The English word "then" does two different jobs. It can say what comes next in time (We ate, then we left), and it can say what follows from a condition or a fact (If it rains, then we stay home; Then you should go). The house list gives then as an adverb with the notes "sequence/consequence" and "temporal/logical". Indonesian does not use one word for both jobs. For the first, the order of events, the standard word is kemudian (/kəmudian/), and that is the word taught here. For the second, the logical "then", Indonesian uses maka, jadi or kalau begitu, which are described in Section D.
The choice of kemudian was made with the other candidate in view. Lalu is shorter and is very common in telling a story, but it is also the ordinary word for "past" (minggu lalu "last week") and "to pass by", so a learner meets it first with another meaning. Kemudian has the one clear sense "afterwards, then", and it fits both speech and writing. Lalu is taught alongside it, and the two are compared in Section D.
The standard dictionary, the Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (KBBI), gives kemudian three senses: "belakangan; yang ada di belakang" ("later; what is behind"), "waktu yang akan datang; kelak; belakang hari" ("future time; later on") and "sesudah itu; akhirnya (lalu)" ("after that; finally; then"). It lists the word as a noun, because it can name a time ("the later time"). Wiktionary lists it as an adverb with the meanings "after" and "then", and derives it from the root mudi with the circumfix ke- -an, inherited from Old Malay kamudyan. The first KBBI sense, "what is behind", shows the picture behind the word: what comes behind is what comes after.
In use, kemudian does three things. It stands between two actions to say that the second follows the first (Dia makan, kemudian tidur). It opens a sentence to carry a story forward (Kemudian kami berangkat). And in the phrase di kemudian hari it points at the future (in the days to come).
The first point to learn is that the verb does not change. Dia pulang means "he goes home" or "he went home" or "he will go home"; kemudian tells the order, and the rest of the sentence or the context tells the time. The second point is the position: for "then" in a sequence, kemudian goes before the verb, not after it. The third point is that kemudian is not used for the "then" of "if…, then…". The fourth is spelling and sound: the word has four syllables, ke-mu-di-an, and the last two vowels are separate, /i.a/, not a single "ya".
Orthographic points: Indonesian uses the plain Latin alphabet with no accent marks. In this lesson ng is one sound, as at the end of English "sing" (pulang, tentang), ny is one sound, as in Spanish año (menyalakan), and c is "ch" (membaca).
FAQ: What does "kemudian" mean in Indonesian?
Kemudian is the Indonesian word for "then, afterwards, next". It is pronounced "kuh-moo-DEE-ahn". It joins two events in order: Dia mengetuk pintu, kemudian masuk "He knocks on the door, then goes in." After a verb it can also mean "later": Dia datang kemudian "He came later." In di kemudian hari it means "in the future". It is not the word for "then" in "if…, then…" (that is maka) or for "then" meaning "at that time" (that is waktu itu or dulu).
Key Takeaways
- Kemudian means "then, afterwards" and is pronounced /kəmudian/, in four syllables: ke-mu-di-an. - It marks the order of events, and the verb does not change: Dia makan, kemudian tidur "He eats, then sleeps". - It stands first in a sentence, after the subject, or after a comma or dan between two actions. After a verb it means "later": Dia datang kemudian. - Frames: pertama… kemudian… akhirnya "first… then… finally"; setelah itu "after that"; di kemudian hari "in the future". - It is not the "then" of "if… then…" (use maka, jadi, kalau begitu), and not "at that time" (use waktu itu, dulu). The near-synonym lalu is common in stories but also means "past" (tahun lalu "last year").
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
kemudian /kəmudian/ has four syllables: ke-mu-di-an. The first vowel is a schwa /ə/, the weak vowel of English "about". Then come a clear /mu/ ("moo"), a clear /di/ ("dee") and a final /an/ ("ahn"). The last two vowels, i and a, are pronounced separately: /di.an/, as in Spanish día, and not as the single sound of English "yan". Wiktionary gives the stress on the third syllable, /kəmuˈdian/, and it is light: "kuh-moo-DEE-ahn". 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 kemudian /kəmudian/, sebentar /səbəntar/ and dengan /dəŋan/. The clearer /e/ is found in Medan /medan/ and sepeda /səpeda/ (the second e). The spelling does not tell them apart. - r is a tap or trill, as in Spanish: koran, mereka, dapur. - c = /tʃ/ ("ch"): membaca /məmbatʃa/, mengucapkan /məŋutʃapkan/. j = /dʒ/ ("j" in "jam"): jawaban /dʒawaban/, berjanji /bərdʒandʒi/, Joko /dʒoko/. - ny = /ɲ/: menyalakan /məɲalakan/, bertanya /bərtaɲa/. ng = /ŋ/: pulang /pulaŋ/, tukang /tukaŋ/, warung /waruŋ/. ngg = /ŋg/: menunggu /mənuŋgu/, mengangguk /məŋaŋguk/. - -nya is read /ɲa/: sepedanya /səpedaɲa/, akhirnya /akhirɲa/. After a noun it stands for "his, her, its" or "the"; after a verb it stands for "it". - k at the end of a word is a glottal stop (a closed throat, as in the middle of "uh-oh"): masuk, duduk, mengetuk. The IPA writes it /k/. - ia and au are two vowels side by side or run together: kemudian /di.an/, dunia /dunia/, lauk /lauk/. Say each vowel.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Examples 52.1–52.15 are pedagogical constructions built from verified vocabulary and patterns (Acceptabile), except 52.13, which is a sentence quoted in Wiktionary from a 1967 agricultural text and not seen here in the original (Bonum). Example 52.11 uses the compound kemudian hari, which is listed in the KBBI. They are not quotations from a text, apart from 52.13.
