The English word "now" names the present moment. It can mean "at this instant" (I am here now), "these days" (prices are higher now), or "so, next" (Now, open your books). The house list gives now as an adverb of time, "present moment", a word of temporal deixis, which means a word whose meaning depends on the moment of speaking. Indonesian has several words for it: sekarang, kini, saat ini and dewasa ini. The word chosen here is sekarang (/səˈkaraŋ/), because it is the everyday word, the one a learner meets first and most often, and the standard dictionaries give the others in terms of it.
The Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia defines sekarang as "waktu (masa, saat) ini; kini", "this time (period, moment); now". It lists the word as a noun, because it names a stretch of time. Wiktionary describes it as an adverb ("now, today") and as an adjective ("current, present"), and analyses it as the prefix se- with karang. In practice you will see it do three jobs: it stands in a sentence like an adverb (Saya di sini sekarang), it follows a noun like an adjective (anak muda sekarang "young people today"), and it opens a sentence to say "now, at this point".
The first thing to learn is that Indonesian verbs do not change for tense. The verb in Dia tidur sekarang ("He is sleeping now") is the bare tidur. A time word does the work that tense does in English, and sekarang is the time word for the present. It can stand first, after the subject, or last, and the sentence stays correct in each place.
The second thing is that sekarang has a family of fixed phrases, which are taught here because learners meet them at once: sekarang juga "right now, at once", sekarang ini "right now, nowadays", mulai sekarang "from now on", sampai sekarang "until now", dari sekarang "starting now, in advance".
The third thing is the spelling. The word is written as one word, sekarang, and the first vowel is the weak vowel e (a schwa), not a full "eh". Do not confuse it with karang, which is a separate word and means "coral, a rock in the sea".
Orthographic points: Indonesian uses the plain Latin alphabet with no accent marks. Two letters stand for one sound in this lesson: ng is the sound at the end of English "sing" (sekarang), and ny is the sound in Spanish año (tersenyum).
FAQ: What does "sekarang" mean in Indonesian?
Sekarang is the Indonesian word for "now". It is pronounced "suh-KAH-rahng". It is placed freely in the sentence: Sekarang hujan, Hujan sekarang and Sekarang ini hujan are all possible. It also follows a noun to mean "of today, present": zaman sekarang "the present age". For events in the past use tadi "a little while ago" or dulu "formerly", and for events to come use nanti "later".
Key Takeaways
- Sekarang means "now" and is pronounced /səˈkaraŋ/. It is one word, with a weak first vowel. - The verb does not change: Dia tidur sekarang "He is sleeping now". Time is shown by the time word. - It can stand first (Sekarang hujan), after the subject (Adik saya sekarang belajar…) or last (Saya di sini sekarang). - Fixed phrases: sekarang juga "right now", mulai sekarang "from now on", sampai sekarang "until now", sekarang ini "nowadays". - After a noun it means "of today": anak muda sekarang "young people today". It pairs with dulu "formerly": lain dulu, lain sekarang.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
sekarang /səˈkaraŋ/ has three syllables: se-ka-rang. The first vowel is a schwa /ə/, the weak vowel of English "about". The second is a clear /a/ as in "father". The word ends in ng /ŋ/, as in "sing", with no g sound after it. The usual stress falls on -ka-, and it is light: "suh-KAH-rahng". In fast speech the first vowel nearly disappears and the word is said /ˈskaraŋ/. The IPA in the b-lines of this lesson is broad (phonemic) and leaves out stress marks, because Indonesian stress is weak and varies between speakers.
Sounds in this lesson that English lacks or treats differently:
- e is two sounds. The weak /ə/ is found in sekarang /səkaraŋ/, belum /bəlum/ and dengan /dəŋan/. The clearer /e/ is found in kereta /kəreta/ (the second e), loket /loket/ and jendela /dʒəndela/ (the second e). The spelling does not tell them apart. - r is a tap or trill, as in Spanish: sekarang, berat /bərat/, pergi /pərgi/. - c = /tʃ/ ("ch"): cepat /tʃəpat/, kecil /kətʃil/. j = /dʒ/ ("j" in "jam"): jam /dʒam/, juga /dʒuga/, jalur /dʒalur/. - ny = /ɲ/: tersenyum /tərsəɲum/. ng = /ŋ/: pulang /pulaŋ/, dengan /dəŋan/. ngg = /ŋg/: Inggris /iŋgris/, tinggal /tiŋgal/. - y = /j/: saya /saja/, kaya /kaja/. Mind the pair saya /saja/ "I" and saja /sadʒa/ "just". - k at the end of a word is a glottal stop (a closed throat, as in the middle of "uh-oh"): anak, tidak, musik. The IPA writes it /k/. - ai and au are two vowels run together: sampai /sampai/, mulai /mulai/, mau /mau/.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Examples 51.1–51.15 are pedagogical constructions built from verified vocabulary and patterns (Acceptabile), except 51.13, which is a saying that is listed in the standard dictionary (Bonum). They are not quotations from a text.
