English Exam Tips for Indonesian Speakers
Indonesian uses the same alphabet as English and shares many borrowed words. The main challenges are verb tenses, articles, plurals, and the verb "be".
Common Challenges for Indonesian Speakers
- Verb Tenses: Indonesian uses time words like "kemarin" and "sudah". English changes the verb. Example: "Yesterday I went to the market" not "Yesterday I go to the market".
- Articles: Indonesian has no articles. Example: "I bought a book" not "I bought book".
- Plurals: Indonesian repeats the noun (buku-buku) or uses no marker. English adds -s. Example: "Many books" not "many book".
- He and She: "Dia" means both he and she, so they are often mixed up. Example: "My mother is a teacher. She works at a school." not "He works at a school".
- The Verb "be": Indonesian does not need a verb before adjectives. English does. Example: "She is very smart" not "She very smart".
- Subject-Verb Agreement: Indonesian verbs do not change for the subject. Example: "She goes" not "She go".
Grammar Tips for Indonesian Speakers
- Past Forms: Learn irregular verbs: go-went-gone, eat-ate-eaten, buy-bought-bought.
- Articles: Use "a" for the first mention of a singular countable noun, "the" for a specific one.
- Present Perfect: "Sudah" is often translated as "already", but English usually uses the present perfect: "I have finished" not "I already finish".
- Pronouns: Use he/him/his for men and she/her/hers for women.
- Prepositions: Learn common combinations: "at home", "in the morning", "on Monday".
- Passive Voice: English uses the passive less than Indonesian uses "di-" forms. Use the active when the doer is clear.
Vocabulary Advice
- Many Indonesian words come from English. Learn the English spelling: informasi = information, kualitas = quality
- Learn word families together: create, creation, creative, creatively
- Learn collocations instead of translating word by word
- Learn phrasal verbs for speaking and listening
- Build vocabulary through reading English news and articles
- Learn the English word stress of borrowed words, which often differs from Indonesian
Exam Strategies
- Check every verb for tense and subject agreement
- Include articles with singular countable nouns
- Use he and she correctly, especially in speaking
- In speaking, practice final consonants and clusters ("texts", "asked")
- In speaking, practice "th", "f" and "v"
- Use a variety of tenses in writing to show range
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