100 Common Indonesian Verbs To Rapidly Boost Your Vocabulary
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Learning the most frequent verbs is the fastest way to build your Indonesian vocabulary.
Verbs are the engine of every single sentence you speak.
Indonesian verbs are incredibly easy for beginners to learn.
They don’t change their endings based on who’s speaking.
You simply use the exact same verb form for past, present, and future events.
This guide breaks down the 100 most common Indonesian verbs you’ll hear in daily life.
Table of Contents:
Action and movement verbs
Action verbs are the words you’ll use most often to describe physical movement.
In casual, spoken Indonesian, natives frequently drop formal prefixes.
You’ll constantly hear people say beli (buy) instead of the formal dictionary word membeli.
I’ve provided the most common spoken root forms in the table below.
| Indonesian Verb | English Meaning | Usage Notes |
|---|---|---|
| pergi | go | Standard across all regions. |
| datang | come | Standard for arriving or coming over. |
| jalan | walk | Also means “street” or “road”. |
| lari | run | Used for running or escaping. |
| makan | eat | Highly common everyday verb. |
| minum | drink | Used for drinking any liquid. |
| ambil | take | Used when grabbing or fetching something. |
| bawa | bring | Used for bringing or carrying items. |
| kasih | give | Informal and highly common in spoken Indonesian. |
| beli | buy | Standard shopping verb. |
| jual | sell | Standard business verb. |
| bayar | pay | Essential for markets and restaurants. |
| bikin | make | Informal alternative to “buat”. |
| buat | make | Formal and standard way to say “make”. |
| buka | open | Used for doors, shops, and packages. |
| tutup | close | The direct opposite of buka. |
| cari | search / look for | Used when trying to find something. |
| dapat | get | Used when receiving or successfully acquiring something. |
| bantu | help | Often heard as “membantu” in formal speech. |
| coba | try | Used for trying food or attempting an action. |
| pakai | use / wear | Applies to tools, apps, and clothing. |
| main | play | Used for games, sports, and hanging out. |
| lempar | throw | Standard action verb. |
| tangkap | catch | Used for catching objects or animals. |
| jatuh | fall | Used when a person or object drops. |
| lompat | jump | Standard physical movement. |
| tarik | pull | Often seen on doors. |
| dorong | push | Often seen on doors alongside tarik. |
| simpan | keep / save | Used for storing items or saving files. |
| pinjam | borrow | Essential when asking to use someone’s item. |
Communication and thought verbs
Communication verbs help you express your thoughts, ask questions, and share information.
You’ll notice a few regional variations in how these are used.
For example, bilang is the casual way to say “say” in Jakarta and most of Indonesia.
In formal writing or news broadcasts, you’d use berkata instead.
| Indonesian Verb | English Meaning | Usage Notes |
|---|---|---|
| bicara | speak | Standard verb for talking. |
| ngobrol | chat | Informal verb for casual conversation. |
| bilang | say | Informal and extremely common everywhere. |
| tanya | ask | Used when asking a question. |
| jawab | answer | Used for replying to questions. |
| panggil | call | Used for calling a name or summoning someone. |
| dengar | hear / listen | Standard auditory verb. |
| lihat | see / look | Standard visual verb. |
| tonton | watch | Used exclusively for watching TV, movies, or shows. |
| baca | read | Used for books, texts, and signs. |
| tulis | write | Standard writing verb. |
| pikir | think | Used when considering something. |
| tahu | know (information) | Used for knowing facts. |
| kenal | know (person) | Used for being acquainted with someone. |
| ngerti | understand | Informal version of “mengerti”. |
| ingat | remember | Standard cognitive verb. |
| lupa | forget | Standard cognitive verb. |
| percaya | believe | Used for trusting or believing. |
| setuju | agree | Essential for expressing consent. |
| janji | promise | Also functions as a noun for “appointment”. |
| bohong | lie | Used when someone tells an untruth. |
| cerita | tell a story | Also functions as a noun for “story”. |
| jelas | explain | Often heard with a prefix as “menjelaskan”. |
| ajar | teach | Root word for teaching. |
| belajar | study / learn | Standard verb for learning. |
Daily routine verbs
Daily routine verbs cover the activities you do from morning until night.
