Talking about your family is one of the most important and useful things you can do when learning a language, especially when living in that country. I’ve only been in Indonesia a few weeks, and I’ve already gone through the introduction of my family quite a few times. People are curious to learn about where you come from and your family life back home, and talking about families is a great way to break the ice and make new friends. To help you do so, here’s a little description of my family in Indonesian, followed by an English translation and vocabulary:

Inodnesian

Keluarga saya besar. Keluarga saya ada sembilan orang – saya, bapak, ibu, dan enam saudara. Saya anak yang paling tua. Umur saya tiga puluh tahun. Saya punya empat adik laki-laki dan dua adik perempuan. Kami juga ada tiga ekor anjing.

Orangtua Saya

Bapak saya bekerja sebegai dokter. Namanya Victor. Dia orang Rusia, tapi dia tinggal di Amerika tiga puluh tahun. Ibu saya bekerja sebegai perawat. Namanya Erin. Mereka bekerja di rumah sakit.

Saudara Saya

Saya punya empat adik laki-laki. Namanya Paul, Peter, Nick, dan Michael. Paul dan Nick mahasiswa di Amerika. Peter bekerja sebagai guru Bahasa Inggris di Cina. Michael anak yang paling kecil. Umur dia lima belas tahun. Dia siswa di SMA (Sekolah Menengah Atas).

Saya juga punya dua adik perempuan. Namanya Maureen dan Katie. Maureen bekerja di rumah makan. Katie mahasiswa di universitas negara bagian Michigan.

Saya rindu keluarga saya, karena saya di Bali dan mereka di Amerika dan Cina. Saya harap mereka datang ke Bali untuk melihat saya!

Istri Saya

Saya sudah menikah. Istri saya juga orang Amerika. Namanya Rachel. Dia bekerja sebegai guru Bahasa Inggris di Cina. Minggu depan dia datang ke Bali. Saya senang sekali! Istri saya ramah dan cantik. Kami belum ada anak.

English

My family is big. My family has nine people – me, dad, mom, and six siblings. I’m the oldest child. I’m 30 years old. I have four younger brothers and two younger sisters. We also have three dogs.

My Parents

My dad works as a doctor. His name’s Victor. He’s Russian, but he’s lived in America for 30 years. My mom is a nurse. Her name is Erin. They work in the hospital.

My Siblings

I have four younger brothers. Their names are Paul, Peter, Nick, and Michael. Paul and Nick are college students in America. Peter works as an English teacher in China. Michael is the youngest child. He’s 15 years old. He’s a high school student.

I also have two younger sisters. Their names are Maureen and Katie. Maureen works in a restaurant. Katie is a college student at Michigan State University.

I miss my family, because I’m in Bali and they’re in America and China. I hope they will come to Bali to see me!

My Wife

I’m already married. My wife is also American. Her name is Rachel. She’s an English teacher in China. Next week she will come to Bali. I’m very happy! My wife is friendly and beautiful. We don’t have children yet.

Vocabulary

• keluarga – family

• bapak – dad

• ibu – mom

• saudara – siblings

• adik – younger

• laki-laki – boy

• perempuan – girl

• adik laki-laki – younger brother

• adik perempuan – younger sister

• orangtua – parents

• paling tua – oldest

• anak – child

• paling kecil – youngest

• SMA (Sekolah Menengah Atas) – high school

• dokter – doctor

• perawat – nurse

• rumah sakit – hospital

• mahasiswa – college student

• siswa – student/pupil

• guru – teacher

• rumah makan – restaurant

• rindu – to miss

• istri – wife

• senang – happy

• ramah – friendly

• cantik – beautiful

Practice

Now see if you can introduce your own family in Indonesian. Try to answer these questions:

• Keluarga anda ada berapa orang? (How many people are in your family?)

• Anda punya saudara? Berapa? (Do you have siblings? How many?)

• Siapa namanya? Apa pekerjaannya? (What are their names? What are their jobs?)

• Anda sudah menikah? (Are you married yet?)

• Anda punya anak? Berapa? (Do you have children? How many?)