52.1a Kemudian then dia he/she pulang go-home
52.1b Kemudian /kəmudian/ then dia /dia/ 3SG pulang /pulaŋ/ return.home
52.2a Dia he/she makan eats kemudian then tidur sleeps
52.2b Dia /dia/ 3SG makan /makan/ eat kemudian /kəmudian/ then tidur /tidur/ sleep
52.3a Saya I kemudian then mandi bathe
52.3b Saya /saja/ 1SG kemudian /kəmudian/ then mandi /mandi/ bathe
52.4a Kemudian then kami we berangkat depart
52.4b Kemudian /kəmudian/ then kami /kami/ 1PL.EXCL berangkat /bəraŋkat/ INTR.depart
52.5a Pertama first makan eat kemudian then minum drink
52.5b Pertama /pərtama/ first makan /makan/ eat kemudian /kəmudian/ then minum /minum/ drink
52.6a Ibu mother membuka opens pintu door kemudian then masuk enter ke to dapur kitchen
52.6b Ibu /ibu/ mother membuka /məmbuka/ AV.open pintu /pintu/ door kemudian /kəmudian/ then masuk /masuk/ enter ke /kə/ to dapur /dapur/ kitchen
52.7a Kemudian then ayah father saya my membaca reads koran newspaper di at teras porch
52.7b Kemudian /kəmudian/ then ayah /ajah/ father saya /saja/ 1SG.POSS membaca /məmbatʃa/ AV.read koran /koran/ newspaper di /di/ at teras /təras/ porch
52.8a Mereka they kemudian then duduk sit di at depan front rumah house
52.8b Mereka /mərəka/ 3PL kemudian /kəmudian/ then duduk /duduk/ sit di /di/ at depan /dəpan/ front rumah /rumah/ house
52.9a Dia she menulis writes surat letter dan and kemudian then mengirimnya sends-it ke to Medan Medan
52.9b Dia /dia/ 3SG menulis /mənulis/ AV.write surat /surat/ letter dan /dan/ and kemudian /kəmudian/ then mengirimnya /məŋirimɲa/ AV.send.3SG.OBJ ke /kə/ to Medan /medan/ Medan
52.10a Pertama first kita we menyalakan light api fire kemudian then kita we memasak cook nasi rice
52.10b Pertama /pərtama/ first kita /kita/ 1PL.INCL menyalakan /məɲalakan/ AV.light.APPL api /api/ fire kemudian /kəmudian/ then kita /kita/ 1PL.INCL memasak /məmasak/ AV.cook nasi /nasi/ rice
52.11a Dia he/she berjanji promises akan will membantu help saya me di in kemudian later hari day
52.11b Dia /dia/ 3SG berjanji /bərdʒandʒi/ INTR.promise akan /akan/ FUT membantu /məmbantu/ AV.help saya /saja/ 1SG di /di/ in kemudian /kəmudian/ later hari /hari/ day
52.12a Mula-mula at-first air water direbus boiled kemudian then teh tea dimasukkan put-in dan and akhirnya finally gula sugar ditambahkan added
52.12b Mula-mula /mula mula/ at.first air /air/ water direbus /dirəbus/ PASS.boil kemudian /kəmudian/ then teh /teh/ tea dimasukkan /dimasukkan/ PASS.put.in.APPL dan /dan/ and akhirnya /akhirɲa/ finally gula /gula/ sugar ditambahkan /ditambahkan/ PASS.add.APPL
52.13a Umbi tuber direbus boiled biasa ordinary dan and kemudian then dihidangkan served bersama together-with lauk-pauk side-dishes
52.13b Umbi /umbi/ tuber direbus /dirəbus/ PASS.boil biasa /biasa/ ordinary dan /dan/ and kemudian /kəmudian/ then dihidangkan /dihidaŋkan/ PASS.serve.APPL bersama /bərsama/ together.with lauk-pauk /lauk pauk/ side.dishes
52.14a Setelah after makan eat malam night kami we menonton watch film film dan and kemudian then tidur sleep
52.14b Setelah /sətəlah/ after makan /makan/ eat malam /malam/ night kami /kami/ 1PL.EXCL menonton /mənonton/ AV.watch film /film/ film dan /dan/ and kemudian /kəmudian/ then tidur /tidur/ sleep
52.15a Dia he/she mengetuk knocks-on pintu door menunggu waits sebentar a-moment kemudian then masuk enters tanpa without menunggu waiting jawaban answer
52.15b Dia /dia/ 3SG mengetuk /məŋətuk/ AV.knock.on pintu /pintu/ door menunggu /mənuŋgu/ AV.wait sebentar /səbəntar/ a.moment kemudian /kəmudian/ then masuk /masuk/ enter tanpa /tanpa/ without menunggu /mənuŋgu/ AV.wait jawaban /dʒawaban/ answer.NMLZ