51.1a Sekarang now
51.1b Sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now
51.2a Saya I di at sini here sekarang now
51.2b Saya /saja/ 1SG di /di/ at sini /sini/ here sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now
51.3a Sekarang now kita we makan eat
51.3b Sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now kita /kita/ 1PL.INCL makan /makan/ eat
51.4a Dia he/she tidur sleeps sekarang now
51.4b Dia /dia/ 3SG tidur /tidur/ sleep sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now
51.5a Kamu you mau want pergi go sekarang now
51.5b Kamu /kamu/ 2SG mau /mau/ want pergi /pərgi/ go sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now
51.6a Sekarang now hujan rain
51.6b Sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now hujan /hudʒan/ rain
51.7a Adik younger-sibling saya my sekarang now belajar studies bahasa language Inggris English
51.7b Adik /adik/ younger.sibling saya /saja/ 1SG.POSS sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now belajar /bəladʒar/ study bahasa /bahasa/ language Inggris /iŋgris/ English
51.8a Sekarang now juga also kamu you harus must pulang go-home
51.8b Sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now juga /dʒuga/ also.EMPH kamu /kamu/ 2SG harus /harus/ must pulang /pulaŋ/ return.home
51.9a Dulu formerly dia he/she miskin poor tetapi but sekarang now dia he/she kaya rich
51.9b Dulu /dulu/ formerly dia /dia/ 3SG miskin /miskin/ poor tetapi /tətapi/ but sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now dia /dia/ 3SG kaya /kaja/ rich
51.10a Sampai until sekarang now saya I belum not-yet bertemu meet dengan with dia him/her
51.10b Sampai /sampai/ until sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now saya /saja/ 1SG belum /bəlum/ not.yet bertemu /bərtəmu/ INTR.meet dengan /dəŋan/ with dia /dia/ 3SG
51.11a Mulai begin sekarang now kita we harus must menabung save-money
51.11b Mulai /mulai/ begin sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now kita /kita/ 1PL.INCL harus /harus/ must menabung /mənabuŋ/ AV.save.money
51.12a Anak child muda young sekarang now lebih more suka like musik music daripada than politik politics
51.12b Anak /anak/ child muda /muda/ young sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now lebih /ləbih/ more suka /suka/ like musik /musik/ music daripada /daripada/ than politik /politik/ politics
51.13a Lain different dulu formerly lain different sekarang now
51.13b Lain /lain/ different dulu /dulu/ formerly lain /lain/ different sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now
51.14a Saya I tidak not tahu know apa what yang REL harus must saya I lakukan do sekarang now
51.14b Saya /saja/ 1SG tidak /tidak/ NEG tahu /tahu/ know apa /apa/ what yang /jaŋ/ REL harus /harus/ must saya /saja/ 1SG lakukan /lakukan/ do.APPL sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now
51.15a Sekarang now ini this kita we hidup live di in zaman era ketika when semua all orang person bisa can berbicara speak dengan with siapa who saja just di in dunia world
51.15b Sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now ini /ini/ this kita /kita/ 1PL.INCL hidup /hidup/ live di /di/ in zaman /zaman/ era ketika /kətika/ when semua /səmua/ all orang /oraŋ/ person bisa /bisa/ can berbicara /bərbitʃara/ INTR.speak dengan /dəŋan/ with siapa /siapa/ who saja /sadʒa/ just di /di/ in dunia /dunia/ world
