Questions

Indonesian Lesson 9 (Questions and Misunderstanding)

Duration: 30 mins

This 9th lesson teaches an important aspect in Indonesian which is the interrogative form also called questions. In addition, there is a list of vocabulary terms about misunderstanding and finally some commonly used phrases. I will try to give examples using both vocabulary and grammar. That way it will be easy for you to see the words when they are separate and when they are in a sentence. Going through the whole page should take about 30 min. Make sure to read the pronunciation and hear the audio as well. If you have any question about this course, please email me directly at Indonesian Classes.

Questions

Being able to ask questions is what makes us curious beings, which in turns broadens our knowledge. It is no different when it comes to learning Indonesian. You will always be asking questions, and the following are some tools to help you in that quest.

The following are the 5 Ws + "how" commonly used adverbs to express the interrogative form. Most likely, whenever a question needs to be asked, one of them should be used. The table contains 3 columns (English, Indonesian, and Audio). Make sure you repeat each word after hearing it by either clicking on the audio button or by reading the pronunciation. That should help with memorization as well as improving your pronunciation.

Interrogative Form in Indonesian

Questions Indonesian Audio
How?Bagaimana?
What?Apa?
When?Kapan?
Where?Dimana?
Who?Siapa?
Why?Mengapa?

Now we will try to implement the adverbs above into full Indonesian sentences. That way you will be able to use the word not only by itself but embedded in a structure.

Indonesian Questions in a Sentence

Can I come?Boleh saya ikut?
Can I help you?Bisa saya bantu?
Can you help me?Boleh minta tolong?
Do you know her?Anda mengenali dia?
Do you speak English?Bisa berbahasa Inggris?
How difficult is it?Berapa suli itu?
How far is this?Berapa jauh ini?
How much is this?Ini berapa?
How would you like to pay?Bagaimana mau bayar?
What is this called?apa nama ini?
What is your name?Siapa nama Anda/kamu?
What time is it?Jam berapa saat ini?
When can we meet?Kapan kita bisa bertemu?
Where do you live?Di mana Anda tinggal?
Who is knocking at the door?Siapa yang ketok pintu?
Why is it expensive?Mengapa itu mahal?

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact me using the Indonesian contact form on the header above.

Vocabulary List about Misunderstanding

There are times when you will not understand what a person said in Indonesian, or simply that you want them to repeat a word. The following are 24 expressions used to clear misunderstandings. Very essential to any conversation!

Misunderstanding in Indonesian

Misunderstanding Indonesian Audio
Can you repeat?Dapatkah Anda mengulangi ?
Can you speak slowly?Dapatkan Anda berbicara perlahan ?
Did you understand what I said?Apakah Anda mengerti apa yang saya katakan?
Don't worry!Jangan khawatir.
Excuse me? (i.e. I beg your pardon?)Permisi
How do you say "OK" in French?OK bahasa Perancisnya apa?
I don't know!Saya tidak tahu.
I don't understand!Saya tidak mengerti.
I need to practice my FrenchSaya perlu latihan bahasa Perancis.
Is that right?Apakah itu benar?
Is that wrong?Apakah itu salah?
MistakeKesalahan.
My French is badBahasa Perancis saya buruk.
No problem!Tidak masalah
QuicklyCepat.
SlowlyPerlahan-lahan
Sorry (to apologize)Maaf
To speakBerbicara.
What does that word mean in English?Apa arti kata tersebut dalam Bahasa Inggris?
What is this?Ini apa?
What should I say?Apa yang harus saya katakan?
What?Apa
What's that called in French?Bagaimana kita menyebutnya dalam bahasa Prancis?
Write it down please!Mohon ditulis.

Daily Conversation in Indonesian

Finally, a list of some common phrases that you might come across from time to time. For a complete list of commonly used sentences, please visit our Indonesian Phrases page. Enjoy!

Common Expressions in Indonesian

English Indonesian Audio
ThisIni
ThatItu
HereDi sini
ThereDi sana
In The MorningPagi hari
In the eveningSore hari
At NightMalam hari
Really!Masa sih?
Look!Lihat
Hurry up!Cepat

Fun Facts

Language Quote: The oldest written language was believed to be written in about 4500 BC.

Congratulations! You finished your 9th lesson in Indonesian about questions, and misunderstanding. Are you ready for the next lesson? We recommend Indonesian Lesson 10. You can also simply click on one of the links below or go back to our Learn Indonesian homepage.