12 Common English Mistakes That Indonesians Make

First of all, this list of 12 mistakes is based on my experience. I encounter Indonesians every day (of course! I'm an Indonesian) and I've found these to be common among them. Secondly, I hope that it will be useful for English-learning Indonesians—and perhaps other English learners as well. Lastly, enjoy it!

1. infinitives everywhere
There are many kinds and forms of verbs in English. Indonesians tend to use infinitives on almost every occasion.

Examples:
• Erick go to school every day. (should be Erick goes...)
• She have dinner with her boyfriend at Sushi Tei Central Park yesterday. (should be She had dinner...)
• Berry want to play basketball this evening. (should be Berry wants...)

2. be + infinitive
Be forms are commonly found with infinitives. They tend to "stick together".

Examples:
• I am like to read romance novels. (should be I like to...)
• Last Friday I was bring some food to Tony. (should be Last Friday I brought ...)

3. more + short adjective + -er
Indonesians often struggle when it comes to short comparatives.

Examples:
• Elephants are more bigger than humans. (should be Elephants are bigger...)
• Kobe Bryant is more taller than Jay Chou. (should be Kobe Bryant is taller...)
• Benny is more busier than Santi. (should be Benny is busier...)
• Papayas are more healthier than beer. (should be Papayas are healthier...)

4. wh-questions
- wrong auxiliary position

Examples:
• Why you are wearing jeans? (should be Why are you...)
• Why you haven't put down the guitar yet? (should be Why haven't you...)
• Why she bought that medicine? (should be Why did she buy...)

- no auxiliaries

Examples:
• Why she walking around the park? (should be Why is she walking...)
• Why Carol eat last night? (should be Why did Carol eat...)

5. adjective + with
"With" is not combined with some adjectives.

Examples:
• Richard is different with my father. (should be Richard is different from/than (US)/to (Brit)...)
• Jane's car is similar with Rocky's. (should be Jane's car is similar to...)
• My book is same with his. (should be My book is the same as...)
• Victoria Beckham is married with David Beckham. (should be Victoria Beckham is married to...)
However, you can say "Victoria Beckham is married with four children."

6. silent t in words ending with -st, -nt and -ct, and silent k in words ending with -nk
Indonesians tend not to pronounce the last t in words ending in -st and -nt.

Examples:
• "Fast" is pronounced /'fæs/ (US) or /'fɑːs/ (Brit). (should be pronounced /'fæst/ (US) or /'fɑːst/ (Brit))
• "First" is pronounced /'fɚs/. (should be pronounced /'fɚst/)
• "List" is pronounced /'lɪs/. (should be pronounced /'lɪst/)
• "Sent" is pronounced /'sɛn/. (should be pronounced /'sɛnt/)
• "Mint" is pronounced /'mɪn/. (should be pronounced /'mɪnt/)
• "Want" is pronounced /'wɑːn/. (should be pronounced /'wɑːnt/)
• "Act" is pronounced /'æk/. (should be pronounced /'ækt/)
• "Fact" is pronounced /'fæk/. (should be pronounced /'fækt/)
• "Effect" is pronounced /ɪ'fɛk/. (should be pronounced /'ɪ'fɛkt/)
• "Expect" is pronounced /ɛk'spɛk/. (should be pronounced /ɪk'spɛkt/)

In addition, they tend not to pronounce the last k in words ending in -nk.

Examples:
• "Bank" is pronounced /'bæŋ/. (should be pronounced /'bæŋk/)
• "Link" is pronounced /'lɪŋ/. (should be pronounced /'lɪŋk/)
• "Sink" is pronounced /'sɪŋ/. (should be pronounced /'sɪŋk/)
• "Tank" is pronounced /'tæŋ/. (should be pronounced /'tæŋk/)

7. wrong pronunciation of words ending in -sk
Indonesians tend to pronounce /k/ and then /s/ in words ending in -sk. Sometimes the /k/ is silent.

Examples:
• "Ask" is pronounced /'æks/ or /'æs/ (US), or /'ɑːks/ or /'ɑ:s/ (Brit). (should be pronounced /'æsk/ (US) or /'ɑːsk/ (Brit))
• "Disk" is pronounced /'dɪks/ or /'dɪs/. (should be pronounced /'dɪsk/)
• "Risk" is pronounced /'rɪks/ or /'rɪs/. (should be pronounced /'rɪsk/)
• "Task" is pronounced /'tæks/ or /'tæs/ (US), or /'tɑːks/ or /'tɑ:s/ (Brit). (should be pronounced /'tæsk/ (US) or /'tɑːsk/ (Brit))

8. th sounds (/θ/ and /ð/)
Th is often pronounced /t/ when it should be pronounced /θ/, and it is often pronounced /d/ when it should be pronounced /ð/.