These words are highly useful for answering questions about your day.
Some of these verbs naturally describe broad concepts but are used in specific contexts.
For instance, mandi specifically means to take a bath or shower to clean your body.
| Indonesian Verb | English Meaning | Usage Notes |
|---|---|---|
| bangun | wake up | Also means “to build”. |
| tidur | sleep | Standard nightly routine verb. |
| mandi | bathe / shower | Crucial daily routine in Indonesia. |
| cuci | wash | Used for clothes, dishes, and hands. |
| masak | cook | Standard culinary verb. |
| sapu | sweep | Also functions as the noun for “broom”. |
| kerja | work | Used for employment and labor. |
| istirahat | rest / break | Used for taking a break or resting. |
| mulai | start | Standard verb for beginning an action. |
| selesai | finish | Used when a task is completed. |
| berhenti | stop | Used to halt an action or stop a vehicle. |
| tunggu | wait | Highly common command in daily life. |
| bersiap | get ready | Used when preparing oneself to leave. |
| duduk | sit | Standard posture verb. |
| berdiri | stand | Standard posture verb. |
| tinggal | live / stay | Used to denote where you reside. |
| pindah | move | Used for changing locations or moving houses. |
| pulang | go home | Specific verb for returning to your residence. |
| berangkat | depart | Used when setting off on a journey. |
| tiba | arrive | Standard travel verb. |
| ganti | change | Used for changing clothes or swapping items. |
| potong | cut | Used for cutting food or hair. |
| sikat | brush | Used for brushing teeth or shoes. |
| dandan | dress up / makeup | Informal verb for getting styled. |
| rapikan | tidy up | Used when organizing a messy room. |
Emotion and state verbs
Emotion and state verbs express how you feel, what you want, and your current condition.
Words like mau (want) and punya (have) are essential for basic survival in Indonesia.
These verbs don’t describe a physical action, but rather a state of being.
| Indonesian Verb | English Meaning | Usage Notes |
|---|---|---|
| suka | like | Used for personal preferences. |
| cinta | love | Used for deep romantic or familial affection. |
| benci | hate | Strong emotion verb. |
| mau | want | Also functions as an auxiliary verb for “will”. |
| ingin | wish / desire | Slightly more formal than “mau”. |
| butuh | need | Used when something is necessary. |
| harap | hope | Often heard as “berharap”. |
| rasa | feel | Also means “taste” or “flavor”. |
| jadi | become / happen | Incredibly versatile word in spoken Indonesian. |
| ada | exist / be present | Used to say “there is” or “there are”. |
| punya | have / own | Indicates possession. |
| masuk | enter | Used for going inside a place. |
| keluar | exit | Used for going outside. |
| naik | go up / ride | Used for climbing stairs or riding vehicles. |
| turun | go down | Used for descending or getting out of a car. |
| hidup | live | Refers to being alive. |
| mati | die | Also used for electronics turning off. |
| sakit | hurt / be sick | Used for physical pain or illness. |
| sembuh | recover | Used when getting better from an illness. |
| hilang | disappear / lose | Used when an item goes missing. |
How to use Indonesian verbs in sentences
Since Indonesian verbs don’t conjugate, you use time markers to show when an action happens.
You simply place these marker words directly before the verb.
Use sudah to indicate an action happened in the past.
Saya sudah makan.
Use sedang or lagi to show that an action is happening right now.
Dia sedang baca buku.
Use akan or mau to talk about future actions.
Kami akan pergi ke Bali.
Mastering these 100 verbs will give you a massive advantage in everyday conversations.
You can combine them with simple time markers to create thousands of unique sentences immediately.