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
51.1 Sekarang. → "Now."
51.2 Saya di sini sekarang. → "I am here now."
51.3 Sekarang kita makan. → "Now we eat." (that is, "Let's eat now.")
51.4 Dia tidur sekarang. → "He (or she) is sleeping now."
51.5 Kamu mau pergi sekarang? → "Do you want to go now?"
51.6 Sekarang hujan. → "It is raining now."
51.7 Adik saya sekarang belajar bahasa Inggris. → "My younger sibling is studying English now."
51.8 Sekarang juga kamu harus pulang. → "You must go home right now."
51.9 Dulu dia miskin, tetapi sekarang dia kaya. → "He (or she) used to be poor, but now is rich."
51.10 Sampai sekarang saya belum bertemu dengan dia. → "Until now I have not met him (or her)."
51.11 Mulai sekarang kita harus menabung. → "From now on we must save money."
51.12 Anak muda sekarang lebih suka musik daripada politik. → "Young people today like music more than politics."
51.13 Lain dulu, lain sekarang. → "Things were different then; they are different now."
51.14 Saya tidak tahu apa yang harus saya lakukan sekarang. → "I do not know what I must do now."
51.15 Sekarang ini kita hidup di zaman ketika semua orang bisa berbicara dengan siapa saja di dunia. → "Nowadays we live in an age when everyone can talk to anyone in the world."
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
51.1 Sekarang.
51.2 Saya di sini sekarang.
51.3 Sekarang kita makan.
51.4 Dia tidur sekarang.
51.5 Kamu mau pergi sekarang?
51.6 Sekarang hujan.
51.7 Adik saya sekarang belajar bahasa Inggris.
51.8 Sekarang juga kamu harus pulang.
51.9 Dulu dia miskin, tetapi sekarang dia kaya.
51.10 Sampai sekarang saya belum bertemu dengan dia.
51.11 Mulai sekarang kita harus menabung.
51.12 Anak muda sekarang lebih suka musik daripada politik.
51.13 Lain dulu, lain sekarang.
51.14 Saya tidak tahu apa yang harus saya lakukan sekarang.
51.15 Sekarang ini kita hidup di zaman ketika semua orang bisa berbicara dengan siapa saja di dunia.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
These are the grammar rules for sekarang in Indonesian:
1. Sekarang is the time word of the present. Indonesian verbs have no tense, so the verb stays in its bare form: tidur in 51.4, makan in 51.3, belajar in 51.7. The time of the action is shown by a word like sekarang "now", dulu "formerly" or besok "tomorrow". Without any time word the sentence is read from the context. The dictionary (KBBI) calls sekarang a noun, "this time, this moment", and it behaves as one: it can follow sampai "until" (51.10) and mulai "from" (51.11), as a noun can.
2. Position: first, after the subject, or last. Three places are open, and the sentence is correct in each:
- First: Sekarang hujan (51.6), Sekarang kita makan (51.3). The word sets the scene for what follows, and it stands first when a contrast with the past is intended, as in 51.9 Dulu… tetapi sekarang… - After the subject: Adik saya sekarang belajar bahasa Inggris (51.7). Here the time stands in front of the predicate, and the sentence says what the subject is doing at this stage. - Last: Saya di sini sekarang (51.2), Dia tidur sekarang (51.4), Kamu mau pergi sekarang? (51.5), …yang harus saya lakukan sekarang (51.14). This is the plainest place for it.
A question needs no change in word order. Rising intonation, or the question word, makes the question: Kamu mau pergi sekarang? (51.5).
3. Fixed phrases. These are used as units:
- sekarang juga "right now, at once" (51.8). The word juga "also" here makes the time sharp, and the phrase is usually an instruction or a demand. - sekarang ini "right now, nowadays" (51.15). Ini "this" is added to point at the present. - mulai sekarang "from now on" (51.11). Mulai is "begin". The phrase looks forward and often introduces a resolution. - sampai sekarang "until now" (51.10). Also hingga sekarang. It looks back from the present, and is usually used with belum "not yet" or with a verb of lasting. - dari sekarang "starting now, from this moment on, in advance": Kita harus bersiap dari sekarang "We must get ready from now."
4. After a noun: "of today". Sekarang can follow a noun and say that it belongs to the present: anak muda sekarang "young people today" (51.12), zaman sekarang "the present age", harga sekarang "the present price". The noun comes first and the modifier second, as is usual in Indonesian.
5. Dulu and sekarang. The pair dulu "formerly" and sekarang "now" is the plain way to set the past against the present: 51.9 Dulu dia miskin, tetapi sekarang dia kaya, and the saying in 51.13 Lain dulu, lain sekarang, which has no verb at all. The English "then" in such a contrast is dulu.
