Learn Indonesian from Italian, Free, at PBC Languages
Free Indonesian classes for Italian speakers at PBC Languages: small native-led groups plus 1-to-1 exchanges, half Indonesian half Italian.
Create your free accountNo card needed. Exchanges between members are always free.
Indonesian spelling is close to phonetic, so once you learn the rules you can read almost anything out loud correctly, which is a relief after Italian's exceptions. The trap is the letter 'c': in Italian it changes sound depending on the vowel that follows (cane vs cena), but in Indonesian 'c' is always pronounced like the Italian 'c' in 'cena', no matter what comes next. So 'cara' (which means 'way' or 'method' in Indonesian) is pronounced 'ciara', not 'kara' as an Italian eye wants to read it. The schwa sound in words like 'besar' (big) also throws people off, since Italian never reduces its vowels that way, and word-initial 'ng' (as in 'ngobrol', to chat) doesn't exist in Italian at all.
Grammar is where an Italian speaker actually has an edge: there's no verb conjugation to memorize, no gender, and adjectives go after the noun just like in Italian, so 'rumah besar' (big house) feels natural in a way it wouldn't to an English speaker. What Italians tend to calque badly is the prefix and suffix system: 'me-', 'ber-', 'di-', '-kan', '-i' change meaning and function in ways that have no equivalent in Italian conjugation, so you can't just guess by analogy. Plurals through reduplication ('buku-buku' for books) also feel odd at first, because the instinct is to look for something like an Italian plural ending.
Where you gain speed fastest is basic conversation, because pronunciation clicks quickly and sentence order rarely needs correcting. Where you slow down is precision with affixes, which is exactly the kind of thing that's hard to fix alone and easier to correct live, in a small group class with a native teacher or in a 1-to-1 exchange where you get corrected mid-sentence instead of memorizing rules from a book.
Words you will actually hear
| Here | Elsewhere | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| pesta | festa | Almost the same word and the same meaning, party. One of the easiest wins you'll get. |
| tenda | tenda | False friend: in Indonesian it means tent, in Italian it means curtain. |
| kamar | camera | Both come from the same Portuguese root and both mean room. Recognizable at first listen. |
| sekolah | scuola | Similar sound, same meaning, school. Comes through Portuguese colonial contact. |
| bendera | bandiera | Flag in both languages, close enough in sound that you'll guess it right the first time. |
| kereta | carretto | Indonesian kereta now mostly means train, while Italian carretto is a small cart. Same root, meaning drifted. |
| nona | nonna | False friend and a fun one: nona in Indonesian means young unmarried woman or miss, nonna in Italian means grandmother. |
| kartu | carta | Kartu means card (like an ID card), close to the Italian word for paper or card. |
| restoran | ristorante | Modern loanword, same meaning, restaurant, easy to recognize in writing and in speech. |
How it works here
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Sign up and say your level
Two minutes. If you do not know your level, we place you in the first class.
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Pick a class or an exchange
Classes are led by a native teacher. An exchange is with another member: half the time in their language, half in yours.
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Join by video, nothing to install
From your phone or your computer. If you cannot make it, cancel and get your place back.
Questions about this
How long does it take an Italian speaker to hold a basic conversation in Indonesian?
It depends entirely on how often you practice speaking, not just studying grammar rules. Because pronunciation is straightforward and word order isn't fighting you, most people get to simple daily conversation faster than they expect once they start doing regular 1-to-1 exchanges instead of only reading.
Is the 1-to-1 exchange actually free?
Yes. You spend half an hour speaking Indonesian and half an hour speaking Italian with another member, so both people are teaching and learning at the same time. Nobody pays for that half, since it's a direct trade of time and language, not a paid lesson.
What level do I need to join a group class or start an exchange?
For the small group classes with a native teacher, absolute beginners are welcome since the teacher adapts the pace. For the 1-to-1 exchange, it helps to know a handful of basic phrases in Indonesian so the half hour isn't just you listening, but you don't need to be fluent to start.
How exactly is the hour split in an exchange between Indonesian and Italian?
Thirty minutes in Indonesian, thirty in Italian, and you switch roles: when it's your Italian half, you're the native reference correcting the other person, and when it's the Indonesian half, they correct you. It's a straightforward swap, not a lesson where one side just talks the whole time.
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