Last updated: September 30, 2026
Pimsleur Indonesian: one level, 30 lessons
The short answer
Pimsleur publishes exactly one level of Indonesian: 30 lessons of about 30 minutes, roughly 15 hours of audio. There is no Level 2 — for comparison, Pimsleur French runs to five levels and 150 lessons. Those 30 lessons are excellent at what the method does best: getting you to say things out loud with good pronunciation from day one, with no screen and no textbook. They cover the start of A1 — Pimsleur itself publishes no CEFR level for the course. It is a strong first 15 hours, and then it ends.
Is there a Pimsleur Indonesian Level 2?
No. People search for it, which is exactly why it is worth saying plainly. Every catalogue that carries the course — Pimsleur's app, Audible, public library platforms — lists Indonesian Level 1 only, sold as six volumes of five lessons. Where the flagship languages continue to Levels 2, 3, 4 and 5, Indonesian stops after lesson 30. If you are finishing lesson 25 and wondering what comes next, the answer is: another course.
What is actually in the 30 lessons?
Each lesson is a 30-minute audio session built around a short conversation. You hear a phrase, you are prompted to say it, and the same material comes back at spaced intervals until it sticks. Pimsleur's own description of its offer is candid: « no textbooks, no grammar lessons ». Everything is carried by listening and repeating.
Here is how the Indonesian course compares with a flagship Pimsleur language:
| Pimsleur course | What is published |
|---|---|
| Indonesian | 1 level — 30 lessons, about 15 hours of audio |
| French (for comparison) | 5 levels — 150 lessons |
| Grammar explanations | None by design — « no grammar lessons », in Pimsleur's own words |
| CEFR level stated by Pimsleur | None. Our estimate for 15 hours: the beginning of A1 |
What Pimsleur Indonesian does brilliantly
Within its 15 hours, Pimsleur does something most apps — ours included — do not do as well:
- It makes you speak from the first minute. You are not recognising words on a screen, you are producing them out loud, which is the skill every other method postpones.
- Pronunciation. Hearing native speakers and repeating on cue builds a better accent early than any amount of reading. Indonesian is phonetic, and Pimsleur makes the most of it.
- It is genuinely hands-free. A commute, a walk or the washing-up becomes study time — no screen, no typing, nothing to look at.
Where it stops, and why that matters
The CEFR scale runs from A1 to C2, and what most people mean by « speaking Indonesian » is B1: following a conversation at natural speed. Fifteen hours of audio is a small fraction of the way there — reaching B1 takes a few hundred hours, whatever the method. And with no reading, no writing and no grammar track, there is nothing in the format to carry you further even if more lessons existed. That is a property of the method, not a flaw in the Indonesian course. Pimsleur is a very good way to start speaking; it is not built to take you to a conversation.
See how far each Indonesian app takes youWhy is Pimsleur so expensive for Indonesian?
Pimsleur sells access, not courses: a Premium subscription for one language, or All Access for its 50+ languages. Nothing on its offer page scales the fee to the length of the course — so a month of Indonesian, with one level, is priced like a month of a language with five. The fair way to judge it is cost per hour of content: divide what you pay by the hours you get. For Indonesian, that is about 15 hours in total. If you work through one lesson a day, you will have finished the whole course within about a month — which is the one situation where the subscription makes sense. Check the current price at checkout; it varies by country and plan.
What to do after Pimsleur
Keep the speaking reflex Pimsleur gave you, and add the three things it deliberately leaves out:
- 1
Learn to read and write what you can already say
Indonesian spelling is phonetic, so this is fast — but it is what unlocks everything else: messages, signs, subtitles, and any course beyond the basics.
- 2
Add the grammar, especially the affixes
Pimsleur teaches phrases, not the system behind them. Indonesian is built on prefixes and suffixes (me-, ber-, di-, -kan, -an): learning how they work multiplies the vocabulary you already have.
- 3
Move to a course that continues past A2
Check the published syllabus before paying. For Indonesian, most apps stop at A2 — so make sure the next step actually goes further than the one you are leaving.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Pimsleur Indonesian Level 2?+
No. Pimsleur publishes a single level of Indonesian — 30 lessons — while its flagship languages such as French run to five levels and 150 lessons. After lesson 30 you need another course.
How many lessons does Pimsleur Indonesian have?+
Thirty lessons of about 30 minutes each, roughly 15 hours of audio, sold as Level 1 in six volumes of five lessons.
What CEFR level does Pimsleur Indonesian reach?+
Pimsleur does not publish one. Our estimate is the beginning of A1: 15 hours of audio covers greetings, basic questions, numbers and simple exchanges, but not the reading, writing and grammar that a full A1 includes.
Is Pimsleur Indonesian worth it?+
For someone who wants to start speaking quickly and learns best by ear — yes, especially if you finish the 30 lessons within a month of subscription. As a path to conversation, no: the course ends after 15 hours and has no grammar or reading track.
Why is Pimsleur so expensive?+
Because it sells subscription access rather than individual courses, and the fee does not shrink for a language with one level. Judge it by cost per hour: for Indonesian, you get about 15 hours of content in total.
Pimsleur or Babbel for Indonesian?+
Pimsleur for speaking and pronunciation without a screen; Babbel for structured lessons with grammar explained. Pimsleur covers the start of A1 in 30 lessons, Babbel goes up to A2 by its own account. Neither reaches conversational B1 in Indonesian.
Related reading
- ➜ italki vs Preply for Indonesian: what tutors actually cost
- ➜ Best app to learn Indonesian: which one gets you past A2?
- ➜ Babbel Indonesian review: good, but it stops at A2
- ➜ Indonesian alphabet and pronunciation
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