6. Other points on the clock. Sekarang is the present only. For other moments Indonesian uses other words:
- tadi "a little while ago, earlier today": Tadi hujan, tetapi sekarang tidak "It rained earlier, but not now." - baru saja "just now, a moment ago". - sebentar lagi "soon, in a moment" (as in the genre text, 51.19). - nanti "later". besok "tomorrow". kemarin "yesterday".
7. Sekarang as an opener. At the head of a sentence, especially of an instruction, sekarang means "now, next": Sekarang, bukalah buku Anda "Now open your book." The ending -lah on an imperative verb makes it a clear instruction (bukalah, and naiklah in 51.18).
8. Related words. Kini is a synonym of sekarang in both the KBBI and Wiktionary, and is shorter; it is found more often in writing: kini "now", masa kini "the present time", hingga kini "until now". Saat ini "at this moment" and dewasa ini "in these times" are also written words. Hari ini is "today" as a day. None of these replaces sekarang in speech.
Common Mistakes
- Spelling it in two parts. Wrong: se karang. Right: sekarang. The word karang alone means "coral, a rock in the sea" and is a different word. - Pronouncing the first vowel in full. The e in sekarang is the weak vowel /ə/, "suh", and not "seh". The same is true of belum, dengan and pergi. - Looking for a tense ending on the verb. English speakers expect the verb to change for the present. It does not. Right: the bare verb and a time word: Dia tidur sekarang. - Using sekarang for the recent past. Sekarang saya makan cannot mean "I have just eaten." For that say Saya baru saja makan or Tadi saya makan. - Using sekarang for "today" as a day. For the day, say hari ini: Hari ini saya sibuk "Today I am busy". Sekarang saya sibuk means "I am busy at this moment". - Confusing saya and saja. Saya /saja/ is "I", and saja /sadʒa/ is "just, any". They differ in one letter: dengan siapa saja "with anyone" (51.15), but Saya tidak tahu "I do not know" (51.14).
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Frequency and register. Sekarang is a word of every register. It is as natural in a child's remark as in a speech or a report. The house vocabulary list places "now" at number 51 by frequency. Written reports often prefer saat ini and hingga kini, and the plainer sekarang and sampai sekarang are heard in speech.
Messaging. In text messages the word is often cut to skrg, with the vowels dropped. This is informal and belongs in chat. In writing for a teacher, an employer or a newspaper, write sekarang in full.
Dulu and sekarang. The pair is a theme of everyday talk. Lain dulu, lain sekarang (51.13) is a saying that is listed in the dictionary, and it is said when people compare a time that has passed with the present day: how schools, prices or manners have changed. Because Indonesia has changed fast, the saying is often heard in talk between generations, as in 51.12.
Commands. Sekarang juga! is blunt. It is what a parent or an officer says when no delay is allowed, and between adults it can sound sharp. Indonesians soften the request by adding silakan "please, go ahead" or sebaiknya "it would be best": Sebaiknya kamu pulang sekarang "It would be best for you to go home now." Compare 51.8, which is the blunt form.
Regional variety. Sekarang is also the standard word in Malay, and it is understood in Malaysia and Brunei as well. Many Indonesians also speak a regional language at home, such as Javanese or Sundanese, which have their own words for "now". The standard word is used in school, in the media and in talk between speakers of different languages.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
The passage is from the Surat Terbuka Pramoedya Ananta Toer kepada Keith Foulcher ("Open Letter from Pramoedya Ananta Toer to Keith Foulcher"), dated Jakarta, 5 March 1985. The text is quoted as it stands in the Indonesian Wikiquote page on Pramoedya Ananta Toer, and the same wording is found in the transcription of the letter on the site of the YPKP 1965 (ypkp1965.org). The lesson quotes two sentences from it.
Pramoedya Ananta Toer (1925–2006) is the author of the Buru Quartet, and is also quoted in Lesson 11. He wrote this letter in 1985, six years after his release from the island of Buru in 1979. In the passage he speaks about words: two new words, one that he met in detention and one that he met in official speech.
