Top 10 Indonesian Mistakes English Speakers Make

The single most common mistake is pronouncing the letter "C" as "s" or "k" (like in English, French, or Spanish). In Indonesian, "C" always sounds like "ch" in "chair". Saying "sinta" instead of "CHIN-tah" for love is the #1 tell that someone is a beginner. Fix this on day one.

Frequently. Indonesian and Malay share 80% mutual intelligibility but differ in vocabulary (mobil vs kereta for "car"), spelling (uang vs wang for "money"), and formality levels. Using Malay vocabulary in Indonesian conversation is understandable but marks you as a learner. Stick to Indonesian sources if you're learning Indonesian specifically.

It depends on context. "Kamu" (you) is casual/informal and fine among friends, younger people, or children. With strangers, elders, or in formal situations, use "Anda" (formal you) or refer to the person by their role ("Pak" for older men, "Bu" for older women, "Mas" for young men, "Mbak" for young women). Default to the more formal option when uncertain.

Because English lacks an equivalent system. In Indonesian, attaching "me-" or "di-" to a root changes the word's grammatical role (active vs passive), while "ber-" and "-kan" change meaning or intent. Learners often omit affixes entirely or use them incorrectly. The solution: memorize common verbs in their full me-/di- forms from day one rather than the bare root.

Five habits: (1) using English word order for adjectives ("big house" instead of "house big"); (2) trying to mark plurals (adding -s, or saying "banyak buku-buku" which is redundant); (3) translating literally ("I am hungry" → "Saya adalah lapar" instead of simply "Saya lapar"); (4) using the English "r" instead of the Indonesian rolled R; (5) forgetting to use time markers to express tense.