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
52.1 Kemudian dia pulang. → "Then he (or she) goes home."
52.2 Dia makan, kemudian tidur. → "He (or she) eats, then sleeps."
52.3 Saya kemudian mandi. → "Then I bathe."
52.4 Kemudian kami berangkat. → "Then we set off." (kami leaves out the person spoken to)
52.5 Pertama makan, kemudian minum. → "First eat, then drink."
52.6 Ibu membuka pintu, kemudian masuk ke dapur. → "Mother opens the door, then goes into the kitchen."
52.7 Kemudian ayah saya membaca koran di teras. → "Then my father reads the newspaper on the porch."
52.8 Mereka kemudian duduk di depan rumah. → "They then sit down in front of the house."
52.9 Dia menulis surat dan kemudian mengirimnya ke Medan. → "She writes a letter and then sends it to Medan."
52.10 Pertama kita menyalakan api, kemudian kita memasak nasi. → "First we light the fire, then we cook the rice."
52.11 Dia berjanji akan membantu saya di kemudian hari. → "He (or she) promises to help me in the future."
52.12 Mula-mula air direbus, kemudian teh dimasukkan, dan akhirnya gula ditambahkan. → "First the water is boiled, then the tea is put in, and finally sugar is added."
52.13 Umbi direbus biasa dan kemudian dihidangkan bersama lauk-pauk. → "The tubers are boiled in the ordinary way and then served with side dishes."
52.14 Setelah makan malam, kami menonton film dan kemudian tidur. → "After dinner we watch a film and then go to sleep."
52.15 Dia mengetuk pintu, menunggu sebentar, kemudian masuk tanpa menunggu jawaban. → "He (or she) knocks on the door, waits a moment, then goes in without waiting for an answer."
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
52.1 Kemudian dia pulang.
52.2 Dia makan, kemudian tidur.
52.3 Saya kemudian mandi.
52.4 Kemudian kami berangkat.
52.5 Pertama makan, kemudian minum.
52.6 Ibu membuka pintu, kemudian masuk ke dapur.
52.7 Kemudian ayah saya membaca koran di teras.
52.8 Mereka kemudian duduk di depan rumah.
52.9 Dia menulis surat dan kemudian mengirimnya ke Medan.
52.10 Pertama kita menyalakan api, kemudian kita memasak nasi.
52.11 Dia berjanji akan membantu saya di kemudian hari.
52.12 Mula-mula air direbus, kemudian teh dimasukkan, dan akhirnya gula ditambahkan.
52.13 Umbi direbus biasa dan kemudian dihidangkan bersama lauk-pauk.
52.14 Setelah makan malam, kami menonton film dan kemudian tidur.
52.15 Dia mengetuk pintu, menunggu sebentar, kemudian masuk tanpa menunggu jawaban.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
These are the grammar rules for kemudian in Indonesian:
1. Kemudian puts actions in order. It says that one action follows another: Dia makan, kemudian tidur (52.2). The verbs stay in their bare form, makan, tidur. Indonesian verbs have no tense, so the order comes from kemudian and the time from the context or from a time word such as tadi "a while ago" or besok "tomorrow". The KBBI gives the sense as "sesudah itu; akhirnya (lalu)", and it names lalu as its equivalent.
2. Position. For the sense "then", kemudian stands before the verb it introduces. Three places are common:
- First in the sentence: Kemudian dia pulang (52.1), Kemudian kami berangkat (52.4), Kemudian ayah saya membaca koran (52.7). It carries the story forward from the sentence before. In careful writing a comma often follows it: Kemudian, kami berangkat. - After the subject: Saya kemudian mandi (52.3), Mereka kemudian duduk (52.8). The subject is named, and then the new step is marked. - Between two actions, after a comma or dan "and": Ibu membuka pintu, kemudian masuk ke dapur (52.6), Dia menulis surat dan kemudian mengirimnya (52.9). When both actions have the same subject, the subject is not repeated, as in 52.6 and 52.15. It may be repeated for clarity, as in 52.10.
3. After the verb: "later". If kemudian comes after the verb, it no longer says "and then". It means "later, afterwards". The KBBI gives the examples siapa yang datang kemudian akan mendapat giliran terakhir "whoever comes later will get the last turn" and ia berangkat lebih dulu, keluarganya akan menyusul kemudian "he left first, his family will follow later". So Dia pulang kemudian is "He went home later", and not "Then he went home".
4. Di kemudian hari. Kemudian hari is a compound listed in the KBBI: "kelak; belakang hari", "in the time to come". It is used after di or pada: di kemudian hari, pada kemudian hari "in the future, later on" (52.11). It looks forward from now, and the verb is often marked with akan "will", as in 52.11.
5. Frames of sequence. Kemudian is the middle of a three-step frame:
- pertama / mula-mula… kemudian… akhirnya "first / at first… then… finally" (52.5, 52.10, 52.12). Mula-mula "at first" is a reduplicated word, written with a hyphen. Akhirnya "finally" is akhir "end" and -nya. - setelah / sesudah "after" begins a clause, and kemudian may follow in the main clause: Setelah makan malam, kami menonton film dan kemudian tidur (52.14). Setelah itu "after that" and sesudah itu are the same idea as kemudian, and may replace it at the head of a sentence. - selanjutnya "next, subsequently" is also used in instructions and in reports.
6. Passive and procedure. In recipes, instructions and reports the actions are often in the passive (di-): air direbus, kemudian teh dimasukkan, dan akhirnya gula ditambahkan (52.12). The same holds for 52.13. The agent is not named, and kemudian ties the steps together.
