Customer Reviews

Everyday Indonesian

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This is bigger and harder to use than a phrasebook, but too small to be a real course in Behasa Indonesia. It works reasonably well as a cultural lesson, though.

I would prefer more drills (substitution exercises, etc), helping me to really get fluent by making up my own sentences. The prefixes appendix is pretty good, but is not set up in a visually helpful table form.

As a phrasebook, it is difficult to use when faced with an immediate need (you've hopped into a taxi on a busy street, or you're not sure what the rambutan seller in the market has just asked you in the middle of a transaction). Not only is it just too darn big for your pocket, but there are no handy fill-in-the-blank common phrases and questions.

Two very nice features of this book: 1) it is illustrated with many photos of smiling Indonesians, an effective little trick to make the reader remember to relax and smile more. 2)Every chapter is chock-a-block with interesting advice about the culture, food, manners, and so on.

Glossary is not bad, but not very complete.