Partitives present less than a whole: an unspecified portion, one half, one piece, or a part selected from a larger set. Indonesian can put a partitive directly before a noun—sebagian siswa, setengah roti, sepotong kue—or use dari to make the source set explicit—sebagian dari siswa itu, “some of those students.”
This page covers parts and portions in contemporary Standard Indonesian. It leaves individual classifier systems, derivational paradigms, and address etiquette to their dedicated pages. Forms follow ordinary EYD V spelling: sebagian, setengah, separuh, and sepotong are solid; attached -ku, -mu, -nya remain solid; hyphens mark only genuine reduplication.
The presence of itu, a possessor, or a pronoun can make the source set identifiable; the wider system is explained on the definiteness page.
Sebagian + noun: an unspecified portion
Sebagian means “some,” “part,” or “a portion.” Directly before a noun, it selects an unspecified subset or amount without explicitly constructing a known source set.
Sebagian siswa memilih belajar di perpustakaan.
Some students chose to study in the library.
Sebagian pekerjaan itu bisa diselesaikan hari ini.
Part of the work can be completed today.
Saya menyimpan sebagian uang untuk keadaan darurat.
I set aside some money for emergencies.
The following noun can denote countable members (siswa), an activity or task (pekerjaan), or an amount (uang). Sebagian does not state an exact fraction. Depending on context it may mean a small portion, a substantial portion, or simply “not all.”
When the remaining noun is recoverable, sebagian can stand alone. The attached form sebagiannya points back to a contextually known whole or set.
Dokumen yang diperlukan belum terkumpul; sebagiannya masih ada di kantor.
The required documents have not all been gathered; some are still at the office.
The suffix -nya attaches directly. Here it anchors the portion to the previously mentioned documents.
Sebagian dari + definite set: explicit selection
Add dari when you want to present the following phrase as the source set from which a subset is selected. This is especially clear with demonstratives, pronouns, possessors, or another expression that makes the set identifiable.
Sebagian dari siswa itu sudah pernah mengikuti lomba yang sama.
Some of those students have taken part in the same competition before.
Sebagian dari mereka menunggu di luar gedung.
Some of them are waiting outside the building.
Sebagian dari uang saya digunakan untuk membayar sewa.
Some of my money is used to pay the rent.
Compare sebagian siswa with sebagian dari siswa itu. The first introduces or describes some students. The second explicitly opens an already identifiable set—siswa itu—and selects members from it. This is close to English “some students” versus “some of those students.”
The distinction is meaningful but not mechanically absolute. Indonesian can say sebagian siswa itu for “some of those students,” especially when context already supplies the set. Adding dari makes the selection structure unmistakable and is useful when a contrast between subset and whole matters.
Sebagian siswa itu masuk ke aula, sedangkan sisanya menunggu di halaman.
Some of those students entered the hall, while the rest waited in the courtyard.
Setengah and separuh: one half
Setengah and separuh both express one half, but their typical uses differ. Setengah is especially common before measurable amounts, units, times, and divisible objects. Separuh often foregrounds one of two portions or shares of a whole. They overlap in many sentences, so this is a usage tendency, not a rigid mathematical difference.
Saya makan setengah roti sebelum rapat.
I ate half a loaf of bread before the meeting.
Tambahkan setengah gelas air ke dalam adonan.
Add half a glass of water to the batter.
Separuh peserta hadir secara daring.
Half of the participants attended online.
Dia memberikan separuh bagiannya kepada adiknya.
He or she gave half of his or her share to a younger sibling.
The required phrase setengah roti contains no dari because it directly measures the bread. With an explicitly identified whole, dari is possible and often natural: setengah dari roti itu “half of that loaf.”
Kami makan setengah dari roti itu dan menyimpan sisanya.
We ate half of that loaf and saved the rest.
Separuh dari anggaran tersebut dialokasikan untuk pelatihan.
Half of that budget was allocated to training. (formal)
Setengah also occurs in clock expressions and standardized quantities, but those systems have their own conventions. Here the essential noun-phrase contrast is direct half-measure versus selection from an identified whole.