7. Kemudian and lalu. Both put an event after another one, and in 52.1–52.10 either one could be used. Lalu is shorter, is very common in telling a story, and can stand next to kemudian in a chain of actions (52.18 in the genre text). The two cannot be swapped everywhere:
- Lalu is also a word of its own: minggu lalu "last week", tahun lalu "last year", and the verb "to pass by" (dilarang lalu di jalan ini "forbidden to pass along this road"; KBBI). Only the sense "then" is the same as kemudian. - Di kemudian hari (52.11) and datang kemudian (rule 3) cannot be rewritten with lalu.
8. "Then" of consequence: maka, jadi, kalau begitu. English uses then also to say what follows from a condition or a fact. Kemudian is not used for this. Use:
- maka in formal writing, after a condition or a reason: Jika kamu rajin belajar, maka kamu akan lulus "If you study hard, then you will pass." The word is optional in an if-sentence, and the plain Jika kamu rajin belajar, kamu akan lulus is also right. Maka is found in the text in Section F, where it closes a long clause of purpose. - jadi "so": Jadi, kita pulang sekarang "So (then), we go home now." - kalau begitu "if it is so, in that case": Kalau begitu, kita pulang sekarang "In that case, let us go home now."
9. "Then" meaning "at that time". English then may also mean "at that moment" (I was a child then). Indonesian says waktu itu, ketika itu, saat itu or pada masa itu, or the word dulu "formerly": Waktu itu saya masih kecil "At that time I was still small." This is not the sense of kemudian.
10. Colloquial "then". In casual speech people say terus for "and then?" or "and then…": Terus kamu bilang apa? is "And then what did you say?". They also say habis itu "after that". These are not for essays or letters, and kemudian or setelah itu should be written there. A short question that asks for the next step is Lalu? "And then?" or Lalu bagaimana? "And then how (what happened)?".
Common Mistakes
- Using kemudian in "if… then…". Wrong: Jika hujan, kemudian kita tinggal di rumah. Right: Jika hujan, kita tinggal di rumah, or in formal writing Jika hujan, maka kita tinggal di rumah. Here kemudian would say "if it rains, and after that we stay home". - Using kemudian for "at that time". Wrong: Kemudian saya masih kecil for "I was still small then". Right: Waktu itu saya masih kecil. - Putting kemudian after the verb for "and then". Dia pulang kemudian means "He went home later". For "Then he went home" say Kemudian dia pulang or Dia kemudian pulang. - Reading lalu as "then" in every case. In bulan lalu and tahun lalu it means "past, last". In Dia bangun, lalu mandi it means "then". - Looking for a tense on the verb. English speakers expect "went" or "will go". Indonesian keeps the bare verb: Kemudian dia pulang. - Pronouncing the ending as one sound. Kemudian ends in /di.an/, "dee-ahn", and not "dyan". The word has four syllables. - Misspelling the ending. The ending is -dian: kemudian. Do not write it with a y (kemudyan) or drop the i.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Frequency and register. Kemudian is a word of every register. It is at home in a school composition, in a news report, in a recipe and in a spoken account of what happened. The house vocabulary list places "then" at number 52 by frequency. In conversation the shorter lalu and the colloquial terus are the words most often heard for the next step of a story, and in writing kemudian, setelah itu and selanjutnya are the usual choices.
Recipes and instructions. Instructions often mark their steps with pertama, kemudian and akhirnya, or simply with kemudian before the next command: Kemudian masukkan telur "Then put in the eggs." The bare command (masukkan) is the ordinary instruction form.
Storytelling. A story told aloud is carried forward by lalu, terus and kemudian, one after the other, as in the genre text below. Listeners may say Lalu? or Terus? to ask the speaker to go on.
Di kemudian hari. The phrase di kemudian hari belongs to a formal, written style, where it looks ahead to what may happen later, "in the future". In ordinary talk people say nanti "later" or suatu hari nanti "one day".
The national text. The passage in Section F is the Preamble of the 1945 Constitution, the Pembukaan. Its words are among the best known in the language, and the Preamble is read aloud at official ceremonies, such as the flag ceremony in schools. For that reason kemudian daripada itu, a formal phrase that no one would say in the street, is familiar to most Indonesians who have been through school.
Regional variety. Kemudian is also the standard word in Malay and is understood in Malaysia and Brunei. Many Indonesians also speak a regional language at home, such as Javanese or Sundanese, and those languages have their own words for "then". The standard word is used in school, in the media and in talk between speakers of different languages.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
The passage is the opening of the fourth paragraph (alinea keempat) of the Pembukaan (Preamble) of the Undang-Undang Dasar Negara Republik Indonesia Tahun 1945, the Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia of 1945. The wording is that printed in the CNN Indonesia report on the Preamble (7 July 2023) and in the quotation returned by a search of the Constitution's text; the copy of the Constitution on the Ministry of Finance's legal site (JDIH Kemenkeu), which uses the older spelling (kemudian dari pada itu), agrees with it up to maka disusunlah Kemerdekaan Kebangsaan Indonesia itu. The lesson quotes the paragraph only as far as that point, where the three copies agree, and the sentence goes on after it.
