Language/Indonesian/Grammar/Present-Tense
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As a beginner in Indonesian language, you might find it difficult to master verb tenses. In this lesson, we will learn how to use the present tense in Indonesian. The present tense in Indonesian language includes four different aspects: sedang, lagi, sudah, and belum. These aspects are used to describe actions that are happening now or have started in the past and are still going on.
Sedang
Sedang is one of the aspects of the present tense in Indonesian. It is used to describe actions that are happening right now. It is similar to the English present continuous tense. Here are some examples:
Indonesian | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
Saya sedang makan. | sa-ya se-dang ma-kan | I am eating. |
Mereka sedang belajar. | me-re-ka se-dang be-la-jar | They are studying. |
Ayah sedang masak di dapur. | a-yah se-dang ma-sak di da-pur | Dad is cooking in the kitchen. |
Lagi
Lagi is another aspect of the present tense in Indonesian. It is used to describe actions that are happening now but are temporary or not expected to last long. It is similar to the English present continuous tense with the word "just". Here are some examples:
Indonesian | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
Saya lagi makan. | sa-ya la-gi ma-kan | I'm just eating. |
Dia lagi nonton TV. | dia la-gi non-ton TV | He's just watching TV. |
Kamu lagi apa? | ka-mu la-gi a-pa | What are you up to? |
Sudah
Sudah is used to describe actions that have been completed or finished. It is similar to the English present perfect tense. Here are some examples:
Indonesian | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
Saya sudah makan. | sa-ya su-dah ma-kan | I have eaten. |
Kita sudah tiba di rumah. | ki-ta su-dah ti-ba di ru-mah | We have arrived home. |
Mereka sudah memberi uang itu. | me-re-ka su-dah mem-be-ri uang itu | They have given the money. |
Belum
Belum is used to describe actions that have not been completed or are not finished yet. It is similar to the English present perfect tense with the word "not". Here are some examples:
Indonesian | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
Saya belum makan. | sa-ya be-lum ma-kan | I have not eaten yet. |
Mereka belum tiba di Jakarta. | me-re-ka be-lum ti-ba di Ja-kar-ta | They have not arrived in Jakarta yet. |
Ayah belum pulang. | a-yah be-lum pu-lang | Dad has not come home yet. |
Learning how to use the present tense in Indonesian is an important step towards mastering the language. I hope this lesson has been helpful to you in your language journey.
Sources
Related Lessons
- Can and Must
- Direct Speech
- Comparative
- Plurals
- May and Should
- Comaratives and Superlatives
- Pronouns
- Questions
- Indirect Speech
- Word Order