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a Dalam in tahanan detention di at RTM RTM tahun year 1960 1960 saya I mendapatkan obtain kata word baru new dari from dunia world kriminal criminal brengsek brengsek
F.1b Dalam /dalam/ in tahanan /tahanan/ detention.NMLZ di /di/ at RTM /er te em/ RTM tahun /tahun/ year 1960 /səribu səmbilan ratus ənam puluh/ 1960 saya /saja/ 1SG mendapatkan /məndapatkan/ AV.get.APPL kata /kata/ word baru /baru/ new dari /dari/ from dunia /dunia/ world kriminal /kriminal/ criminal brengsek /breŋsek/ brengsek
F.2a Sekarang now saya I dapat get kata word baru new pula also di-aman-kan PASS-safe-CAUS yang REL berarti mean dianiaya mistreated sama same sekali once tidak not punya have sangkut-paut connection dengan with aman safe dan and keamanan security
F.2b Sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now saya /saja/ 1SG dapat /dapat/ get kata /kata/ word baru /baru/ new pula /pula/ also di-aman-kan /di aman kan/ PASS.safe.CAUS yang /jaŋ/ REL berarti /bərarti/ mean dianiaya /dianiaja/ PASS.mistreat sama /sama/ same sekali /səkali/ once tidak /tidak/ NEG punya /puɲa/ have sangkut-paut /saŋkut paut/ connection dengan /dəŋan/ with aman /aman/ safe dan /dan/ and keamanan /kəamanan/ security
F-B: Original → Translation
Dalam tahanan di RTM tahun 1960 saya mendapatkan kata baru dari dunia kriminal: brengsek. Sekarang saya dapat kata baru pula: di-aman-kan, yang berarti: dianiaya, sama sekali tidak punya sangkut-paut dengan aman dan keamanan.
"In detention at RTM in 1960 I got a new word from the criminal world: brengsek. Now I have got another new word as well: di-aman-kan, which means: mistreated, and having nothing at all to do with safety and security."
F-C: Original Only
Dalam tahanan di RTM tahun 1960 saya mendapatkan kata baru dari dunia kriminal: brengsek. Sekarang saya dapat kata baru pula: di-aman-kan, yang berarti: dianiaya, sama sekali tidak punya sangkut-paut dengan aman dan keamanan.
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
- Sekarang saya dapat…: sekarang stands first and answers the first sentence. The first sentence is in the past, with the year 1960, and the second is in the writer's present, with no year given. No tense marks either one. The year names the first moment and sekarang the second. The verb dapat here means "get, receive", the same sense as mendapatkan in the first sentence. Dapat also means "can", so the sense has to be read from the context. - pula: a small word that means "also, moreover". It says that this new word is a second one, after brengsek. - di-aman-kan: the writer spells the word with hyphens to show its parts: di- (the passive prefix), aman "safe" and -kan (a suffix that makes a verb from the base, here "make safe"). Written without hyphens it is diamankan. Pramoedya gives its meaning in his own words as dianiaya "mistreated", and says it has nothing to do with aman dan keamanan, "safety and security". - sama sekali tidak: a fixed phrase meaning "not at all". Glossed word by word, sama is "same" and sekali is "once", but together with tidak they form a single strong negation. Learners should memorise it as one. - punya sangkut-paut dengan: "to have a connection with". Sangkut-paut is a noun made of two linked parts, joined by a hyphen. Punya is the everyday verb "to have". - kata baru… yang berarti: yang introduces a clause that tells more about the word, "which means". The colon after berarti introduces the meaning. - RTM: the abbreviation as it stands in the letter, for the place of detention. It is read letter by letter. - The passage is built on a contrast between the word and the thing it names: di-aman-kan sounds like "made safe", and the writer says it means the opposite.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
A short narrative set in the present, which Indonesian does not mark on the verb. Rina goes to the station at six in the morning, hurries to catch a train and rides to Bandung. Every sentence has sekarang, in a different place or with a different job: setting the scene, giving a reason, marking a change. It is a pedagogical text built from verified patterns, and it is not a quotation.