The Constitution was adopted on 18 August 1945, the day after the proclamation of independence. The Preamble is a text of four paragraphs. The fourth is the one that states the purposes of the state, and it begins with the words taught in this lesson: Kemudian daripada itu "thereafter, and next". The paragraph closes the long clause of purpose with maka, the "then" of consequence described in Section D, so the one sentence contains both Indonesian words for "then".
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
The sentence is divided into three parts, F.1–F.3, for the interlinear reading. The three parts are one stretch of the original sentence, which continues after the last word given.
F.1a Kemudian then daripada of itu that untuk in-order-to membentuk form suatu a Pemerintah government Negara state Indonesia Indonesia yang which melindungi protects segenap all bangsa nation Indonesia Indonesia dan and seluruh whole tumpah spilled darah blood Indonesia Indonesia
F.1b Kemudian /kəmudian/ then daripada /daripada/ of itu /itu/ that untuk /untuk/ in.order.to membentuk /məmbəntuk/ AV.form suatu /suatu/ a Pemerintah /pəmərintah/ government Negara /nəgara/ state Indonesia /indonesia/ Indonesia yang /jaŋ/ REL melindungi /məlinduŋi/ AV.protect segenap /səgənap/ all bangsa /baŋsa/ nation Indonesia /indonesia/ Indonesia dan /dan/ and seluruh /səluruh/ whole tumpah /tumpah/ spill darah /darah/ blood Indonesia /indonesia/ Indonesia
F.2a dan and untuk in-order-to memajukan advance kesejahteraan welfare umum general mencerdaskan make-intelligent kehidupan life bangsa nation dan and ikut take-part melaksanakan carry-out ketertiban order dunia world yang which berdasarkan based-on kemerdekaan independence perdamaian peace abadi eternal dan and keadilan justice sosial social
F.2b dan /dan/ and untuk /untuk/ in.order.to memajukan /məmadʒukan/ AV.advance.APPL kesejahteraan /kəsədʒahtəraan/ welfare.NMLZ umum /umum/ general mencerdaskan /məntʃərdaskan/ AV.make.intelligent.APPL kehidupan /kəhidupan/ life.NMLZ bangsa /baŋsa/ nation dan /dan/ and ikut /ikut/ take.part melaksanakan /məlaksanakan/ AV.carry.out.APPL ketertiban /kətərtiban/ order.NMLZ dunia /dunia/ world yang /jaŋ/ REL berdasarkan /bərdasarkan/ INTR.base.on.APPL kemerdekaan /kəmərdekaan/ independence.NMLZ perdamaian /pərdamaian/ peace.NMLZ abadi /abadi/ eternal dan /dan/ and keadilan /kəadilan/ justice.NMLZ sosial /sosial/ social
F.3a maka then disusunlah is-composed Kemerdekaan Independence Kebangsaan Nationhood Indonesia Indonesia itu that
F.3b maka /maka/ then disusunlah /disusunlah/ PASS.compose.EMPH Kemerdekaan /kəmərdekaan/ independence.NMLZ Kebangsaan /kəbaŋsaan/ nation.NMLZ Indonesia /indonesia/ Indonesia itu /itu/ that
F-B: Original → Translation
Kemudian daripada itu untuk membentuk suatu Pemerintah Negara Indonesia yang melindungi segenap bangsa Indonesia dan seluruh tumpah darah Indonesia dan untuk memajukan kesejahteraan umum, mencerdaskan kehidupan bangsa, dan ikut melaksanakan ketertiban dunia yang berdasarkan kemerdekaan, perdamaian abadi dan keadilan sosial, maka disusunlah Kemerdekaan Kebangsaan Indonesia itu
"Thereafter, in order to form a Government of the State of Indonesia that protects the whole Indonesian nation and the whole of Indonesia's native land, and in order to advance the general welfare, to make the life of the nation intelligent, and to take part in carrying out a world order based on independence, lasting peace and social justice, then the National Independence of Indonesia is composed…" (a literal translation made for this lesson; the original sentence continues after the last word quoted).
F-C: Original Only
Kemudian daripada itu untuk membentuk suatu Pemerintah Negara Indonesia yang melindungi segenap bangsa Indonesia dan seluruh tumpah darah Indonesia dan untuk memajukan kesejahteraan umum, mencerdaskan kehidupan bangsa, dan ikut melaksanakan ketertiban dunia yang berdasarkan kemerdekaan, perdamaian abadi dan keadilan sosial, maka disusunlah Kemerdekaan Kebangsaan Indonesia itu
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
- Kemudian daripada itu: a fixed formal phrase that opens a new step in a text: "thereafter, and next, furthermore". Word by word, daripada is dari "from" and pada "at, on", and itu is "that", so the phrase points back at what came before it. Here the paragraphs before it have given the reasons for the proclamation of independence, and kemudian daripada itu turns to the next matter, the purpose of the state. This is the sequence use of kemudian in a very formal register. - untuk membentuk… untuk memajukan…: untuk "in order to" introduces the purposes. There are two untuk-clauses, joined by dan, and inside the second one the verbs memajukan, mencerdaskan and melaksanakan are listed, with ikut "take part" before the last. The sentence holds all its purposes before it reaches its main verb. - yang melindungi segenap bangsa Indonesia dan seluruh tumpah darah Indonesia: yang begins a relative clause that tells what the government does. Tumpah darah is literally "spilled blood" and means "native land, country of birth". Segenap and seluruh are both "all, whole". - mencerdaskan kehidupan bangsa: cerdas is "intelligent, clever", and with the prefix meN- and the suffix -kan it means "to make intelligent". The phrase is usually read as "to educate the life of the nation". - berdasarkan: "based on", from dasar "base" with ber- and -kan. It introduces the three principles of the world order: independence, lasting peace and social justice. - maka disusunlah: maka is the "then" of consequence (Section D, rule 8). It closes the long chain of purposes, and the main clause follows it. Disusunlah is the passive di-susun, "is put together, is composed", with the emphatic ending -lah. The passive does not name who composes it. Kemerdekaan Kebangsaan Indonesia itu is the subject, placed after the verb; what it is composed in comes in the words that follow, which are not quoted here. - The same sentence therefore holds both words for "then" that this lesson separates: kemudian for the order of the text, and maka for what follows from the purposes.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
A short narrative in the present, which Indonesian does not mark on the verb. Pak Joko cycles to the market, buys his shopping and comes out to find that his bicycle has gone. Every sentence has kemudian, in a different place or with a different job: opening a sentence, joining two actions, and following lalu in a chain. It is a pedagogical text built from verified patterns, and it is not a quotation.
