Dia berangkat ke Bali bésok.
He will leave for Bali tomorrow.
There is one very basic difference, however. In Indonesian, the most important noun or “topic” of the sentence is normally placed first. If the topic of the sentence happens to be the object of the verb, then this will be placed first and the “passive form” of the verb with di- will often be used (see below).
Bapak mau ke mana? Where is Bapak going?
(lit: Father-want-to-where?)
Buku itu ditaruh di sana. Put the book over there.
(lit: Book-that-is put-at-there.)
Buah ini dimakan. This fruit is to be eaten. (i.e. “Go ahead and eat this fruit!”)
(lit: Fruit-this-to be eaten.)
Very often the subject of a sentence is omitted, as it is clear from the context.
Mau pergi? Do [you] want to go?
Ada kamar? Do [you] have any rooms?
Minta air minum. [I] would like some drinking water.
Boléh lihat? May [I] see?
2.03
Verb forms
The most common form of a verb is the “active” prefix me-. However, this is commonly omitted in everyday conversation. For further information on these verbal affixes, see Appendix A.
Saya mau melihat Borobudur. I want to see Borobudur.
Saya mau lihat Borobudur. (same)
The passive form di-
The passive form of a transitive verb is formed with the prefix di-. Note that the passive form often implies an imperative.
Sepatu ini boléh dicoba. The shoes may be tried on. (i.e. “You may try on the shoes.”)
Dicoba dulu! Try it/them [on] first!
Nasi ini dimasak. This rice is to be cooked. (i.e. “Cook this rice!”)
2.04
Tense
Verbs do not change their form to indicate tense, and the same form of the verb is used to speak of the past, present and future. Usually it is clear from the context which is intended. To be more specific, auxiliary verbs and words indicating a specific time reference may be added, just as in English.
Saya makan. I eat. I am eating.
Saya sedang makan. I am eating.
Saya sudah makan. I have already eaten.
Saya makan tadi. I ate just now.
Saya akan makan. I will eat.
Saya (akan) makan nanti. I will eat later.
Present tense
If no auxiliary verb or specific time reference is used, it is generally assumed that one is speaking about the present.
Sekarang (“now”) is used to emphasize the fact that one is speaking about the present.
Kita pergi sekarang. We are leaving now.
Saya mau makan sekarang. I want to eat now.
Sedang is another auxiliary verb used in the sense of “to be in the middle of” doing something:
Saya sedang makan. I am (in the middle of) eating.
Kita sedang bicara. We are (in the middle of) speaking.
Future tense
Akan (“shall, will”) is an auxiliary verb used to express the future.
Tahun depan saya akan kembali lagi ke Indonésia.
Next year I will return to Indonesia again.
Mau (“to want to”) is often used as an auxiliary verb to signify the near future, just as in English. It is then followed by the main verb. In this case it often has the sense of “to intend to, will” do something.
Bésok saya mau pergi kecandi Borobudur.
Tomorrow I want to [intend to, will] go to the Borobudur temple.
Nanti (“later”) is also used as a specific time reference indicating future tense, often after mau + verb:
Saya (akan) pergi nanti. I will go later.
Saya mau pergi nanti. I intend to go later.
2.05
Past tense
Sudah (“already”) is used in Indonesian to indicate most forms of the past tense in English. It is placed before the verb, and is often not translated in English.
Dia sudah pergi? Has he gone already?
Ya, dia sudah pergi. Yes, he has gone already.
Saya sudah satu bulan belajar Bahasa Indonésia.
I have [already] been studying Indonesian one month.
Kemarin (“yesterday”) and tadi (“just now, earlier”) are specific time references used to indicate the past.
Kemarin saya bicara dengan dia. I spoke with him/her yesterday.
Saya datang tadi. I arrived just now.
Past tense with waktu (“the time when”)
Waktu (“time” or “the time when”) is another time reference used to indicate actions which occurred in the past. Followed by itu (“that”) it means “by that time” or “at that time” and indicates what in English would be a pluperfect (past perfect) tense.
Waktu dia datang, kita sedang makan.
When (at the time) he arrived, we were eating.
Waktu itu saya baru pulang.
At that time, I had just come home.
Waktu may also be combined with sudah to indicate the past perfect tense:
Waktu dia datang, kita sudah makan.
When he arrived, we had already eaten.
Waktu itu saya sudah pergi.