Sepotong: one bounded piece
Sepotong is se- “one” plus potong “piece/cut.” It selects one bounded piece from food, fabric, or another divisible object. The substance or object follows directly.
Dia membawa sepotong kue untuk bekal.
He or she brought a piece of cake as a snack.
Saya hanya perlu sepotong kain untuk menambal tas ini.
I only need a piece of cloth to patch this bag.
Masih ada sepotong pizza di dalam kulkas.
There is still a slice of pizza in the refrigerator.
For more than one piece, use dua potong, tiga potong, and so on. Do not add dari merely because English says “a piece of cake.” Sepotong kue is the normal direct measure phrase. If the source whole matters, add a separate source phrase: sepotong kue dari kotak itu “a piece of cake from that box.”
This pattern overlaps with measure nouns but adds a part–whole idea: the piece is produced by dividing or conceptualizing a larger item. Individual classifiers for intact objects are outside this page.
Bagian dari: an explicit part–whole relation
Bagian dari means “part of” and explicitly relates one entity, section, share, or stage to a larger whole. Unlike sebagian, which quantifies an unspecified portion, bagian is an ordinary noun that can be described, numbered, possessed, or used as a predicate.
Bab ini merupakan bagian dari laporan akhir.
This chapter is part of the final report. (formal)
Kesalahan kecil adalah bagian dari proses belajar.
Small mistakes are part of the learning process.
Bagiannya dalam proyek itu sudah selesai.
His or her part in the project is finished.
Dua bagian dari mesin itu harus diganti.
Two parts of that machine must be replaced.
The clitic in bagiannya attaches directly. Compare three structures:
| Structure | Main meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| sebagian + noun | an unspecified portion | sebagian siswa |
| sebagian dari + known set | subset selected from an identifiable set | sebagian dari siswa itu |
| bagian dari + whole | an entity's part–whole relation | bagian dari laporan |
Deciding whether to use dari
Use this sequence:
- If a quantity word directly measures a noun, use sebagian siswa, setengah roti, or sepotong kue.
- If the phrase selects from an identifiable set, use sebagian dari siswa itu, separuh dari anggaran tersebut, or sebagian dari mereka.
- If a noun is being classified as one component of a whole, use bagian dari, as in bagian dari rencana.
Do not conclude that Indonesian “never uses dari after a partitive.” That rule would erase the known-set contrast. Do not conclude that every English “of” requires it either; that would produce unnatural direct measure phrases.
Common Mistakes
❌ Sebagian dari siswa biasanya belajar lebih baik pada pagi hari.
Awkward for the intended general meaning ‘some students’ — no identifiable source set has been established.
✅ Sebagian siswa biasanya belajar lebih baik pada pagi hari.
Some students usually study better in the morning.
❌ Sebagian siswa-siswa itu sudah pulang.
Nonstandard for a simple known-set selection — the mechanical reduplication adds nothing useful.
✅ Sebagian dari siswa itu sudah pulang.
Some of those students have gone home.
❌ Saya makan setengah dari roti untuk sarapan.
Awkward for an indefinite half-loaf reading — dari suggests selection from a specifically established loaf.
✅ Saya makan setengah roti untuk sarapan.
I ate half a loaf of bread for breakfast.
❌ Sebagian dari sudah menandatangani daftar hadir.
Incorrect — dari must introduce the source set; it cannot be left without a complement.
✅ Sebagian dari mereka sudah menandatangani daftar hadir.
Some of them have signed the attendance sheet.
❌ Bab ini adalah bagian ke laporan akhir.
Incorrect — ke marks direction or destination, not the required part–whole relation.
✅ Bab ini adalah bagian dari laporan akhir.
This chapter is part of the final report.
Key Takeaways
- Sebagian siswa introduces or describes some students; sebagian dari siswa itu explicitly selects from those known students.
- Setengah is common for half-measures such as setengah roti; separuh often foregrounds a half-share or half-portion.
- Sepotong selects one bounded piece and directly precedes its noun.
- Bagian dari expresses an explicit part–whole relation.
- Dari often distinguishes selection from a known set, so neither “always use it” nor “never use it” is an accurate rule.
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