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
52.16a Pagi morning itu that Pak Mr Joko Joko bangun wakes-up pukul o'clock lima five kemudian then dia he mandi bathes
52.16b Pagi /pagi/ morning itu /itu/ that Pak /pak/ Mr Joko /dʒoko/ Joko bangun /baŋun/ wake.up pukul /pukul/ o'clock lima /lima/ five kemudian /kəmudian/ then dia /dia/ 3SG mandi /mandi/ bathe
52.17a Kemudian then dia he sarapan has-breakfast nasi rice goreng fried dan and minum drinks kopi coffee
52.17b Kemudian /kəmudian/ then dia /dia/ 3SG sarapan /sarapan/ have.breakfast nasi /nasi/ rice goreng /gorəŋ/ fried dan /dan/ and minum /minum/ drink kopi /kopi/ coffee
52.18a Dia he mengeluarkan takes-out sepedanya bicycle-his dari from garasi garage lalu then memeriksa checks bannya tyres-its dan and kemudian then berangkat sets-off ke to pasar market
52.18b Dia /dia/ 3SG mengeluarkan /məŋəluarkan/ AV.take.out.APPL sepedanya /səpedaɲa/ bicycle.3SG.POSS dari /dari/ from garasi /garasi/ garage lalu /lalu/ then memeriksa /məməriksa/ AV.check bannya /banɲa/ tyre.3SG.POSS dan /dan/ and kemudian /kəmudian/ then berangkat /bəraŋkat/ INTR.depart ke /kə/ to pasar /pasar/ market
52.19a Di at pasar market dia he membeli buys sayur vegetables dan and ikan fish kemudian then membayar pays kepada to penjual seller
52.19b Di /di/ at pasar /pasar/ market dia /dia/ 3SG membeli /məmbəli/ AV.buy sayur /sajur/ vegetables dan /dan/ and ikan /ikan/ fish kemudian /kəmudian/ then membayar /məmbajar/ AV.pay kepada /kəpada/ to penjual /pəndʒual/ seller
52.20a Kemudian then dia he keluar comes-out dari from pasar market tetapi but sepedanya bicycle-his sudah already tidak not ada be-present
52.20b Kemudian /kəmudian/ then dia /dia/ 3SG keluar /kəluar/ come.out dari /dari/ from pasar /pasar/ market tetapi /tətapi/ but sepedanya /səpedaɲa/ bicycle.3SG.POSS sudah /sudah/ PERF tidak /tidak/ NEG ada /ada/ be.present
52.21a Dia he melihat looks ke to kiri left dan and ke to kanan right kemudian then bertanya asks kepada to tukang worker parkir parking
52.21b Dia /dia/ 3SG melihat /məlihat/ AV.look ke /kə/ to kiri /kiri/ left dan /dan/ and ke /kə/ to kanan /kanan/ right kemudian /kəmudian/ then bertanya /bərtaɲa/ INTR.ask kepada /kəpada/ to tukang /tukaŋ/ worker parkir /parkir/ parking
52.22a Tukang worker parkir parking itu that tertawa laughs kemudian then berkata says Tadi a-while-ago saya I memindahkan move sepeda bicycle Bapak sir ke to belakang back
52.22b Tukang /tukaŋ/ worker parkir /parkir/ parking itu /itu/ that tertawa /tərtawa/ laugh kemudian /kəmudian/ then berkata /bərkata/ INTR.say Tadi /tadi/ a.while.ago saya /saja/ 1SG memindahkan /məmindahkan/ AV.move.APPL sepeda /səpeda/ bicycle Bapak /bapak/ sir.2SG.POLITE ke /kə/ to belakang /bəlakaŋ/ back
52.23a Pak Mr Joko Joko merasa feels lega relieved kemudian then dia he mengucapkan says terima receive kasih love
52.23b Pak /pak/ Mr Joko /dʒoko/ Joko merasa /mərasa/ AV.feel lega /ləga/ relieved kemudian /kəmudian/ then dia /dia/ 3SG mengucapkan /məŋutʃapkan/ AV.say.APPL terima /tərima/ receive kasih /kasih/ love
52.24a Kemudian then dia he mengikat ties belanjaannya shopping-his pada on sepeda bicycle
52.24b Kemudian /kəmudian/ then dia /dia/ 3SG mengikat /məŋikat/ AV.tie belanjaannya /bəlandʒaanɲa/ shopping.3SG.POSS pada /pada/ on sepeda /səpeda/ bicycle
52.25a Dia he mengayuh pedals pelan-pelan slowly kemudian then berhenti stops di at warung stall untuk in-order-to minum drink teh tea
