Top Mistakes Indonesian Learners Make and Fixes

Level: Intermediate (but useful from the start). Indonesian grammar is simple, so most mistakes come from copying English. Here are the six that come up most, with the fix and the lesson that drills each.

By the end of this page you can…

…avoid the six English-driven errors that mark out a beginner, and know which grammar lesson fixes each.

1. English word order

In Indonesian the describing word comes after the noun — adjectives, owners and demonstratives all follow it.

• ❌ besar rumah → ✅ rumah besar (big house = “house big”).
• ❌ saya buku → ✅ buku saya (my book = “book my”).
• ❌ ini buku (for “this book”) → ✅ buku ini.

Fix: see Indonesian noun and adjective order, Indonesian Possession and Indonesian Demonstratives: ini and itu.

2. tidak vs bukan

Indonesian has two “no” words and they are not interchangeable: tidak negates verbs and adjectives; bukan negates nouns.

• ❌ Saya bukan makan → ✅ Saya tidak makan. (“I don’t eat” — a verb.)
• ❌ Dia tidak guru → ✅ Dia bukan guru. (“He is not a teacher” — a noun.)

Fix: drill the split in Negation: tidak and bukan.

3. Adding an unnecessary “adalah”

Indonesian usually needs no word for “is” in a simple sentence linking a subject to a noun or adjective.

• ❌ Dia adalah lapar → ✅ Dia lapar. (“She is hungry.”)
• ❌ Saya adalah guru (stiff) → ✅ Saya guru. (“I am a teacher.”)

Adalah exists, but it is for formal definitions, not everyday speech.

Fix: see Indonesian has no verb “to be”.

4. Marking plurals with -s

Indonesian nouns do not add -s. Number comes from context, a quantity word, or reduplication.

• ❌ tiga bukus → ✅ tiga buku (three books — the number already shows plural, so no reduplication either).
• ❌ books as bukus → ✅ buku-buku (books, reduplicated when there is no number).

Fix: learn when to reduplicate in Plural by reduplication.

5. Ignoring pronoun formality

Indonesian chooses pronouns by politeness. saya (I) and Anda (you) are polite and safe; aku and kamu are informal, for friends and family.

• ❌ kamu to a stranger or an elder → ✅ Anda (or a title like Bapak/Ibu).

Fix: match the pronoun to the relationship in Indonesian personal pronouns.

6. The di spelling trap

di has two jobs with two spellings: the preposition di (“at/in”) is written apart; the passive prefix di- is written joined to the verb.

• ❌ dirumah (meaning “at home”) → ✅ di rumah (preposition, separate).
• ❌ di makan (meaning “is eaten”) → ✅ dimakan (passive prefix, joined).

Fix: this is an official spelling rule (EYD); keep the preposition separate and the prefix attached.

Hear the corrected sentences

1. Rumah besar itu mahal.
   That big house is expensive.
   adjective after the noun
2. Buku saya ada di meja.
   My book is on the table.
   owner after the noun
3. Buku ini bagus.
   This book is good.
   demonstrative after the noun
4. Saya tidak makan.
   I don't eat.
   tidak for a verb
5. Dia bukan guru.
   He is not a teacher.
   bukan for a noun
6. Dia lapar.
   She is hungry.
   no 'is' needed
7. Saya guru.
   I am a teacher.
   no adalah in speech
8. Saya punya tiga buku.
   I have three books.
   number shows plural, no -s
9. Buku-buku itu baru.
   Those books are new.
   reduplication marks the plural
10. Rumah saya ada di sini.
    My house is here.
    di + place, written apart

How to say it

Indonesian spelling is very regular — one steady sound per letter:

Quick recap before the quiz.

Practice

Practice

Fix the common mistakes

Try each one, then press Check. No sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere — it all runs in your browser.

1 How do you say 'big house'?

besar rumah rumah besar rumah besarnya ini rumah besar

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rumah besar — The adjective follows the noun: rumah besar.

2 Fix: 'Saya ___ makan' (I don't eat).

bukan tidak bukankah belum tidak

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tidak — tidak negates verbs: Saya tidak makan.

3 'He is not a teacher': Dia ____ guru.

Check

Hint: guru is a noun

Show answer

bukan — bukan negates nouns: Dia bukan guru.

4 Build: 'My book is on the table.'

di mejaBukuadasaya

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Buku saya ada di meja — Owner after the noun, and di written apart: Buku saya ada di meja.

5 Match each to the right choice.

• negate a verb Match for negate a verb — choose — Andabukanbuku-bukutidak
• negate a noun Match for negate a noun — choose — Andabukanbuku-bukutidak
• polite 'you' Match for polite 'you' — choose — Andabukanbuku-bukutidak
• plural of buku Match for plural of buku — choose — Andabukanbuku-bukutidak

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• negate a verb → tidak
• negate a noun → bukan
• polite 'you' → Anda
• plural of buku → buku-buku

tidak for verbs/adjectives, bukan for nouns, Anda is polite, and reduplication makes the plural.

Quiz

Check yourself

Common Indonesian mistakes

10 questions · pick an answer and you'll see straight away if it's right.

0/10 0 answered

1. 1'big house' is…

   A besar rumah B rumah besar C rumah yang besar saja D besarnya rumah
   Show answer

   rumah besar — The adjective follows the noun: rumah besar.

2. 2'my book' is…

   A saya buku B buku saya C aku buku D buku aku saya
   Show answer

   buku saya — The owner follows the noun: buku saya.

3. 3Which negates a verb?

   A bukan B tidak C belum bukan D jangan bukan
   Show answer

   tidak — tidak negates verbs and adjectives.

4. 4'He is not a teacher' uses…

   A tidak B bukan C belum D tak jadi
   Show answer

   bukan — A noun is negated with bukan: Dia bukan guru.

5. 5'She is hungry' is…

   A Dia adalah lapar B Dia lapar C Dia ada lapar D Dia itu adalah lapar
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   Dia lapar — No 'is' needed: Dia lapar.

6. 6How is a plural usually marked without a number?

   A add -s B reduplication (buku-buku) C add itu D nothing is possible
   Show answer

   reduplication (buku-buku) — Reduplication: buku-buku = books.

7. 7'three books' is…

   A tiga bukus B tiga buku-buku C tiga buku D buku tiga-tiga
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   tiga buku — A number already shows plural: tiga buku (no -s, no reduplication).

8. 8The polite word for 'you' is…

   A kamu B Anda C aku D engkau
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   Anda — Anda is polite; kamu is informal.

9. 9'at home' (preposition, separate): ____ rumah.
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   di — The preposition di is written apart: di rumah.

10. 10Which is spelled correctly for 'is eaten' (passive)?

    A di makan B dimakan C di-makan D makan di
    Show answer

    dimakan — The passive prefix di- joins the verb: dimakan.

Fix one at a time

• Word order: noun and adjective order, possession, ini and itu
• Negation: tidak and bukan
• No “to be”: Indonesian has no verb “to be”
• Plurals: plural by reduplication

Next

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