In Reply to: learning indonesian posted by gary on Sunday, 21. February 2010 at 17:30 Bali Time:
is to spend as much time as you can with the locals as you can, while you are in Bali, talking to them and getting to know the language that way.
I learnt to speak Bahasa Indonesian, when I was living in Java, and this was done just by sitting down with the local people and talking to them and getting them to explain things to me. This was quite difficult because, where I was in Java, there were not a lot of local people that could speak English so I had to rely on the limited few that could and, when I had to speak to those that couldn't speak English, this was a good way to hone my skills. The good thing about Bali is that the majority of locals CAN speak English which makes communication about the differences in the languages much easier.
My advice to ANYONE that wants to learn the language is that you master the national languagge, Bahasa Indonesia, before you start learning the dialects. They are totally different and you will only end up confused. Whilst text books etc., are great sources of information for you while you aren't in Bali, just remember to spend as much time with the locals as you can while you are there speaking and listening to them.
Oh another thing is DON'T be disheartened if the Balinese don't return your conversation in Bahasa Indonesian. I have had many times where I have spoken to them in Indonesian only to get the reply in English
Also remember that the first lesson in learning Indonesian is to learn their alphabet. Once you have mastered that then there is no stopping you