A crazy thing

I have done a very crazy thing.....in regards to my workload.
We have signed up for Bahasa Indonesian lessons twice a week, a total of three hours per week.
This in in addition to working and studying full time....my brain is fizzing!

I have a huge vocabulary of Indonesian words but do not know all the joining words
EG want, it, is, in, all, now, the, all etc.
I can ask simple questions etc and make myself understood, but is not speaking properly, just stringing words together.
I want to be fluent.

Bahasa Indonesian lessons

I have started my Bahasa Indonesian lessons.
I have picked up many words in the last few months but have not managed to get any joining word to make sentences.

Wow, it is going to be hard work.

Here is a small sample that I have tabled (formatting didn't make it) from my first lesson. I am putting all words that I learn in to an excel spread sheet, printing it out and carrying it every where with me.

Aku use with friends and kids I, Me My, Mine 1st person singular
Anda polite You, your, yours 2nd person singular
Apa what Vocabulary
Apa kabar how are you? Vocabulary
Apakah ?, makes a question at front of sentence Vocabulary
Apakak ? Whether? In middle of sentence Vocabulary
Ayah Father Addressing/titles 2nd person singular
Bagus Good well fine, thing Vocabulary
Baik Good well fine, person Vocabulary
Banyak much, many
Bapak Superior, formal, male Addressing/titles 2nd person singular
Beliau respected older person, eg principle , minister He she it 3rd person singular


I spend all my time at work teaching the phonic sounds of the English language, it is so hard to switch off that part of my brain.

For example

• English E = e as in egg
• Bahasa E = a as in hay
• English C = c as in cat
• Bahasa C = ch as in church

The course seems to have between 150 - 200 new words to learn each week....in an hour an a half lesson.......All the Indonesian teachers at school are helping me, unfortunately every one has slightly different meanings or translations.