How to Form Questions in Indonesian for English Speakers

Understanding Question Formation in Indonesian

Forming questions in Indonesian is straightforward compared to English. Indonesian does not require auxiliary verbs or subject-verb inversion to form questions. Instead, questions are often formed by adding question words or using intonation.

Yes/No Questions

To ask a yes/no question in Indonesian, you can simply raise your intonation at the end of a statement, or add the particle "kah" after the word you want to question, although "kah" is formal and less commonly used in everyday speech.

For example, the statement "Kamu pergi" means "You go." To ask "Are you going?" you can say "Kamu pergi?" with a rising intonation.

Alternatively, you can add "apakah" at the beginning of the sentence to form a yes/no question, which is more formal. For example, "Apakah kamu pergi?" means "Are you going?"

Question Words in Indonesian

Indonesian uses specific question words to ask for information. Here are some common question words:

• Apa – What
• Siapa – Who
• Di mana – Where
• Kapan – When
• Kenapa or Mengapa – Why
• Bagaimana – How
• Berapa – How many / How much

Examples of Questions Using Question Words

Here are some examples of questions using these question words:

• Apa ini? – What is this?
• Siapa dia? – Who is he/she?
• Di mana kamu tinggal? – Where do you live?
• Kapan kamu datang? – When are you coming?
• Kenapa kamu sedih? – Why are you sad?
• Bagaimana cara membuatnya? – How do you make it?
• Berapa harganya? – How much does it cost?

Question Word Placement

In Indonesian, question words usually appear in the same position as the information they are asking about, often at the beginning or in the place of the answer in the sentence. Unlike English, the sentence structure does not change much.

For example, "Kamu pergi ke mana?" means "Where are you going?" The question word "ke mana" (to where) is placed at the end.

Using "Tidak" and "Bukan" in Questions

To confirm or negate information in questions, Indonesian uses "tidak" and "bukan". "Tidak" negates verbs or adjectives, while "bukan" negates nouns.

For example, to ask "Isn't it true?" you can say "Bukankah begitu?" or to ask "Are you not going?" you can say "Kamu tidak pergi?"

Practice Examples