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SEO Nexal Code: @ᴸᴬᵀᴵᴺᵁᴹ.ᴵᴺᴰᴼᴺᴱˢᴵᴬᴺ.25.ˢᴬʸ
Welcome to Lesson 25 of the Latinum Institute Modern Indonesian Course. This lesson focuses on berkata and mengatakan, the Indonesian verbs meaning “to say.” These are essential communication verbs that appear constantly in reported speech, quotations, and everyday conversation.
Indonesian offers several ways to express “say,” each with distinct nuances. Mengatakan (to say something) is the standard transitive form, requiring an object—you say something. Berkata (to speak/say) is intransitive and more formal, often appearing in literature and formal writing. Bilang is the casual, everyday equivalent, dominant in spoken Indonesian. Understanding when to use each form is crucial for achieving natural fluency.
The root kata (word) forms the basis for these verbs through Indonesian’s productive affixation system: ber-kata (speak), meng-ata-kan (say something), di-kata-kan (be said). This morphological transparency makes Indonesian verbs learnable once you understand the prefix patterns.
Full Course Index: https://latinum.substack.com/p/index
FAQ: What does “berkata” mean in Indonesian? Berkata means “to say” or “to speak” in Indonesian. It is the intransitive form built from the root “kata” (word) with the prefix “ber-”. The transitive form “mengatakan” means “to say (something)” and requires a direct object.
In this lesson, you will learn to use berkata, mengatakan, and bilang in various contexts. You will understand the difference between intransitive “berkata” and transitive “mengatakan.” You will encounter the quotative marker “kata” used in reported speech. You will see these verbs in action through 30 example sentences progressing from simple to complex. You will read an authentic literary passage demonstrating natural usage.
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Modern Indonesian uses the Latin alphabet (Rumi). Historically, the Arabic-based Jawi script was used throughout the Malay world from the 14th century until the 20th century. While Jawi is now rare in Indonesia, it remains part of the cultural heritage and is still used in some regions like Riau. This lesson presents sentences in both scripts: Line a shows standard Rumi (Latin), and Line b shows historical Jawi with romanization, preserving this important linguistic heritage.
Pronunciation Guide: Indonesian pronunciation is largely phonetic. Stress typically falls on the penultimate syllable. The letter “c” is pronounced /ʧ/ (like English “ch”), and “ng” represents /ŋ/ as in “sing.”
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Format: Each example has two lines. Line a presents Indonesian in Rumi (Latin script) with granular English glosses. Line b presents the same text in Jawi (Arabic script) with romanization and glosses.
25.1a Dia he berkata says dengan with jelas clearly
25.1b دي (dia) he برکات (berkata) says دڠن (dengan) with جلس (jelas) clearly
25.2a Saya I mengatakan say kebenaran truth kepada to mereka them
25.2b ساي (saya) I مڠاتاکن (mengatakan) say کبنرن (kebenaran) truth کڤد (kepada) to مريک (mereka) them
25.3a Apa what yang REL kamu you bilang say-INFORMAL tadi just-now
25.3b اڤ (apa) what يڠ (yang) REL کامو (kamu) you بيلڠ (bilang) say-INFORMAL تادي (tadi) just-now
25.4a Ibu mother berkata said bahwa that makan food sudah already siap ready
25.4b ايبو (ibu) mother برکات (berkata) said باهوا (bahwa) that ماکن (makan) food سوده (sudah) already سياڤ (siap) ready
25.5a Tolong please katakan say-IMP namamu your-name sekali once lagi more
25.5b تولوڠ (tolong) please کاتاکن (katakan) say-IMP نامامو (namamu) your-name سکالي (sekali) once لاݢي (lagi) more
25.6a Guru teacher itu that selalu always mengatakan says hal thing yang REL penting important