Examples:
• "Bath" is pronounced /'bæt/ (US) or /'bɑ:t/ (Brit). (should be pronounced /'bæθ/ (US) or /'bɑ:θ/ (Brit))
• "Thick" is pronounced /'tɪk/. (should be pronounced /'θɪk/)
• "Thin" is pronounced /'tɪn/. (should be pronounced /'θɪn/)
• "This" is pronounced /'dɪs/. (should be pronounced /'ðɪs/)
• "That" is pronounced /'dæt/. (should be pronounced /'ðæt/)
• "Then" is pronounced /'dɛn/. (should be pronounced /'ðɛn/)
• "With" is pronounced /'wɪt/. (should be pronounced /'wɪθ/ or /'wɪð/)

9. /v/ sound
Indonesians are not accustomed to pronouncing /v/. They often use /f/ instead of /v/.

Examples:
• "Give" is pronounced /'gɪf/. (should be pronounced /'gɪv/)
• "Live" is pronounced /'lɪf/. (should be pronounced /'lɪv/)
• "Verb" is pronounced /'fɚb/. (should be pronounced /'vɚb/)
• "Very" is pronounced /'feri/. (should be pronounced /'veri/)

10. pronounced gh
When gh should be silent, it is pronounced /g/.

Examples:
• "Eight" is pronounced /'eɪgt/. (should be pronounced /'eɪt/)
• "High" is pronounced /'haɪg/. (should be pronounced /'haɪ/)
• "Right" is pronounced /'raɪgt/. (should be pronounced /'raɪt/)
• "Weight" is pronounced /'weɪgt/. (should be pronounced /'weɪt/)

11. pronounced w in words beginning with wr-
When w should be silent in wr- words, it is pronounced.

Examples:
• "Write" is pronounced /'wraɪt/. (should be pronounced /'raɪt/)
• "Wrong" is pronounced /'wrɑːŋ/. (should be pronounced /'rɑːŋ/)

12. strong forms
Indonesians tend to use strong forms when they are not normally used.

Examples:
• Can you swim?
"Can" here is pronounced /'kæn/ (strong form). (should be pronounced /kən/ (weak form))
• I think I will make a cup of coffee.
"Will" here is pronounced /'wɪl/ (strong form). (should be pronounced /wəl/ (weak form)) Continue reading

Spoil

About two weeks ago I was eating a portion of ketoprak at my granny's. And—no, no, it hadn't spoiled. I'm talking about something that's completely different.

One of my cousins, a six-year-old girl, wanted to get a cracker from my ketoprak. I refused to give it to her because she was spoiled rotten (now you've got it!). She was angry and tried to get it from me. However, I managed to "save" my beloved crackers from her, temporarily. Some time later, when I was not attentive, she grabbed, not one, but some crackers! If I had a T. rex... Okay, let's move on to the next point.

In the beginning, I was really mad at her. But when I thought more deeply, I realized that the child was just a "victim". As far as I am concerned, her parents are so "soft". They don't dare to give her punishments—educating ones, of course. That's what I regret.

Parents are the ones who, above all, must educate their children well. They must lead them to a good, balanced life. In school, teachers do teach children but the role of parents is undoubtedly incredibly essential. There are some things that children don't get/learn from school.

Children are successors. They will be the next leaders, the people who will take our legacy. Sooner or later they will replace us in this world. Can you imagine how would it be if this world were ruled by the spoiled?

I'm sorry, Doraemon. :p Continue reading

Responsibility

I'm making this article because of an event, an annoying event—actually more than one.

One of my friends invited me to go traveling with him. I accepted the invitation, and then we agreed on a time to set out.

But, some time later he changed the schedule without discussing with me before. I told him that I was not going because the time was not convenient for me. What happened next? I think no need to go further. (Note: This is not the first time he's done such a thing.)

Andddd, yeah, it's a very good example of a person who is very bad at being responsible. Some people might think such a case is trivial. But I think we should think about this more seriously. Everyone in the world has their own business, and they have to value and cherish each other's business, no matter what business they have, don't they? And a good point to remember is that one's business often relates to another's business. Think about the domino effect and feel the horror due to lack of responsibility.

Responsibility is something that makes a human a human. It is the foundation of every person's life and determines our future. Continue reading

Comparisons Are Odious

Aren't they? Yeah, at times they are. And I went through this kind of situation a few days ago.

I wanted to get a copy of Practical English Usage by Michael Swan as it is a great book on English, based on Amazon.com customer reviews and my friend's recommendation. It was sold by my company at 300,000 rupiahs (about 24.75 USD) and, therefore, plain cheap! I decided to buy it, so I told the PIC about my "craving".

While she was processing the purchase, one of my friends told me that there was a bookstore where he usually bought books, and, if I'm not mistaken, he told me that the book, if available, was sold at a cheaper price. Soon I tried to contact the bookstore officer, but I didn't cancel the purchase.

While waiting for the officer to give me the information, I did the transaction and got the book! But I was not satisfied. I wanted to know the price of the book from the bookstore. In short, the officer said that the book price was 246.000 rupiahs (about 20.30 USD)! I felt regretful that I had spent more money on it.

However, after thinking carefully, I realized that I had made the best decision! I needed the book and buying it right away was the right thing. Furthermore, If I had canceled the purchase, I would've been considered not responsible.

In my view, this is one of the keys to being happy in life: Don't compare things. :) Continue reading

Time

What is time?

