Positive:
- Effective methods
- Extra resources to reinforce learning.
Negative:
- Some of the sentences are unnatural to Indonesian speakers
- Only available for beginners
Summary:
Pimsleur Indonesian is a good choice to start your learning journey. Its method is effective and has additional materials in addition to the audio lessons. However, be prepared for unnatural phrases and limited content if you plan to advance further.
Let’s discuss the good and the bad one by one.
Scientifically proven method
Pimsleur uses its proven method of audio-based learning, focusing on repetition and gradual introduction of new words and phrases. This approach is especially effective for beginners who want to develop their listening and speaking skills quickly. As a language learner myself, I use this a lot, and I believe that this technique contributes to me being fluent in English.
Supplementary Learning Materials
The platform includes additional resources to reinforce learning, such as flashcards and quick quizzes. These tools help you retain what they’ve practiced.
Some of the Sentences sound very unnatural
While the lessons are practical, some sentences sound unnatural to Indonesian speakers. In my opinion, this is the biggest drawback as you want to learn what native speakers say.
Before I list all unnatural sentences, let me point out some of the very authentic ones that I don’t see quite often in language learning programs.
- The use of forms of address ‘ibu (mother/mrs)’ and ‘bapak (father/Mr)’ to replace the pronoun ‘you’. This is a common courtesy in Indonesian culture to use these words, especially for strangers.
- Raising a voice when asking a question, for example: ‘You understand English?’. This is how we ask questions in spoken Indonesian without the formal ‘apakah (yes/no question starter like do, does, is, are, am in English).
Now, let’s talk about sentences that sound unnatural to Indonesian speakers.
- Ibu mengerti bahasa Inggris? = Do you understand English? (lit: mrs understand English?)
Although this sentence is grammatically correct, this is not how Indonesians ask if people speak English. We simply say ‘Bisa bahasa Inggris?’, literally means ‘can English?’
- Ibu mau rencana apa sekarang? = What is your plan now?, (lit: mrs wants to plan what now?)
Rencana is a noun which means ‘plan’. The verb is berencana (to plan) and merencanankan (to plan something). However, to ask Indonesians ‘what is your plan today?’, we would say ‘ada acara apa hari ini?’ which literally means ‘There are events what today?’
- Jam 5? Jam lima terlambat. = At 5? 5 is late.
Terlambat is used for late as in ‘not coming on time’. For this context of ‘too late in the afternoon’, we say kesorean (base word: sore) which literally means ‘too afternoon’. Affix ke-an when attached to an adjective, it means ‘too’, for example:
Kekecilan (base word: kecil) = too small
Kemahalan (base word: mahal) = too expensive
- Jam delapan? Telat sekali. = at 8? Very late.
Telat is synonymous with terlambat, but again this is not used for expressing too late at night. In this case, we wold say ‘kemalaman’ which means too late at night (lit: too night).
- Anda akan beli apa? = What do you want to buy? (lit: You want to buy what?)
The formal ‘Anda’ is fine when talking to strangers or respected adults, but not between married couples. You’d never use ‘Anda’ with your spouse—unless you’re joking. In real life, Indonesians replace ‘Anda’ with terms like ‘Bapak’ (Father) or ‘Ibu’ (Mother) instead..
- Rute apa saya ambil pergi ke Jakarta? = What route do I need to take to go to Jakarta.
This sentence is understandable but sounds odd. We would say ‘ke Jakarta, lewat rute mana?’ which literally means ‘To Jakarta, pass route which?’
- Pergi ke kanan di sana.= Go to the right over there.
Again, it’s understandable, but we would say ‘belok kanan di sana’ (turn right over there) or simply ‘ke kanan di sana’ (to the right over there).
Only has beginner-level course
Another drawback Pimsleur Indonesian has is that they only have beginner course, unlike other popular languages.
I hope this review has been useful to you. To see it for yourself, you can take their 7-day free trial. Selamat belajar – happy learning!