25.6b ݢورو (guru) teacher ايت (itu) that سلالو (selalu) always مڠاتاکن (mengatakan) says هل (hal) thing يڠ (yang) REL ڤنتيڠ (penting) important
25.7a Mereka they tidak not mau want bilang say apa-apa anything
25.7b مريک (mereka) they تيدق (tidak) not ماءو (mau) want بيلڠ (bilang) say اڤ٢ (apa-apa) anything
25.8a Kata says orang person tua old itu that hidup life ini this singkat short
25.8b کات (kata) says اورڠ (orang) person توا (tua) old ايت (itu) that هيدوڤ (hidup) life اين (ini) this سيڠکت (singkat) short
25.9a Presiden president berkata spoke di at depan front-of rakyat people
25.9b ڤريسيدين (presiden) president برکات (berkata) spoke د (di) at دڤن (depan) front-of رعيت (rakyat) people
25.10a Anak child kecil small itu that belum not-yet bisa can mengatakan say keinginannya his-wishes
25.10b انق (anak) child کچيل (kecil) small ايت (itu) that بلوم (belum) not-yet بيسا (bisa) can مڠاتاکن (mengatakan) say کاينݢينناڽ (keinginannya) his-wishes
25.11a Jangan don’t bilang tell siapa-siapa anyone tentang about rahasia secret ini this
25.11b جاڠن (jangan) don’t بيلڠ (bilang) tell سياڤ٢ (siapa-siapa) anyone تنتڠ (tentang) about رهسي (rahasia) secret اين (ini) this
25.12a Dikatakan it-is-said bahwa that hujan rain akan will turun fall besok tomorrow
25.12b دکاتاکن (dikatakan) it-is-said باهوا (bahwa) that هوجن (hujan) rain اکن (akan) will تورون (turun) fall بيسوق (besok) tomorrow
25.13a Nenek grandmother sering often berkata would-say bahwa that kesabaran patience itu that penting important
25.13b نينيق (nenek) grandmother سريڠ (sering) often برکات (berkata) would-say باهوا (bahwa) that کصبرن (kesabaran) patience ايت (itu) that ڤنتيڠ (penting) important
25.14a Wartawan journalist itu that mengatakan reported berita news terbaru latest dari from Jakarta Jakarta
25.14b ورتاون (wartawan) journalist ايت (itu) that مڠاتاکن (mengatakan) reported بريت (berita) news تربارو (terbaru) latest دري (dari) from جاکرتا (Jakarta) Jakarta
25.15a Buku book ini this mengatakan says banyak much tentang about sejarah history Indonesia Indonesia
25.15b بوکو (buku) book اين (ini) this مڠاتاکن (mengatakan) says باڽق (banyak) much تنتڠ (tentang) about سجاره (sejarah) history ايندونيسيا (Indonesia) Indonesia
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25.1 Dia berkata dengan jelas. Dia berkata dengan jelas. “He speaks clearly.”
25.2 Saya mengatakan kebenaran kepada mereka. Saya mengatakan kebenaran kepada mereka. “I tell them the truth.”
25.3 Apa yang kamu bilang tadi? Apa yang kamu bilang tadi? “What did you say just now?”
25.4 Ibu berkata bahwa makan sudah siap. Ibu berkata bahwa makan sudah siap. “Mother said that dinner is ready.”
25.5 Tolong katakan namamu sekali lagi. Tolong katakan namamu sekali lagi. “Please say your name once more.”
25.6 Guru itu selalu mengatakan hal yang penting. Guru itu selalu mengatakan hal yang penting. “That teacher always says important things.”
25.7 Mereka tidak mau bilang apa-apa. Mereka tidak mau bilang apa-apa. “They don’t want to say anything.”
25.8 Kata orang tua, hidup ini singkat. Kata orang tua, hidup ini singkat. “Old people say life is short.”
25.9 Presiden berkata di depan rakyat. Presiden berkata di depan rakyat. “The president spoke before the people.”
25.10 Anak kecil itu belum bisa mengatakan keinginannya. Anak kecil itu belum bisa mengatakan keinginannya. “That small child cannot yet express his wishes.”
25.11 Jangan bilang siapa-siapa tentang rahasia ini. Jangan bilang siapa-siapa tentang rahasia ini. “Don’t tell anyone about this secret.”
25.12 Dikatakan bahwa hujan akan turun besok. Dikatakan bahwa hujan akan turun besok. “It is said that rain will fall tomorrow.”
25.13 Nenek sering berkata bahwa kesabaran itu penting. Nenek sering berkata bahwa kesabaran itu penting. “Grandmother often said that patience is important.”
