Indonesian: A Comprehensive Grammar (PDF)

This grammar is a complete reference guide to the language of Indonesia as used by native speakers.

The book is organised to promote a thorough understanding of Indonesian grammar. It presents the complexities of Indonesian in a concise and readable form. An extensive index, cross-referencing and a generous use of headings will provide readers with immediate access to the information they require.

Key features:

• to aid clarity, all word groups and structures discussed are illustrated by natural examples of frequently used words and expressions


• each section can be read independently, enabling the reader to focus on a specific aspect of the language, if required


• all major structures of Indonesian, from words to complex sentences are described in detail


• common grammatical terms used are all clearly defined in an extensive glossary.

By providing a comprehensive description of Indonesian in a clear and non-technical manner, this grammar makes an ideal reference source for all users of the language, whether in colleges, universities or adult education classes of all types.

James Neil Sneddon was Associate Professor in the Faculty of Asian and International Studies at Griffith University, with long experience teaching Indonesian language and linguistics. He is also author of Understanding Indonesian Grammar.

Alexander Adelaar is Principal Fellow in the Asia Institute at the University of Melbourne. He is author of a number of books on Austronesian linguistics.

Dwi Noverini Djenar lectures in the Department of Indonesian Studies at the University of Sydney. She is author of Semantic, Pragmatic and Discourse Perspectives of Preposition Use: A study of Indonesian locatives.

Michael C Ewing is a senior lecturer in Indonesian Studies at the Asia Institute at the University of Melbourne. He is author of Grammar and Inference in Conversation: Identifying clause structure in spoken Javanese.