The most important phrases to get conversational in a new language - Pertanyaan! (30 days of Indonesian - Day 4)

I always tell my students that they can start speaking after a day or two of study. If they are bold enough, they can start after just a few minutes of study. Questions are the easiest way to jump into being able to have a conversation.

This is much easier online, through text, because we can check the meaning of the reply. Then when you see new words you don't know, you can write them down and next time you will recognize them.

I try not to pile on too many questions at once. Usually I do one or two question patterns a day, and sometimes one a day if I'm busy or if it's complicated. Luckily Indonesian isn't that complicated so I can do two a day.

I'll try to challenge myself a bit with vocabulary while I learn How and Where.

Lama tidak bertemu!

Bagaimana harimu?
Hariku lambat

Bagaimana cuacanya?
Pansas di Tokyo

Di mana kampung halamanmu?
kampung halamanku di New york.

Bagaimana kampung halamanmu?
Kampung halamanmu bosan, karena Corona. Mereka tidak keluar.

Di mana tempat favoritmu?
Tempat favoritku Dali, Cina. Saya suka alam.

Di mana kamar kecil?
hanya bercanda ;-)

I've been watching a lot of Vice documentaries, but I feel a bit bad because now I know all the controversial stuff in the country before I know anything else. Vice can be really informative but if you don't balance it with some daily life stuff, you think the country is crazy. I know that is not the daily life of most people in Indonesia, don't worry, but it's really important to know the controversial topics of a country too.

Japan's hikkikomori (shut ins) or karoushi (work related deaths) are not people you will likely encounter but they can help you to understand something about the country's people, even if they are really extreme example. American fraternities or even gangs are another good example of a way to peek inside the culture through one minority group or subculture. If you look at a variety of these, along with some daily life stuff, you can begin to see a bigger picture. It's important not to make too many assumptions though and to hear locals opinions on these.

Then again it's good to take your time with these because you need to learn what topics are taboo and what might offend someone. I have found Indonesians on the internet to be quite open-minded and accepting of my thoughts so far though.

Selamat datang di Language Exchange Community!. datang berbicara bahasa Inggris dan Indonesia dengan saya!

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