25.14 Wartawan itu mengatakan berita terbaru dari Jakarta. Wartawan itu mengatakan berita terbaru dari Jakarta. “That journalist reported the latest news from Jakarta.”
25.15 Buku ini mengatakan banyak tentang sejarah Indonesia. Buku ini mengatakan banyak tentang sejarah Indonesia. “This book says much about Indonesian history.”
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25.1 Dia berkata dengan jelas.
25.2 Saya mengatakan kebenaran kepada mereka.
25.3 Apa yang kamu bilang tadi?
25.4 Ibu berkata bahwa makan sudah siap.
25.5 Tolong katakan namamu sekali lagi.
25.6 Guru itu selalu mengatakan hal yang penting.
25.7 Mereka tidak mau bilang apa-apa.
25.8 Kata orang tua, hidup ini singkat.
25.9 Presiden berkata di depan rakyat.
25.10 Anak kecil itu belum bisa mengatakan keinginannya.
25.11 Jangan bilang siapa-siapa tentang rahasia ini.
25.12 Dikatakan bahwa hujan akan turun besok.
25.13 Nenek sering berkata bahwa kesabaran itu penting.
25.14 Wartawan itu mengatakan berita terbaru dari Jakarta.
25.15 Buku ini mengatakan banyak tentang sejarah Indonesia.
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These are the grammar rules for berkata, mengatakan, and bilang.
The root kata (word) is the foundation for all “say” verbs in Indonesian. By itself, “kata” functions as a noun meaning “word” or as a quotative marker introducing reported speech.
As a noun: Kata itu sulit. (That word is difficult.)
As a quotative marker: Kata dia, cuaca akan bagus. (According to him, the weather will be good.) / He says the weather will be good.
Ber- is the intransitive prefix. Berkata means “to speak” or “to say” without requiring a direct object. It is formal and appears frequently in written Indonesian and formal speech.
Formation: ber- + kata = berkata
Examples: Dia berkata dengan lantang. (He spoke loudly.) Presiden berkata kepada wartawan. (The president spoke to journalists.)
Note that berkata takes indirect objects with prepositions (kepada, dengan, tentang) but does not take direct objects.
Meng-...-kan is the transitive circumfix. Mengatakan means “to say (something)” and requires a direct object—what is being said.
Formation: meng- + kata + -kan = mengatakan (the meng- assimilates: meng- + k → meng- with k dropped)
Examples: Dia mengatakan kebenaran. (He tells the truth.) Saya mengatakan bahwa saya setuju. (I say that I agree.)
Bilang is the colloquial form used in everyday conversation. It originates from Betawi (Jakarta) dialect and has become standard in spoken Indonesian. It can function like both berkata and mengatakan.
Examples: Dia bilang apa? (What did he say?) Jangan bilang ke siapa-siapa. (Don’t tell anyone.)
Adding di- creates the passive voice. Dikatakan means “it is said” or “to be said.”
Formation: di- + kata + -kan = dikatakan
Examples: Dikatakan bahwa dia sudah pergi. (It is said that he has left.) Hal itu sudah dikatakan kemarin. (That matter was already said yesterday.)
Dropping the meng- prefix from mengatakan creates the imperative. Katakan means “say!” or “tell!”
Examples: Katakan padaku! (Tell me!) Katakan yang sebenarnya. (Tell the truth.)
Confusing berkata and mengatakan: Learners often use berkata when mengatakan is needed. Remember: berkata has no direct object, mengatakan requires one.
Incorrect: *Dia berkata kebenaran. Correct: Dia mengatakan kebenaran. (He tells the truth.)
Using bilang in formal writing: Bilang is too informal for academic or official writing. Use berkata or mengatakan instead.
Word order with kata as quotative: When using kata to introduce quotes, it typically comes before the quote.
Kata dia, “Saya tidak tahu.” (He said, “I don’t know.”)
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Indonesian society places great importance on appropriate register. Berkata and mengatakan are formal and appropriate for news, literature, official documents, and polite conversation with strangers or superiors. Bilang dominates casual conversation among friends, family, and peers. Using bilang in a formal speech would sound inappropriate, while using mengatakan consistently in casual chat might sound stiff.