52.25b Dia /dia/ 3SG mengayuh /məŋajuh/ AV.pedal pelan-pelan /pəlan pəlan/ slowly kemudian /kəmudian/ then berhenti /bərhənti/ INTR.stop di /di/ at warung /waruŋ/ stall untuk /untuk/ in.order.to minum /minum/ drink teh /teh/ tea
52.26a Di at warung stall dia he bertemu meets dengan with Rudi Rudi kemudian then mereka they mengobrol chat tentang about sepeda bicycle yang which hilang lost
52.26b Di /di/ at warung /waruŋ/ stall dia /dia/ 3SG bertemu /bərtəmu/ INTR.meet dengan /dəŋan/ with Rudi /rudi/ Rudi kemudian /kəmudian/ then mereka /mərəka/ 3PL mengobrol /məŋobrol/ AV.chat tentang /təntaŋ/ about sepeda /səpeda/ bicycle yang /jaŋ/ REL hilang /hilaŋ/ lost
52.27a Rudi Rudi tertawa laughs keras loud kemudian then berkata says Lain other kali time Bapak sir harus must memberi give tanda mark pada on sepeda bicycle itu that
52.27b Rudi /rudi/ Rudi tertawa /tərtawa/ laugh keras /kəras/ loud kemudian /kəmudian/ then berkata /bərkata/ INTR.say Lain /lain/ other kali /kali/ time Bapak /bapak/ sir.2SG.POLITE harus /harus/ must memberi /məmbəri/ AV.give tanda /tanda/ mark pada /pada/ on sepeda /səpeda/ bicycle itu /itu/ that
52.28a Pak Mr Joko Joko mengangguk nods kemudian then menghabiskan finishes tehnya tea-his
52.28b Pak /pak/ Mr Joko /dʒoko/ Joko mengangguk /məŋaŋguk/ AV.nod kemudian /kəmudian/ then menghabiskan /məŋhabiskan/ AV.finish.APPL tehnya /tehɲa/ tea.3SG.POSS
52.29a Kemudian then dia he membayar pays teh tea itu that dan and pulang goes-home melalui via jalan road yang which sepi quiet
52.29b Kemudian /kəmudian/ then dia /dia/ 3SG membayar /məmbajar/ AV.pay teh /teh/ tea itu /itu/ that dan /dan/ and pulang /pulaŋ/ return.home melalui /məlalui/ via jalan /dʒalan/ road yang /jaŋ/ REL sepi /səpi/ quiet
52.30a Di at rumah house dia he menaruh puts sepedanya bicycle-his di in garasi garage kemudian then menulis writes namanya name-his pada on sepeda bicycle itu that
52.30b Di /di/ at rumah /rumah/ house dia /dia/ 3SG menaruh /mənaruh/ AV.put sepedanya /səpedaɲa/ bicycle.3SG.POSS di /di/ in garasi /garasi/ garage kemudian /kəmudian/ then menulis /mənulis/ AV.write namanya /namaɲa/ name.3SG.POSS pada /pada/ on sepeda /səpeda/ bicycle itu /itu/ that
Part B: Natural Sentences
52.16 Pagi itu Pak Joko bangun pukul lima, kemudian dia mandi. → "That morning Pak Joko wakes at five o'clock, then he bathes."
52.17 Kemudian dia sarapan nasi goreng dan minum kopi. → "Then he has fried rice for breakfast and drinks coffee."
52.18 Dia mengeluarkan sepedanya dari garasi, lalu memeriksa bannya, dan kemudian berangkat ke pasar. → "He takes his bicycle out of the garage, then checks its tyres, and then sets off for the market."
52.19 Di pasar dia membeli sayur dan ikan, kemudian membayar kepada penjual. → "At the market he buys vegetables and fish, then pays the seller."
52.20 Kemudian dia keluar dari pasar, tetapi sepedanya sudah tidak ada. → "Then he comes out of the market, but his bicycle is no longer there."
52.21 Dia melihat ke kiri dan ke kanan, kemudian bertanya kepada tukang parkir. → "He looks to the left and to the right, then asks the parking attendant."
52.22 Tukang parkir itu tertawa, kemudian berkata, "Tadi saya memindahkan sepeda Bapak ke belakang." → "The parking attendant laughs, then says, 'A little while ago I moved your bicycle round to the back.'"
52.23 Pak Joko merasa lega, kemudian dia mengucapkan terima kasih. → "Pak Joko feels relieved, then he says thank you."
52.24 Kemudian dia mengikat belanjaannya pada sepeda. → "Then he ties his shopping onto the bicycle."
52.25 Dia mengayuh pelan-pelan, kemudian berhenti di warung untuk minum teh. → "He pedals slowly, then stops at a warung to drink tea."
