Language/Indonesian/Grammar/Nouns

Indonesian Grammar - Nouns

Hi Indonesian learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will explore the basics of Indonesian nouns, including their grammatical rules, gender, and ways to form plurals. We will also discuss some cultural aspects related to Indonesian nouns. Don't forget to take notes and practice a lot! 📝🔉

Don't hesitate to look into these other pages after completing this lesson: Comaratives and Superlatives, Basic Grammar, How to Use Be & Past Tense.

Indonesian Nouns

Nouns are one of the pillars of any language, as they denote people, places, things, and ideas. In Indonesian, nouns are quite straightforward, as they don't change their form according to gender, number, or case. However, there are still some rules that you need to know to use Indonesian nouns efficiently.

Classification of Indonesian Nouns

Indonesian nouns can be classified into concrete and abstract. Concrete nouns refer to tangible objects or entities, such as animals, fruits, or buildings, while abstract nouns denote more intangible concepts, such as emotions, qualities, or ideas.

Another relevant classification of Indonesian nouns is based on their origin, as they can be either native or borrowed. Native nouns are those that have their roots in Indonesian, while borrowed nouns are those that come from other languages, such as Dutch, Arabic, or Sanskrit. Borrowed nouns usually follow some phonetic adaptation to fit Indonesian pronunciation, such as the letter 'e' being pronounced as 'é' or the letter 'o' being pronounced as 'oo'.

Gender of Indonesian Nouns

Unlike some languages, such as French or Spanish, Indonesian does not use grammatical gender to classify nouns. In other words, Indonesian nouns don't have a masculine, feminine, or neutral form. However, some specific nouns that denote people or animals do imply some gender information, such as 'ayah' (father), 'ibu' (mother), or 'anak laki-laki' (son).

Plural of Indonesian Nouns

In Indonesian, the plural form of nouns is usually indicated by adding the word 'orang' (people) after the nouns. For example, to say 'students', we can use 'pelajar orang', or to say 'dogs', we can use 'anjing orang'. This construction may sound redundant, but it is a common way to specify that we are talking about multiple entities of that noun.

Another way to form plurals in Indonesian is by reduplicating the nouns. Reduplication means repeating the same word twice, with slight changes to the vowels or consonants. For example, to say 'cats', we can use 'kucing-kucing'. This method is usually used for more informal or colloquial contexts, and not all nouns can be reduplicated.

Below are some examples of Indonesian nouns, classified by their type:

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
ayam	['ajam]	chicken
buku	[buku]	book
sayur	['sajur]	vegetable
hati	['hati]	heart
kota	['kota]	city
bunga	['buŋa]	flower

Dialogue 1

Let's see a dialogue example where Indonesian nouns are used:

Person 1: Hai, apa kabar? ('Hi, how are you?) Person 2: Baik-baik saja, terima kasih. Kamu lagi baca buku apa? ('I'm fine, thanks. What book are you reading?) Person 1: Saya lagi baca buku tentang kota-kota di Eropa. ('I'm reading a book about cities in Europe.') Person 2: Wah, suka banget ya dengan buku-buku tentang kota? ('Wow, do you really like books about cities that much?')

Indonesian Culture and Nouns

Indonesian nouns present a particular feature that reflects the cultural diversity and religiosity of the country. Many nouns related to Islam, which is the predominant religion in Indonesia, have Arabic or Persian origins, such as 'Al Qur'an' (the Quran), 'malaikat' (angel), or 'puasa' (fasting). Moreover, Indonesian society is quite communal and acknowledges the importance of relationships, so there are many nouns that carry the meaning of families, clans, or communities.

Another cultural aspect related to Indonesian nouns is the concept of 'gotong royong', which means mutual cooperation or helping each other. This concept is expressed by some specific nouns, such as 'selamatan' (a communal feast), 'arisan' (a gathering where members pool their money for a prize), or 'gotong royong' itself.

Dialogue 2

Let's see another dialogue example where cultural nouns are used:

Person 1: Besok kita mau ikut arisan loh, jangan lupa bawa uang ya. ('Tomorrow we will join the arisan, don't forget to bring some money.') Person 2: Siap, biar ada rejeki sikit. ('Okay, let's hope we get some extra income.') Person 3: Eh, tadi ada tetangga datang, suruh kita ikut selamatan di rumahnya besok juga. ('Hey, our neighbor came by earlier and invited us to join a communal feast in his house too tomorrow.') Person 1: Kebetulan kalau begitu, sama-sama gotong royong gitu kan. ('That's great, we can show our mutual cooperation that way.')

Sources

• Indonesian language - Wikipedia
• Indonesian Nouns and Articles - ielanguages.com

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Other Lessons

• Future Tense
• Pronouns
• How to Use Have
• Negation
• Give your Opinion
• Conditional Mood
• Verbs in Indonesian
• How to Use Be
• Questions
• Imperative Tense