The construction “kata [person]” (says [person]) is extremely common in Indonesian for introducing reported speech. Unlike English, which requires “he said” or “according to him,” Indonesian simply places “kata” before the speaker’s name or pronoun.
Kata Bu Susi, rapat dimulai jam sembilan. (According to Mrs. Susi, the meeting starts at nine.)
This construction is ubiquitous in news reporting and everyday conversation.
In Malaysian Malay, the cognate forms are nearly identical (berkata, mengatakan), reflecting the shared linguistic heritage. However, the informal “bilang” is more characteristic of Indonesian; Malaysians might use “cakap” in similar contexts.
In some regions of Indonesia, particularly Java, speakers might also use local language equivalents or mix Indonesian with Javanese or Sundanese expressions for “say.”
Classical Malay literature, written in Jawi script, used “berkata” and “kata” extensively. The formal “berkata” carries a certain gravitas in public speaking and oratory. Indonesian political speeches often feature “berkata” when the speaker wishes to convey seriousness and authority.
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The following passage demonstrates authentic usage of reporting verbs in Indonesian literary style, adapted from the tradition of Indonesian prose narrative.
Kakek grandfather berkata said kepada to cucunya his-grandchild dengan with suara voice lembut soft
کاکيق (kakek) grandfather برکات (berkata) said کڤد (kepada) to چوچوڽ (cucunya) his-grandchild دڠن (dengan) with سوارا (suara) voice لمبوت (lembut) soft
Hidup life ini this seperti like sungai river kata says beliau he-HON
هيدوڤ (hidup) life اين (ini) this سڤرتي (seperti) like سوڠاي (sungai) river کات (kata) says بلياو (beliau) he-HON
Kita we tidak not bisa can mengatakan say ke to mana where airnya its-water akan will mengalir flow
کيت (kita) we تيدق (tidak) not بيسا (bisa) can مڠاتاکن (mengatakan) say ک (ke) to مان (mana) where ايرڽ (airnya) its-water اکن (akan) will مڠالير (mengalir) flow
Tetapi but kita we harus must terus continue bergerak moving seperti like air water yang REL mengalir flows
تتاڤي (tetapi) but کيت (kita) we هاروس (harus) must تروس (terus) continue برݢرق (bergerak) moving سڤرتي (seperti) like اءير (air) water يڠ (yang) REL مڠالير (mengalir) flows
Kakek berkata kepada cucunya dengan suara lembut. “Hidup ini seperti sungai,” kata beliau. “Kita tidak bisa mengatakan ke mana airnya akan mengalir. Tetapi kita harus terus bergerak, seperti air yang mengalir.”
“Grandfather spoke to his grandchild in a soft voice. ‘Life is like a river,’ he said. ‘We cannot say where its waters will flow. But we must keep moving, like flowing water.’”
Kakek berkata kepada cucunya dengan suara lembut. “Hidup ini seperti sungai,” kata beliau. “Kita tidak bisa mengatakan ke mana airnya akan mengalir. Tetapi kita harus terus bergerak, seperti air yang mengalir.”
This passage demonstrates several key features of Indonesian narrative style.
Berkata kepada (spoke to): Shows the intransitive berkata taking an indirect object with the preposition kepada.
Kata beliau (he said): Uses the quotative marker “kata” followed by the honorific pronoun “beliau” (a respectful third-person pronoun for elders or respected persons).
Tidak bisa mengatakan: Here mengatakan governs the embedded clause “ke mana airnya akan mengalir” (where its water will flow), showing its transitive function.
Vocabulary: cucunya (his/her grandchild) - cucu + possessive -nya; lembut (soft/gentle); sungai (river); mengalir (to flow) - active intransitive from root “alir.”
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The following dialogue takes place between family members at home, demonstrating natural use of “say” verbs in informal and semi-formal contexts.
