Indonesian Gender

Welcome to the fifth Indonesian lesson about gender. This time we will view a list of people, feminine and masculine, followed by grammar rules, finally a list of expressions in Indonesian to help you practice your daily phrases.

man pria

woman wanita

husband suami

wife istri

boy anak laki-laki

girl anak perempuan

father ayah

mother ibu

Gender Grammar Rules

In general, gender is used to distinguish between male and female, sometimes referred to as masculine and feminine. For example: my son and daughter are students the noun [son] is masculine, while [daughter] is feminine. The following examples use gender in different ways and places to demonstrate their behavior.

Grammar + Rules - Indonesian
my son is a student [masculine + noun] putra saya adalah pelajar/mahasiswa
her daughter is a student [feminine + noun] putri nya adalah pelajar/mahasiswa
he has a tall brother [adjective + masculine] dia mempunyai seorang saudara laki laki yang tinggi
she has a tall sister [adjective + feminine] dia mempunyai seorang saudara perempuan yang tinggi
his brothers are young [plural masculine + adjective] saudara laki lakinya masih muda
his sisters are young [plural feminine + adjective] saudara perempuannya masih muda

The list below will probably provide more clarification. These are family members (males and females). I think it would be wise to memorize them as part of your important vocabulary list.

son putra

daughter putri

brother saudara laki laki

sister saudara perempuan

grandfather kakek

grandmother nenek

child anak

children anak anak

Expressions in Indonesian

Now it's time to practice expressions used in daily conversations. If you're a beginner in learning Indonesian, then the phrases below are something you would want to know.

English - Indonesian
What do you mean? apa maksudmu?
I don't understand saya tidak mengerti!
I don't know saya tidak tahu!
What is that called in Indonesian? apakah itu dalam bahasa indonesia?
What is this? apa ini?
What does that word mean in English? apakah arti kata itu dalam bahasa inggris?
Sorry (if you made a mistake) maaf

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