Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Di tingkat pemula, kami belajar ungkapan sehari-hari seperti salam dan perkenalan. - At the beginner level, we learn everyday expressions such as greetings and introductions.

In more formal writing you might also see pada tingkat pemula, but di tingkat pemula is very natural and common in everyday Indonesian. Both are acceptable; many speakers don’t feel a strong difference here.

Could you replace tingkat pemula with something else, like “basic level” or “beginner class”?

Yes. Some alternatives and their nuances:

tingkat pemula = beginner level (most direct equivalent)
tingkat dasar = basic / foundational level (can feel slightly more formal or academic)
kelas pemula = beginner class (emphasises the class, not the abstract level)
level pemula = beginner level using the loanword level (very common in everyday speech)

All of these could appear in similar sentences, e.g.:

Di tingkat dasar, kami belajar…
Di kelas pemula, kami belajar…

Why is kami used instead of kita? Both mean “we,” right?

Both kami and kita translate as “we”, but they differ in who is included:

kami = we (not including you, the listener) → exclusive
kita = we (including you, the listener) → inclusive

In Di tingkat pemula, kami belajar…, the speaker is talking about their group (e.g. their class) and not including the person they’re talking to.

If the speaker wanted to include the listener (for example, a teacher talking to the whole class), they could say:

Di tingkat pemula, kita belajar ungkapan sehari-hari…
→ At the beginner level, we (you and I) learn everyday expressions…

Is belajar transitive here? Why can it directly take ungkapan without tentang?

In this sentence, belajar does behave like a transitive verb:

belajar (to learn/study) + [object]

So:

kami belajar ungkapan sehari-hari
= we learn / study everyday expressions.

You could add tentang (“about”) and say:

kami belajar tentang ungkapan sehari-hari
= we learn about everyday expressions.

Both are grammatically correct. The difference:

belajar + object feels a bit more direct and natural in many cases, especially with school subjects or topics (e.g. belajar matematika, belajar bahasa Indonesia).
belajar tentang + noun emphasizes the topic of study as a subject of discussion, a bit like “learn about …” in English.

In a classroom context, kami belajar ungkapan sehari-hari sounds very natural.

What is the difference between belajar and mempelajari?

Both relate to learning, but they’re used differently:

belajar = to study / to learn (more general, very common)
- Dia belajar bahasa Indonesia. = He/She studies Indonesian.
mempelajari = to study / examine (something) more in-depth
- Dia mempelajari tata bahasa Indonesia. = He/She studies Indonesian grammar (in some depth).

In your sentence, you could say:

Kami mempelajari ungkapan sehari-hari seperti salam dan perkenalan.

It’s grammatically fine and can sound a bit more formal / focused, but in everyday context belajar is more natural and neutral.

What exactly does ungkapan mean? Is it the same as “expression” in English?

Ungkapan roughly corresponds to “expression” or “phrase”, but with a nuance:

It often refers to set phrases, fixed expressions, or idiomatic phrases, not facial expressions.
Examples:
- ungkapan terima kasih = expression of thanks
- ungkapan selamat = congratulatory expression
- ungkapan idiomatik = idiomatic expression

Compare with:

ekspresi = usually “expression” in a more general sense, especially:
- facial expression: ekspresi wajah
- expression of feelings: ekspresi emosi

So ungkapan sehari-hari is best thought of as “everyday phrases / everyday expressions (in language)” rather than physical expressions.

What does sehari-hari mean, and how is it different from setiap hari?

Both contain hari (day), but they’re used differently:

sehari-hari = “everyday / daily (in general, usual/habitual)”
- Often works like an adjective or adverb of habit:
  - bahasa sehari-hari = everyday language
  - kegiatan sehari-hari = daily (routine) activities
  - ungkapan sehari-hari = everyday expressions
setiap hari = “every day” (each individual day, one by one)
- More about frequency:
  - Saya belajar setiap hari. = I study every day.

So:

ungkapan sehari-hari → expressions people usually use in daily life.
If you said ungkapan setiap hari, it would sound odd or wrong; it would suggest “expressions used every single day,” which is not how Indonesians phrase this idea.

Why is sehari-hari written with a hyphen?

Sehari-hari is a reduplicated form (repetition) based on hari. In spelling:

Single word: hari (day)
Reduplicated: hari-hari (days)
With se‑ (a prefix often meaning “one” or “a / per” in some contexts) plus reduplication: sehari-hari, written with a hyphen.

Reduplication in Indonesian is usually marked with a hyphen:

anak → anak-anak
buku → buku-buku

So sehari-hari follows the same rule.

What does seperti do in this sentence, and how is it different from sebagai?

In …ungkapan sehari-hari seperti salam dan perkenalan, seperti means “such as / like” and introduces examples:

ungkapan sehari-hari seperti salam dan perkenalan
= everyday expressions such as greetings and introductions.

Compare:

seperti = like, such as → used for comparisons or examples
- Dia pintar seperti ibunya. = He/She is smart like his/her mother.
- Buah-buahan tropis seperti mangga dan pisang. = Tropical fruits such as mangoes and bananas.
sebagai = as → used for roles / functions / capacities
- Dia bekerja sebagai guru. = He/She works as a teacher.
- Saya berbicara sebagai teman. = I speak as a friend.

So using sebagai instead of seperti here would be incorrect.

Does salam just mean “hello,” or is it broader than that?

Salam is broader than just “hello”:

It can mean “greeting(s)” in general:
- salam pembuka = opening greeting
- salam penutup = closing greeting
In letters, emails, or messages, salam also appears in closing phrases:
- Salam,
- Salam hangat, (warm regards)
- Salam hormat, (respectful regards)

In your sentence, salam refers to greetings (like hello, good morning, good afternoon, etc.), not specifically one word.

What does perkenalan literally mean, and how is it formed?

Perkenalan means “introduction” (both the act and sometimes the event).

Morphology:

Root: kenal = to know / be acquainted with
Verb: memperkenalkan = to introduce (someone/something)
Noun: perkenalan = introduction

Examples:

Mari kita mulai dengan perkenalan.
= Let’s start with introductions.
Sesi perkenalan = introduction session

So in the sentence, salam dan perkenalan = “greetings and introductions.”

Why is the comma placed after Di tingkat pemula? Is it necessary?

Di tingkat pemula is an introductory prepositional phrase giving context (when/at what stage). In writing, it’s very common to put a comma after such phrases:

Di tingkat pemula, kami belajar…

Is it strictly required? Not always. You might see:

Di tingkat pemula kami belajar ungkapan…

Without the comma, it’s still grammatically correct, but the comma helps show the pause you’d naturally make in speech and separates the context phrase from the main clause. In formal writing, including the comma is usually preferred.

Could the subject kami be omitted? For example: Di tingkat pemula, belajar ungkapan sehari-hari…

Indonesian often allows dropping the subject if it’s clear from context, so:

Di tingkat pemula, belajar ungkapan sehari-hari seperti salam dan perkenalan.

can be understood, especially in informal speech or notes. However:

It becomes a bit less clear who is doing the learning.
For a textbook/example sentence, including kami is better, because it’s more complete and unambiguous.

So in teaching materials or careful writing, Di tingkat pemula, kami belajar… is preferred.