25.16a Ayah father bilang said kita we akan will pergi go ke to rumah house nenek grandmother besok tomorrow
25.16b اياه (ayah) father بيلڠ (bilang) said کيت (kita) we اکن (akan) will ڤرݢي (pergi) go ک (ke) to رومه (rumah) house نينيق (nenek) grandmother بيسوق (besok) tomorrow
25.17a Benarkah really-Q kata says siapa who yang REL bilang said begitu so
25.17b بنرکه (benarkah) really-Q کات (kata) says سياڤ (siapa) who يڠ (yang) REL بيلڠ (bilang) said بݢيتو (begitu) so
25.18a Ibu mother yang REL mengatakan said hal thing itu that kepadaku to-me tadi earlier pagi morning
25.18b ايبو (ibu) mother يڠ (yang) REL مڠاتاکن (mengatakan) said هل (hal) thing ايت (itu) that کڤدکو (kepadaku) to-me تادي (tadi) earlier ڤاݢي (pagi) morning
25.19a Kalau if begitu so aku I harus must bilang tell teman-temanku my-friends bahwa that aku I tidak not bisa can ikut join bermain play
25.19b کالاو (kalau) if بݢيتو (begitu) so اکو (aku) I هاروس (harus) must بيلڠ (bilang) tell تمن٢کو (teman-temanku) my-friends باهوا (bahwa) that اکو (aku) I تيدق (tidak) not بيسا (bisa) can ايکوت (ikut) join برماءين (bermain) play
25.20a Adik younger-sibling berkata said bahwa that dia she juga also ingin wants ikut join ke to rumah house nenek grandmother
25.20b اديق (adik) younger-sibling برکات (berkata) said باهوا (bahwa) that دي (dia) she جوݢ (juga) also ايڠين (ingin) wants ايکوت (ikut) join ک (ke) to رومه (rumah) house نينيق (nenek) grandmother
25.21a Tentu of-course saja just kata says Ibu mother semua all anak-anak children boleh may ikut join
25.21b تنتو (tentu) of-course ساج (saja) just کات (kata) says ايبو (ibu) mother سموا (semua) all انق٢ (anak-anak) children بوليه (boleh) may ايکوت (ikut) join
25.22a Nenek grandmother pasti surely senang happy kalau if kita we datang come ujar said Ayah father sambil while tersenyum smiling
25.22b نينيق (nenek) grandmother ڤستي (pasti) surely سنڠ (senang) happy کالاو (kalau) if کيت (kita) we داتڠ (datang) come اوجر (ujar) said اياه (ayah) father سمبيل (sambil) while ترسڽوم (tersenyum) smiling
25.23a Apa what yang REL harus must kubilang I-say kepada to Nenek grandmother ketika when kita we tiba arrive
25.23b اڤ (apa) what يڠ (yang) REL هاروس (harus) must کوبيلڠ (kubilang) I-say کڤد (kepada) to نينيق (nenek) grandmother کتيک (ketika) when کيت (kita) we تيب (tiba) arrive
25.24a Katakan say-IMP saja just bahwa that kamu you merindukannya miss-her jawab answered Ibu mother
25.24b کاتاکن (katakan) say-IMP ساج (saja) just باهوا (bahwa) that کامو (kamu) you مريندوکنڽ (merindukannya) miss-her جواب (jawab) answered ايبو (ibu) mother
25.25a Kakak older-sibling mengatakan said bahwa that dia he akan will membawa bring hadiah gift untuk for Nenek grandmother
25.25b کاکق (kakak) older-sibling مڠاتاکن (mengatakan) said باهوا (bahwa) that دي (dia) he اکن (akan) will ممباوا (membawa) bring هاديه (hadiah) gift اونتوق (untuk) for نينيق (nenek) grandmother
25.26a Ide idea yang REL bagus good kata says Ayah father Nenek grandmother pasti surely akan will sangat very senang happy
25.26b ايدي (ide) idea يڠ (yang) REL باݢوس (bagus) good کات (kata) says اياه (ayah) father نينيق (nenek) grandmother ڤستي (pasti) surely اکن (akan) will ساڠت (sangat) very سنڠ (senang) happy
25.27a Jangan don’t bilang tell Nenek grandmother tentang about hadiah gift itu that biar let jadi become kejutan surprise
25.27b جاڠن (jangan) don’t بيلڠ (bilang) tell نينيق (nenek) grandmother تنتڠ (tentang) about هاديه (hadiah) gift ايت (itu) that بيار (biar) let جادي (jadi) become کجوتن (kejutan) surprise
25.28a Baiklah alright aku I tidak not akan will mengatakan say apa-apa anything janji promise kata said Adik younger-sibling
25.28b بايقله (baiklah) alright اکو (aku) I تيدق (tidak) not اکن (akan) will مڠاتاکن (mengatakan) say اڤ٢ (apa-apa) anything جنجي (janji) promise کات (kata) said اديق (adik) younger-sibling
25.29a Ibu mother berkata said kepada to kami us untuk to tidur sleep lebih more awal early malam night ini this
25.29b ايبو (ibu) mother برکات (berkata) said کڤد (kepada) to کامي (kami) us اونتوق (untuk) to تيدور (tidur) sleep لبيه (lebih) more اوال (awal) early مالم (malam) night اين (ini) this
25.30a Kata says Ayah father perjalanan journey ke to rumah house Nenek grandmother membutuhkan requires waktu time dua two jam hours
25.30b کات (kata) says اياه (ayah) father ڤرجالنن (perjalanan) journey ک (ke) to رومه (rumah) house نينيق (nenek) grandmother ممبوتوهکن (membutuhkan) requires واکتو (waktu) time دوا (dua) two جم (jam) hours