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
51.16a Sekarang now pukul o'clock enam six pagi morning dan and Rina Rina sudah already ada be-present di at stasiun station
51.16b Sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now pukul /pukul/ o'clock enam /ənam/ six pagi /pagi/ morning dan /dan/ and Rina /rina/ Rina sudah /sudah/ PERF ada /ada/ be.present di /di/ at stasiun /stasiun/ station
51.17a Rina Rina melihat looks-at jam clock di on dinding wall dan and sekarang now berjalan walks ke to loket ticket-window
51.17b Rina /rina/ Rina melihat /məlihat/ AV.look.at jam /dʒam/ clock di /di/ on dinding /dindiŋ/ wall dan /dan/ and sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now berjalan /bərdʒalan/ INTR.walk ke /kə/ to loket /loket/ ticket.window
51.18a Petugas clerk itu that berkata says Kereta train ke to Bandung Bandung sudah already tiba arrive di at jalur track dua two Naiklah board sekarang now
51.18b Petugas /pətugas/ clerk itu /itu/ that berkata /bərkata/ INTR.say Kereta /kəreta/ train ke /kə/ to Bandung /banduŋ/ Bandung sudah /sudah/ PERF tiba /tiba/ arrive di /di/ at jalur /dʒalur/ track dua /dua/ two Naiklah /naiklah/ board.IMP sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now
51.19a Rina Rina berlari runs sekarang now karena because kereta train akan will berangkat depart sebentar a-moment lagi more
51.19b Rina /rina/ Rina berlari /bərlari/ INTR.run sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now karena /karəna/ because kereta /kəreta/ train akan /akan/ FUT berangkat /bəraŋkat/ INTR.depart sebentar /səbəntar/ a.moment lagi /lagi/ more
51.20a Kopernya suitcase-her berat heavy jadi so sekarang now dia she berlari runs lebih more lambat slow
51.20b Kopernya /kopərɲa/ suitcase.3SG.POSS berat /bərat/ heavy jadi /dʒadi/ so sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now dia /dia/ 3SG berlari /bərlari/ INTR.run lebih /ləbih/ more lambat /lambat/ slow
51.21a Seorang one-person pemuda young-man berkata says Biar let saya I bawa carry kopernya suitcase-the sekarang now
51.21b Seorang /səoraŋ/ one.CL.person pemuda /pəmuda/ young.man berkata /bərkata/ INTR.say Biar /biar/ let saya /saja/ 1SG bawa /bawa/ carry kopernya /kopərɲa/ suitcase.DEF sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now
51.22a Rina Rina menjawab answers Terima receive kasih love Sekarang now saya I bisa can berlari run lebih more cepat fast
51.22b Rina /rina/ Rina menjawab /məndʒawab/ AV.answer Terima /tərima/ receive kasih /kasih/ love Sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now saya /saja/ 1SG bisa /bisa/ can berlari /bərlari/ INTR.run lebih /ləbih/ more cepat /tʃəpat/ fast
51.23a Sekarang now Rina Rina sudah already duduk sits di in dalam inside kereta train
51.23b Sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now Rina /rina/ Rina sudah /sudah/ PERF duduk /duduk/ sit di /di/ in dalam /dalam/ inside kereta /kəreta/ train
51.24a Kereta train mulai begins bergerak move dan and sekarang now stasiun station itu that tampak looks kecil small di in jendela window
51.24b Kereta /kəreta/ train mulai /mulai/ begin bergerak /bərgərak/ INTR.move dan /dan/ and sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now stasiun /stasiun/ station itu /itu/ that tampak /tampak/ appear kecil /kətʃil/ small di /di/ in jendela /dʒəndela/ window
51.25a Wanita woman di at sebelahnya beside-her bertanya asks Sekarang now kamu you tinggal live di in Bandung Bandung
51.25b Wanita /wanita/ woman di /di/ at sebelahnya /səbəlahɲa/ beside.3SG.POSS bertanya /bərtaɲa/ INTR.ask Sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now kamu /kamu/ 2SG tinggal /tiŋgal/ live di /di/ in Bandung /banduŋ/ Bandung
51.26a Rina Rina menjawab answers Dulu formerly saya I tinggal lived di in Jakarta Jakarta tetapi but sekarang now saya I bekerja work di in Bandung Bandung
51.26b Rina /rina/ Rina menjawab /məndʒawab/ AV.answer Dulu /dulu/ formerly saya /saja/ 1SG tinggal /tiŋgal/ live di /di/ in Jakarta /dʒakarta/ Jakarta tetapi /tətapi/ but sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now saya /saja/ 1SG bekerja /bəkərdʒa/ INTR.work di /di/ in Bandung /banduŋ/ Bandung