52.26 Di warung dia bertemu dengan Rudi, kemudian mereka mengobrol tentang sepeda yang hilang. → "At the warung he meets Rudi, then they chat about the bicycle that went missing."
52.27 Rudi tertawa keras, kemudian berkata, "Lain kali Bapak harus memberi tanda pada sepeda itu." → "Rudi laughs loudly, then says, 'Next time you must put a mark on that bicycle.'"
52.28 Pak Joko mengangguk, kemudian menghabiskan tehnya. → "Pak Joko nods, then finishes his tea."
52.29 Kemudian dia membayar teh itu dan pulang melalui jalan yang sepi. → "Then he pays for the tea and goes home by a quiet road."
52.30 Di rumah dia menaruh sepedanya di garasi, kemudian menulis namanya pada sepeda itu. → "At home he puts his bicycle in the garage, then writes his name on the bicycle."
Part C: Target Language Only
52.16 Pagi itu Pak Joko bangun pukul lima, kemudian dia mandi.
52.17 Kemudian dia sarapan nasi goreng dan minum kopi.
52.18 Dia mengeluarkan sepedanya dari garasi, lalu memeriksa bannya, dan kemudian berangkat ke pasar.
52.19 Di pasar dia membeli sayur dan ikan, kemudian membayar kepada penjual.
52.20 Kemudian dia keluar dari pasar, tetapi sepedanya sudah tidak ada.
52.21 Dia melihat ke kiri dan ke kanan, kemudian bertanya kepada tukang parkir.
52.22 Tukang parkir itu tertawa, kemudian berkata, "Tadi saya memindahkan sepeda Bapak ke belakang."
52.23 Pak Joko merasa lega, kemudian dia mengucapkan terima kasih.
52.24 Kemudian dia mengikat belanjaannya pada sepeda.
52.25 Dia mengayuh pelan-pelan, kemudian berhenti di warung untuk minum teh.
52.26 Di warung dia bertemu dengan Rudi, kemudian mereka mengobrol tentang sepeda yang hilang.
52.27 Rudi tertawa keras, kemudian berkata, "Lain kali Bapak harus memberi tanda pada sepeda itu."
52.28 Pak Joko mengangguk, kemudian menghabiskan tehnya.
52.29 Kemudian dia membayar teh itu dan pulang melalui jalan yang sepi.
52.30 Di rumah dia menaruh sepedanya di garasi, kemudian menulis namanya pada sepeda itu.
Part D: Grammar Notes for the Genre Section
- Kemudian as the thread of the story. In 52.16–52.30 the word links one step to the next, and the story is told in the present without any tense on the verbs. It stands first in 52.17, 52.20, 52.24 and 52.29, and between two actions in the other sentences. - Lalu and kemudian in a chain. In 52.18, lalu memeriksa bannya, dan kemudian berangkat uses both words for three steps in a row. Using the two in turn avoids repeating one word, and either could stand in each place. - One subject for several actions. When one person does several things in a row the subject is named once: Dia melihat ke kiri dan ke kanan, kemudian bertanya (52.21). The second verb has no subject of its own. - Reported speech. A line of speech follows the verb of speaking after a comma, in quotation marks: Tukang parkir itu tertawa, kemudian berkata, "…" (52.22, 52.27). Kemudian stands before berkata. - Politeness. The attendant calls Pak Joko Bapak "sir" and speaks of sepeda Bapak, "your bicycle", a polite style in which a title replaces the pronoun "you". Rudi does the same in 52.27. - Possessive -nya. Sepedanya (52.18, 52.20, 52.30), bannya (52.18), belanjaannya (52.24), tehnya (52.28) and namanya (52.30) have the ending -nya "his, her, its". It follows the thing owned. - Verb prefixes. Many verbs have a prefix: meN- in membeli, membayar, mengikat, mengayuh, menaruh, menulis; ber- in berangkat, bertanya, berkata, bertemu, berhenti; ter- in tertawa. The prefix does not tell the tense. A learner should meet each verb with its prefix. - Time of day and place. Pukul lima "five o'clock" (52.16) is pukul with a number. Di pasar, di warung, di rumah put the place first in the sentence (52.19, 52.26, 52.30), and kemudian then follows the first clause. - Lain kali. Lain kali "next time" (52.27) is literally "other time". It begins the clause and looks forward.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Check these in every sentence:
- kemudian /kəmudian/: four syllables, with a weak first vowel and a separate /i.a/ at the end. It is not "kemudyan". - Spelling. One word: kemudian. The phrases are written as separate words: di kemudian hari, kemudian daripada itu, setelah itu. Daripada is one word. - Two e sounds. The weak /ə/ (kemudian, sebentar, dengan, pemerintah) and the clearer /e/ (Medan, sepeda second e, kemerdekaan second e). The letter is the same for both. - c and j. Membaca /məmbatʃa/ has "ch" and jawaban /dʒawaban/ has "j". - ng and ny. Pulang /pulaŋ/, menunggu /mənuŋgu/ and menyalakan /məɲalakan/. - Hyphens. Reduplicated words and some compounds are written with a hyphen: mula-mula, pelan-pelan, lauk-pauk, Undang-Undang. - Final k. Masuk, duduk, mengetuk, mengangguk: 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 (Joko, Rudi, Medan, Indonesia) and titles (Pak, Bapak).
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
---
Course Index: [latinum.substack.com/p/index](https://latinum.substack.com/p/index)