25.16 Ayah bilang kita akan pergi ke rumah nenek besok. “Father said we will go to grandmother’s house tomorrow.”
25.17 Benarkah? Kata siapa yang bilang begitu? “Really? Who said so?”
25.18 Ibu yang mengatakan hal itu kepadaku tadi pagi. “Mother told me that this morning.”
25.19 Kalau begitu, aku harus bilang teman-temanku bahwa aku tidak bisa ikut bermain. “If so, I must tell my friends that I cannot join them to play.”
25.20 Adik berkata bahwa dia juga ingin ikut ke rumah nenek. “Younger sister said that she also wants to go to grandmother’s house.”
25.21 “Tentu saja,” kata Ibu. “Semua anak-anak boleh ikut.” “’Of course,’ said Mother. ‘All the children may come.’”
25.22 “Nenek pasti senang kalau kita datang,” ujar Ayah sambil tersenyum. “’Grandmother will surely be happy if we come,’ said Father, smiling.”
25.23 “Apa yang harus kubilang kepada Nenek ketika kita tiba?” “’What should I say to Grandmother when we arrive?’”
25.24 “Katakan saja bahwa kamu merindukannya,” jawab Ibu. “’Just say that you miss her,’ Mother answered.”
25.25 Kakak mengatakan bahwa dia akan membawa hadiah untuk Nenek. “Older brother said that he would bring a gift for Grandmother.”
25.26 “Ide yang bagus,” kata Ayah. “Nenek pasti akan sangat senang.” “’Good idea,’ said Father. ‘Grandmother will surely be very happy.’”
25.27 “Jangan bilang Nenek tentang hadiah itu, biar jadi kejutan.” “’Don’t tell Grandmother about the gift, let it be a surprise.’”
25.28 “Baiklah, aku tidak akan mengatakan apa-apa. Janji,” kata Adik. “’Alright, I won’t say anything. Promise,’ said little sister.”
25.29 Ibu berkata kepada kami untuk tidur lebih awal malam ini. “Mother told us to sleep earlier tonight.”
25.30 Kata Ayah, perjalanan ke rumah Nenek membutuhkan waktu dua jam. “Father says the journey to Grandmother’s house takes two hours.”
25.16 Ayah bilang kita akan pergi ke rumah nenek besok.
25.17 Benarkah? Kata siapa yang bilang begitu?
25.18 Ibu yang mengatakan hal itu kepadaku tadi pagi.
25.19 Kalau begitu, aku harus bilang teman-temanku bahwa aku tidak bisa ikut bermain.
25.20 Adik berkata bahwa dia juga ingin ikut ke rumah nenek.
25.21 “Tentu saja,” kata Ibu. “Semua anak-anak boleh ikut.”
25.22 “Nenek pasti senang kalau kita datang,” ujar Ayah sambil tersenyum.
25.23 “Apa yang harus kubilang kepada Nenek ketika kita tiba?”
25.24 “Katakan saja bahwa kamu merindukannya,” jawab Ibu.
25.25 Kakak mengatakan bahwa dia akan membawa hadiah untuk Nenek.
25.26 “Ide yang bagus,” kata Ayah. “Nenek pasti akan sangat senang.”
