Become Fluent in the Indonesian Language with These 5 Tips!

Hello G’Youths!

The year 2020 has been both a long and short year for many of us. Without realizing it, the holiday season is already near! Have you made plans already for the holidays?

If not, we suggest you a unique way to spend the holidays at home; learn the Indonesian language!

Speaking fluently and confidently is the ultimate dream of language learners. Of course, everyone wants to master the language they are learning as quickly as possible, including Indonesian language learners. But how do you do that?

In this article, we would like to share with you five tips to get a basic grasp of the Indonesian language and get more fluent in it!

1. Get a dedicated notebook

Getting a dedicated notebook to learn Bahasa Indonesia and personalize it with your own style, drawings, and colors will help you remember the language easier.

Also, you will get more creative too! You can also try writing some kind of diary or a blog where everything you feel like expressing has to be in the Indonesian language.

First, it will be hard because you might find that there are some expressions that you can’t find the words to express in Indonesian.

If you are in this position, it is a great opportunity to open your dictionary and find the right word you are looking for and learn new vocabularies.

2. Listen to Indonesian music

To learn a new language does not always mean that you need to apply strict rules to yourself. Listening to music is one of the most popular ways to relax and recollect your mind.

In fact, music can also be a great source to study a new language like Indonesian. Discover your new favorite Indonesian songs through the internet and slowly it will help you to comprehend what the artists are singing about.

It might sound like gibberish on the first listen, but song after song you will start to recognize the words and mimic the accent.

Try to read the lyrics as you listen to the song, and find the translation of it. You might find some common words they use. Write the words or phrases that you don’t know and translate them.

3. Find Indonesian great movies

The more you watch Indonesian movies, the more you will understand the language and the accent. Watching a movie is not only entertaining but also educating.

You can get a better understanding of the Indonesian way of life, morals, and of course, the language itself. You might want to begin with watching ‘easier’ movies like cartoons or anything else for children where the language is not that complicated.

The use of the Indonesian language in movies will help you to learn the way that words are pronounced or the intonation of the voices when the actors speak in Indonesian. If you want to take it to the next level, try to watch the movie without English subtitles or use Indonesian subtitles instead.

4. Read out loud and mimic

Don’t be afraid of making mistakes when you are learning a new language. Try to mimic a native speaker while you’re doing this. This tip can also be done while watching movies.

Pause the movie frequently and mimic the speech of the actors. For example, if you like a line from a certain scene, pause that part let the mimic begin. By doing this, your accent will start to sound more similar to the person you are mimicking.

5. Talk to native speakers

The most important and probably the most effective way to get fluent in any language is to find a friend who you can talk to in the language you are currently learning.

Try to have a conversation in Indonesian with native speakers, and ask them to give you feedback on things that you’ve said right or wrong. Having a conversation with native speakers can help you to not only understand the accent better but also allows you to mimic the accent and gain confidence while you’re speaking with it.

This is a quality you might not get when you only listen to music or watch movies. In this era of the pandemic, it could be difficult to meet new people, but this method can also be done with friends you meet online.

You can find native Indonesian speakers online through language exchange applications or websites such as Tandem, HelloTalk, Speaky, and iTalky.

Those are the five powerful tips to get fluent in Indonesian quickly. Certainly, the more time you invest or spend to learn the Indonesian language, the faster you will progress.

Did you find any of our tips helpful? What are the things that helped you the most when it comes to learning a new language? Let us know!