51.27a Wanita woman itu that tertawa laughs dan and berkata says Bandung Bandung ramai lively sekarang now banyak many orang person muda young datang come ke to sana there
51.27b Wanita /wanita/ woman itu /itu/ that tertawa /tərtawa/ laugh dan /dan/ and berkata /bərkata/ INTR.say Bandung /banduŋ/ Bandung ramai /ramai/ lively sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now banyak /baɲak/ many orang /oraŋ/ person muda /muda/ young datang /dataŋ/ come ke /kə/ to sana /sana/ there
51.28a Rina Rina melihat looks-at jam clock lagi again dan and berpikir thinks Sekarang now pukul o'clock tujuh seven dan and perjalanan journey masih still panjang long
51.28b Rina /rina/ Rina melihat /məlihat/ AV.look.at jam /dʒam/ clock lagi /lagi/ again dan /dan/ and berpikir /bərpikir/ INTR.think Sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now pukul /pukul/ o'clock tujuh /tudʒuh/ seven dan /dan/ and perjalanan /pərdʒalanan/ journey masih /masih/ still panjang /pandʒaŋ/ long
51.29a Dia she membuka opens buku book tetapi but sekarang now matanya eyes-her terlalu too capai tired untuk for membaca read
51.29b Dia /dia/ 3SG membuka /məmbuka/ AV.open buku /buku/ book tetapi /tətapi/ but sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now matanya /mataɲa/ eye.3SG.POSS terlalu /tərlalu/ too capai /tʃapai/ tired untuk /untuk/ for membaca /məmbatʃa/ AV.read
51.30a Dia she menutup closes mata eye dan and tersenyum smiles karena because sekarang now dia she tidak not perlu need berlari run lagi again
51.30b Dia /dia/ 3SG menutup /mənutup/ AV.close mata /mata/ eye dan /dan/ and tersenyum /tərsəɲum/ smile karena /karəna/ because sekarang /səkaraŋ/ now dia /dia/ 3SG tidak /tidak/ NEG perlu /pərlu/ need berlari /bərlari/ INTR.run lagi /lagi/ again
Part B: Natural Sentences
51.16 Sekarang pukul enam pagi, dan Rina sudah ada di stasiun. → "It is now six o'clock in the morning, and Rina is already at the station."
51.17 Rina melihat jam di dinding dan sekarang berjalan ke loket. → "Rina looks at the clock on the wall and now walks to the ticket window."
51.18 Petugas itu berkata, "Kereta ke Bandung sudah tiba di jalur dua. Naiklah sekarang!" → "The clerk says, 'The train to Bandung has already arrived at track two. Board now!'"
51.19 Rina berlari sekarang, karena kereta akan berangkat sebentar lagi. → "Rina runs now, because the train will leave in a moment."
51.20 Kopernya berat, jadi sekarang dia berlari lebih lambat. → "Her suitcase is heavy, so now she runs more slowly."
51.21 Seorang pemuda berkata, "Biar saya bawa kopernya sekarang." → "A young man says, 'Let me carry the suitcase now.'"
51.22 Rina menjawab, "Terima kasih! Sekarang saya bisa berlari lebih cepat." → "Rina answers, 'Thank you! Now I can run faster.'"
51.23 Sekarang Rina sudah duduk di dalam kereta. → "Now Rina is already sitting inside the train."
51.24 Kereta mulai bergerak, dan sekarang stasiun itu tampak kecil di jendela. → "The train begins to move, and now the station looks small in the window."
51.25 Wanita di sebelahnya bertanya, "Sekarang kamu tinggal di Bandung?" → "The woman beside her asks, 'Do you live in Bandung now?'"
51.26 Rina menjawab, "Dulu saya tinggal di Jakarta, tetapi sekarang saya bekerja di Bandung." → "Rina answers, 'I used to live in Jakarta, but now I work in Bandung.'"
51.27 Wanita itu tertawa dan berkata, "Bandung ramai sekarang, banyak orang muda datang ke sana." → "The woman laughs and says, 'Bandung is lively now, many young people go there.'"
51.28 Rina melihat jam lagi dan berpikir, "Sekarang pukul tujuh, dan perjalanan masih panjang." → "Rina looks at the clock again and thinks, 'It is now seven o'clock, and the journey is still long.'"
51.29 Dia membuka buku, tetapi sekarang matanya terlalu capai untuk membaca. → "She opens a book, but now her eyes are too tired to read."
51.30 Dia menutup mata dan tersenyum, karena sekarang dia tidak perlu berlari lagi. → "She closes her eyes and smiles, because now she does not need to run any more."