25.27 “Jangan bilang Nenek tentang hadiah itu, biar jadi kejutan.”
25.28 “Baiklah, aku tidak akan mengatakan apa-apa. Janji,” kata Adik.
25.29 Ibu berkata kepada kami untuk tidur lebih awal malam ini.
25.30 Kata Ayah, perjalanan ke rumah Nenek membutuhkan waktu dua jam.
This family dialogue illustrates the natural mixing of registers that occurs in Indonesian homes.
Register mixing: Notice how the dialogue freely alternates between informal “bilang” (examples 25.16, 25.17, 25.19, 25.23, 25.27) and more formal “mengatakan” and “berkata” (25.18, 25.20, 25.25, 25.29). This reflects authentic Indonesian usage where speakers shift registers even within a single conversation.
The quotative “kata” in dialogue: Examples 25.21, 25.22, 25.26, and 25.30 show “kata” used as a quotative marker, introducing direct speech. Note its flexibility—it can appear before or after the quote.
Literary “ujar”: Example 25.22 uses “ujar,” a more literary reporting verb often seen in written narratives. Its appearance in dialogue adds a slightly elevated tone.
Clitic pronouns: In 25.23, “kubilang” shows the first-person clitic “ku-” attached to “bilang” (I-say), common in informal speech. Similarly, “kepadaku” (to-me) shows the object clitic “-ku.”
Imperative “katakan”: Example 25.24 demonstrates the imperative form of mengatakan—simply “katakan” without the meng- prefix.
Embedded clauses with “bahwa”: Multiple examples show “bahwa” (that) introducing reported speech after mengatakan and berkata, mirroring English “that” clauses.
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Berkata /bər.ˈka.ta/: Stress on second syllable. The schwa /ə/ in “ber-” is reduced.
Mengatakan /mə.ŋa.ˈta.kan/: Stress on third syllable. The prefix “meng-” assimilates before “k,” causing the “k” to be dropped.
Bilang /ˈbi.laŋ/: Stress on first syllable. Final “ng” is the velar nasal /ŋ/.
Kata /ˈka.ta/: Both syllables have clear “a” vowels /a/, stress on first syllable.
Dikatakan /di.ka.ˈta.kan/: Passive form, stress on third syllable.
Key sounds for English speakers: The Indonesian “r” is a trill or tap, not the English approximant. The vowel “a” is always /a/ as in “father,” never /æ/ as in “cat.” The combination “ng” always represents /ŋ/, even at the beginning of words (e.g., mengalir).
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The Latinum Institute Modern Indonesian Course is designed for autodidact learners who wish to acquire Indonesian through systematic exposure to authentic language patterns. Our methodology employs interlinear glossing—a technique proven effective for language acquisition since classical times—to provide immediate comprehension while building pattern recognition.
The course follows a frequency-based curriculum, introducing the most common words first. By Lesson 25, learners have already encountered the essential building blocks of Indonesian: pronouns, basic verbs, prepositions, and conjunctions. Each lesson adds new high-frequency vocabulary while reinforcing previously learned material through varied contexts.
The Latinum Institute has been creating language learning materials since 2006. Our courses cover Latin, Ancient Greek, and a growing range of modern languages. We believe that anyone can learn a language with the right materials and consistent effort.
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The interlinear format accelerates comprehension by providing a word-by-word crutch that learners gradually outgrow. Rather than memorizing vocabulary lists in isolation, learners absorb words in context, developing an intuitive feel for sentence structure and idiomatic usage.
This lesson’s dual-script presentation (Rumi and Jawi) honors Indonesian’s rich linguistic heritage while focusing on the modern standard. The Jawi sections serve as cultural enrichment and may assist learners interested in historical texts or the broader Malay world.
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Lesson 25 Complete
✓ Indonesian Lesson 25 (berkata/mengatakan - “say”) complete.
@ᴸᴬᵀᴵᴺᵁᴹ.ᴵᴺˢᵀᴵᵀᵁᵀᴱ.ᴹᴼᴰᴱᴿᴺ.ᴸᴬᴺᴳᵁᴬᴳᴱ.ᶜᴼᵁᴿˢᴱ
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