the highest
# / ter --- / verb meanin unintentional action
ter + injak ----> terinjak = unintentionally stepped
ter + antuk ----> terantuk = unintentionally collided
# / ter ---- / + verb forms passive
ter + motivasi ----> termotivasi = motivated
ter + kejar ---> terkejar = caught up
ter + sapu ----> tersapu = swept
/ di --- / + verb forms passive
Some words combination with / ---i / but it is no rule to which verb it is necessary to be combined, can only be learnt by studying more context in sentences. Please do not combine them without knowing a clear context as it can mean various meanings.
di + pukul ---> dipukul = being hit
di + tulis ----> ditulis = written
di + angkut ---> diangkut = transported
di + makan ---> dimakan = eaten
See pukul and tulis, dipukul or dipukuli need preposition " oleh ( by ) ". Example : Anjing dipukul/dipukuli oleh Ketut ( the dog is bitten by Ketut _. But ditulis and ditulisi refer different actions. Ditulis means written, such as the article is written by Made. Ditulisi is a passive word put more stress on the means or material which is written. For example : Kertas itu ditulisi huruf Bali ( That paper is scratched with Balinese alphabet ). Also using / ---i / must be careful since if it is miss-conjugated with certain words it will form a very funny word in the ears of Indonesian.
/pe --- / forms actor and noun
# pe + verb form actor
pe + kerja ---> pekerja = worker / labour
pe + lancong ----> pelancong = traveler
# pe + verb + an form noun
pe + kerja + an ----> pekerjaan = work / assignment
pe + lancong + an ---> pelancongan = travel
/ per --- / in combination with subfix / --- an / or / --- kan / forms noun of action ( gerund )
# per + verb + kan forms noun
per + baik + an ---> perbaikan = renovation
per + juang + an ---> perjuangan = struggle ( noun of transitive action )
per + juang + kan ----> perjuangkan = struggle ( imperative )
# per + verb + an forms noun from intransitive verb
per + seteru + an ---> perseteruan = conflict
per + kembang + an ----> perkembangan = development
per + selisih + an ---> perselisihan = conflict

/ --- i / + verb forms passive or refer to the direct object
The use of this subfix must be very selective and must be reconsidered to the real composition which is already well known to avoid funny expression in the ears of Indonesian
# derivative + -- i forms transitive
me + saing + i ---> menyaingi = to compete
me + perang + i ---> memerangi = to attack
/ di --- / + verb forms passive, but some words need combination with / --- i /
di + ambil ---> diambil = taken
di + angkut ---> diangkut = transported
di + duduk + i ---> diduduki = seated/colonized
di + duduk + kan ---> didudukkan = seated/established
di + kabar + i ---> dikabari = informed ( the subject being informed )
di + kabar + kan ---> dikabarkan = informed ( the news being published )
The difference can be seen as follows:
Wayan didudukkan di atas kursi = Wayan is seated on the chair
Kursi diduduki oleh Wayan = The chair is seated by Wayan
/ --- nya / forms noun of possessive or process or quality, verb must be derivative
# Adjective + nya forms possessive
tinggi + nya ---> tingginya = its height
besar + nya ---> besarnya = its grandeur
merah + nya ---> merahnya = its redness
# Verb derivative + nya forms process or quality pe + kerja + an + nya ---> pekerjaannya = his/her/their work
pe + kerja + an + nya ---> pengerjaannya = process / quality of his/her work
pe + atur + an + nya ---> peraturannya = its rules
Example :
Pengerjaanya bagus = its work is good
Peraturannya ketat = its rule is rigid
Multiple Combination In the formation of verb into derivative Indonesian introduces multiple phoneme combination. This formation is considered creating beautiful language to hear and read. This is indeed can not be simply explained in term of grammatical rule as this is developed very personally and has given public acknowledgement by the Indonesian speaking society. As a result not all morphemes can be combined imitating already well known combination. Just for some examples are given as follows:
pe + periksa + an + nya ----> pemeriksaannya = the process of checking
me + ke + depan + kan + nya ---> mengedepankannya = propose or bring forward
me + per + tinggi + kan + nya ---> mempertinggikannya = the action of making high
me + per + dengar + kan + nya ---> memperdengarkannya = announce openly or make presentation
Question Words Siapa = who, apa = what, mana = which, dimana = where, kenapa = why, kapan = when
On use spoken or written often subfixed with /--- kah / to give more emphasize
The difference from English is question about name. Indonesian uses who while English uses what. Siapa itu ? = who is that has the same meaning with siapakah itu? Siapa nama anda ?= What is your name ?

Bali Age People and Villages
Bali Artists and Works
Bali Black Magic Trace
Bali Coffee
Bali Cuisines
Bali Double Ikat Clothing
Bali Fruit Salak
Bali Museum
Balinese, the people of Bali
Bali Painting Art
Bali Rose Flower
Bali Holidays
Bali Symbols the Pratima
Bali Temples Others
Bali War Dance
Bali Writing Craft
Balinese House
Balinese Kinship
Balinese Language
Balinese Naming Tradition
Banjar, the smallest Settlement Unit of Bali
Banten, the offering of Bali
Batukaru Temple
Beaches of Bali
Besakih Temple
Bureucracy of Traditional Bali
Castes, the Social Layer of Bali
Dialect of Bali Language
Erau Festival Kalimantan
Chinese Early Trace
Gua Gajah Temple
Gua Lawah Temple
Healing, the traditional medicament of Bali
History of Bali island
Java Traditional Events
Kamasan Painting Style
Keris a long dagger of magic weapon
Kulkul Bali traditional bell
Leak witch craft known in Bali
Mariage of Bali a long process of ritual
Myth or Fact Rajapurana
Ngaben and Cremation ceremony of Bali
Pasola and Reba Feasts
Sacred dance of Bali
Subak the organization of rice irrigation
Tajen Balinese Tranditional Gambling
Taman Ayun Temple
Tanah Lot Temple
Tirta Empul Temple
Ubud Painting and carving Art
Ulun Danu Temple
Uluwatu Temple
Yeh Pulu Temple

More Articles on Indonesia
Various Ethnic Tradition of Indonesia - From Sumatra to West Papua
Amed Bali Hotels
Denpasar City Hotels
Candidasa Hotels
Jimbaran Hotels
Kuta Bali Hotels
Kintamani Hotels
Krobokan Bali Hotels
Lovina Bali Hotels
Legian Bali Hotels
Lembongan Hotels
Nusa Dua Hotels
Sanur Bali Hotels
Seminyak Hotels
Tuban Hotels
Ubud Bali Hotels
Padangbai Hotels
See more Bali Hotel List
Bali Island Rich Culture Tours
Flores Island of Hobbit 3-lakes
Java Island Tour Selection
Komodo Dragon Expedition
Lombok the Sister Island of Bali
North Sumatra Island Tours
Orangutans Bohorok Sumatra
Orangutans Camp Leakey
Toraja Land South Sulawesi
West Papua Adventures
Table of Distances on Bali

Villas in Bali
Bali Liburan Murah


Below list selected budget and cheap hotels of Bali.

Kuta Central City
Legian Town
Nusa Dua Area
Sanur area
Seminyak Area
Tuban Town
Ubud and Surrounding
Travel links01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08
Travel to Australia - Bali - Indonesia - Czech Republic - Egypt - China - France - Germany - Holland - India - Italy
Japan - Poland - Russia - Singapore - Spain - Thailand - Turkey - UK - USA
travel01 travel02 travel03 travel04 travel05 travel06 travel07 travel08 travel09 travel10