We humans are inextricably bound with time (in fact, dinosaurs are too). We move, breathe, think, eat, drink, work, play, and sleep, as well as poo, as time goes by. All of our activities depend on this four-letter thing.

Time is universal. It is not racist—all humans get the same portion: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. They cannot pause it. They cannot stop it. They cannot return to the past. They cannot go to the future. (except for Doraemon)

You can do good or bad with time. It really depends on your decision, on how you want to use it. For example, after reading this, you can go to a red light district in your country and spend one hour having sex with a prostitute, or you can spend the same amount of time to visit your parents, kin, or friends who you have hurt and apologize to them sincerely. Therefore, time is so powerful. In a sense, it can change the world, but it needs you to do it.

We often feel as if time passed slowly at times, but sometimes it passed really fast. Why do we have such a feeling? For my money, if we enjoy doing something, we feel it passes fast, and in contrast, if we hate doing something, we feel it passes slowly. Which one do you choose, the former or the latter? :)

Time is a passive thing. It won't say, "Come on! Use me! Use me!" It will just keep silent. It won't approach us. We are the ones who have to take the initiative.

Now, let's dissect a day:

---

1 day = 24 hours

Activities:
Sleeping: 8 hours
Working: 8 hours
Eating: 15 minutes (breakfast) +  15 minutes (lunch) + 15 minutes (dinner) = 45 minutes = 1.25 hours
Taking showers, brushing teeth, etc. : 15 minutes (morning) + 15 minutes (afternoon) = 30 minutes = 0.5 hours
Doing housework, etc. : 1 hour
Leisure : 3 hours

Let's calculate the amount of time left:
24 - 8 - 8 - 1.25 - 0.5 - 1 - 3 = 2.25 hours

---

For my money, this illustration more or less depicts a well-organized day for a human being. And, as you can see, there is still 2.25 hours to use. We could spend it reading, helping our neighbors, blogging, and/or doing anything that is worthwhile. If we do this consistently, we will be productive and, as a result, we will be a contented man. I believe that successful men are those who make the most of their time while their contemporaries procrastinate and spend their time doing things ineffectively.

So what will you do after this? :) Tick. Tick. Tick. Continue reading

First Dinosaur Encyclopedia – Book Review

First Dinosaur Encyclopedia

by DK

The following is a review of another edition Dinosaur Encyclopedia, which I had a copy of a long time ago. Since it got burned by a fire in February 2015, I bought a copy of the updated version (First Dinosaur Encyclopedia) in 2016. I have looked through the new book quickly and found that the contents are mostly similar but more up-to-date, and at the back of the book are some quizzes which the other edition doesn't have.

DK (Dorling Kindersley) is probably the best publisher of illustrated reference books. Dinosaur Encyclopedia is a dinosaur book with countless colorful illustrations and photographs which make learning dinosaurs a very fun experience! It is comprehensive; it includes information on many aspects about the dinosaurs themselves (their habitats, diet, behavior, etc.) and on other prehistoric creatures such as plesiosaurs and pterosaurs as well. As the subtitle of another edition states, it is very suitable for those who are just about to "dive" into the world of dinosaurs, especially teenagers. Packed with bite-sized facts and quiz questions, Dinosaur Encyclopedia is sure to be one of your favorite dinosaur books.

Last updated: May 11, 2017 Continue reading

Sons of Reasons

Sometimes I feel we, humans, are too "imaginative". When asked by a person, probably a friend or our mother or father, to do this or to do that, we often say, "I'm sorry I can't because bla bla bla." 1,000 reasons come out of our mouth. The problem is those reasons are often exaggerated and, sometimes, implausible.

Let's see this example.

One morning
Mother: Claire, could you buy me tissues in Carrefour?
Claire: I am sorry, mom. I'm busy doing my homework. (the homework is to be submitted one month later)
Mother: It's okay. You can do it later in the afternoon.
Claire: Oh, I'll be tired, mom. This homework is hard. (write two paragraphs about something that the student likes. Is it exhausting?)
Mother: Oh, okay. How about the evening?
Claire: Mom, you know I have an appointment with Dr. Phil Currie at 5 p.m.  It will last probably for about three hours. (three hours? To have an interview consisting of five questions with him? Note: He is a professor. Don't you think he is super busy?)
Mother: You can do it after that, right, darling?
Claire: Mom, please. I have to rest earlier. I'm going to Vietnam tomorrow morning. I won't be fit if I don't get enough sleep. (she always slept late and woke up early to go to school and she never complained about this but now?)
Mother: Okay, I'll buy it myself.

It's just a simple case but can make one of the most important persons in our life feel burden (She has to walk. She has to make effort she doesn't need to make.) and—if she knows—cry.

Stop making up ridiculous reasons. Pulverize all unworthy words. Don't put your head in the clouds. We are not "sons of reasons". We are sons of God, who is directed to live our life to the fullest, to make the most of our life for his glory.

Anything wrong? Yes. it seems as if I were an anti-feminist but I think, having looked at the example given, you already realize that this article is for women too! Daughters of God are not "daughters of twitters", are they? :) Continue reading