Part C: Target Language Only
51.16 Sekarang pukul enam pagi, dan Rina sudah ada di stasiun.
51.17 Rina melihat jam di dinding dan sekarang berjalan ke loket.
51.18 Petugas itu berkata, "Kereta ke Bandung sudah tiba di jalur dua. Naiklah sekarang!"
51.19 Rina berlari sekarang, karena kereta akan berangkat sebentar lagi.
51.20 Kopernya berat, jadi sekarang dia berlari lebih lambat.
51.21 Seorang pemuda berkata, "Biar saya bawa kopernya sekarang."
51.22 Rina menjawab, "Terima kasih! Sekarang saya bisa berlari lebih cepat."
51.23 Sekarang Rina sudah duduk di dalam kereta.
51.24 Kereta mulai bergerak, dan sekarang stasiun itu tampak kecil di jendela.
51.25 Wanita di sebelahnya bertanya, "Sekarang kamu tinggal di Bandung?"
51.26 Rina menjawab, "Dulu saya tinggal di Jakarta, tetapi sekarang saya bekerja di Bandung."
51.27 Wanita itu tertawa dan berkata, "Bandung ramai sekarang, banyak orang muda datang ke sana."
51.28 Rina melihat jam lagi dan berpikir, "Sekarang pukul tujuh, dan perjalanan masih panjang."
51.29 Dia membuka buku, tetapi sekarang matanya terlalu capai untuk membaca.
51.30 Dia menutup mata dan tersenyum, karena sekarang dia tidak perlu berlari lagi.
Part D: Grammar Notes for the Genre Section
- Sekarang as a scene-setter. In 51.16, 51.23, 51.24 and 51.28 the word marks the moment that the narrative has reached: the clock, the seat in the train, the view from the window. It is the Indonesian way of keeping a story in the present without a tense. - Sekarang in a reason. Jadi sekarang "so now" (51.20) and karena sekarang "because now" (51.30) put the time word after the linking word, and in front of the subject or the verb of the new situation. Karena means "because" and jadi means "so". - Sekarang with an imperative. In 51.18, Naiklah sekarang! has the ending -lah on the verb naik "board, climb up". It makes an instruction more definite, and sekarang at the end gives the urgency. Compare sekarang juga in Section D. - A question with sekarang. 51.25 Sekarang kamu tinggal di Bandung? is a plain statement turned into a question by the voice. There is no word that has to be moved. Kamu is the form for a person of one's own age or a younger one, as the woman chooses here. - Dulu and sekarang. 51.26 sets dulu saya tinggal di Jakarta against sekarang saya bekerja di Bandung, as in 51.9 and 51.13. - Modals. Bisa "can" (51.22) and perlu "need" (51.30) go in front of the verb. The negative tidak perlu means "need not": sekarang dia tidak perlu berlari lagi. - Verb prefixes. Many of the verbs have a prefix: ber- in berlari "run", berjalan "walk", berkata "say", bertanya "ask", berpikir "think", bekerja "work" and berangkat "depart"; meN- in melihat, menjawab, membuka, menutup, membaca; and ter- in tertawa "laugh" and tersenyum "smile". The prefix does not tell the tense. A learner should meet each verb with its prefix and learn them together. - Speech. A line of speech follows the verb of speaking after a comma, and the quotation is in quotation marks: Petugas itu berkata, "…". - Time of day. Pukul enam "six o'clock" is pukul with a number (51.16, 51.28). Sebentar lagi (51.19) is "in a moment, soon". - Possessive -nya. Kopernya (51.20, 51.21) and matanya (51.29) have the ending -nya, which can mean "her" or "the". In 51.20 and 51.29 it is "her", and in 51.21 it is "the".
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Check these in every sentence:
- sekarang /səkaraŋ/: three syllables, with a weak first vowel, a clear a in the second and third syllables, and a final ng with no g. In fast speech /ˈskaraŋ/. - Spelling. One word: sekarang. Not se karang. The phrases are written as separate words: sekarang juga, sekarang ini, mulai sekarang, sampai sekarang. - Two e sounds. The weak /ə/ (sekarang, belum, dengan, pergi) and the clearer /e/ (kereta, loket). The letter is the same for both. - c and j. Cepat /tʃəpat/ begins with "ch", not "s" or "k". Jam /dʒam/ begins with the sound in English "jam". - ng and ny. Pulang /pulaŋ/, tinggal /tiŋgal/ and tersenyum /tərsəɲum/. - saya and saja. Saya /saja/ "I" and saja /sadʒa/ "just". - Final k. Tidak, anak, musik, banyak: a closed throat at the end, not a full k. - The letters used. a b c d e g h i j k l m n ng ny o p r s t u w y. There are no accent marks in Indonesian spelling, and no capital letters except at the start of a sentence and for names (Rina, Bandung, Jakarta, Inggris).
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
---
Course Index: [latinum.substack.com/p/index](https://latinum.substack.com/p/index)