Customer Reviews

Making Out in Indonesian: Revised Edition (Making Out Books)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is what it claims to be - a guide to the way Indonesian is really spoken. But there isn't really a lot of language contained in the book. It is not a substitute for a text book or a phrase book, but it can add nicely to what you are already doing withthe language. It includes a brief grammar and pronunciation section atthe beginning, however, it does not indicate in the text the difference in the the pronunciation of "e" which is unpredictable. Also, I was very surprised to see that the author has omitted the common slang words for girl and boy "cewek" and "cowok" respectively. On reading some of the other reviews, you may getthe feeling that this book is going to get you into trouble if you use the phrases. It is made very clear which phrases will get you into a fight and which are obscene, so it is not really a problem. You can use a lot of the phrases and sound natural. I would say that about two thirds of the phrases can be used without a problem and the other third are there for your amusement. Furthermore, you can buy this book in the knowledge that the information contained therein is correct. This is something that, having read the reviews of Constantines's other books, and through personal experience, is not always the case.

An excellent introduction to slang and idiomisms, use it carefully and you'll have a superb time. I tried it in many bars in Jakarta and Bali to great effect.

I guess, if a person just wants to know how to be vulgar in Indonesian, this may prove helpful. Many of the uses (gua in place of saya, for example) are not as commonly used as this pamphlet (can't call it a book, really) would suggest. My suggesion is, save your money for something more constructive.

Many basic words to impress your Indonesian date. Many of your favorite pick-up line

This book is standard publishing company fluff with a catchy title. It's a few words copied out of a dictionary. The same words are repeated several times per page (i.e. if they show the word used with 'I', then they also show it used with 'you', 'he', &c. even though the verb doesn't change in Indonesian). The text is spaced in such a way as to make the book appear bigger than it actually is. In essence the information contained in this book would fit on one page.

This book is great. It has useful phrases and slang terms towards the front, then as you get further towards the back it's hilarious (especially the Fighting section and the Lover's Langauge section). It's not a complete phrasebook but fun anyhow.

An amusing guide to some of the rudest slang in the language. Useful in a practical sense only if Indonesian speakers are among your closes friends, or if you're happily acquiring a potentially offensive or troublemaking vocabulary in Bahasa Indonesia. My Indonesian speaking friends were the ones who got the biggest laugh out of it, but unless you've already got a good grasp of the language and the culture, beware utilizing most of the vocabulary in this book...