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Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Tukang bangunan membersihkan puing. - The builder cleans up the rubble.

Hardcore Indonesian
/Coordinating a home renovation
/Tukang bangunan membersihkan puing.

Tukang bangunan membersihkan puing.

Word

Tukang bangunan membersihkan puing.

Meaning

The builder cleans up the rubble.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Indonesian

Lesson

Coordinating a home renovation

Breakdown of Tukang bangunan membersihkan puing.

tukang bangunan

the construction worker; builder

the rubble; debris

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Questions & Answers about Tukang bangunan membersihkan puing.

What does tukang bangunan mean exactly?

Tukang bangunan is a common phrase for a construction worker, builder, or workman.

tukang often means a person who does a certain kind of skilled work or trade.
bangunan means building or construction-related structure.

So together, tukang bangunan refers to someone who works in construction.

Why is it tukang bangunan and not the other way around?

In Indonesian, the main noun usually comes first, and the word that describes it comes after.

So:

tukang = worker/craftsman
bangunan = building/construction

That gives tukang bangunan = building worker / construction worker.

This is a very common Indonesian pattern:

rumah sakit = hospital
kartu kredit = credit card
tukang kebun = gardener

Is there a word for the in this sentence?

No. Indonesian usually does not use articles like the or a/an.

So Tukang bangunan membersihkan puing could mean:

The construction worker cleans the debris
A construction worker cleans debris
Construction workers clean debris

The exact meaning depends on context.

Is tukang bangunan singular or plural?

By itself, it is not specifically marked as singular or plural.

So it can mean:

a construction worker
the construction worker
construction workers

If you want to make plurality clearer, Indonesian can add context or words like:

para tukang bangunan = the construction workers
tukang-tukang bangunan = construction workers

But in many ordinary sentences, number is simply left unstated.

Why is the verb membersihkan and not just bersih?

Because bersih means clean as an adjective, while membersihkan means to clean something.

bersih = clean
membersihkan = to clean, to make clean

So:

Rumah itu bersih = The house is clean.
Dia membersihkan rumah = He/She cleans the house.

In your sentence, membersihkan is needed because the worker is doing an action to puing.

How is membersihkan formed?

It comes from the root bersih and the affixes meN- and -kan:

bersih = clean
meN-...-kan often forms a transitive verb meaning to make/do something to an object

So:

membersihkan = to clean something, literally something like to make clean

This is a very common pattern in Indonesian verb formation.

What does puing mean, and is it plural?

Puing means debris, rubble, or wreckage.

Like many nouns in Indonesian, it is not marked for singular or plural here. In English, words like debris also often behave as mass nouns, so this is not too strange.

Depending on context, puing could refer to:

rubble in general
pieces of a destroyed building
construction debris

What is the word order in this sentence?

The basic word order is Subject – Verb – Object, just like in English.

Tukang bangunan = subject
membersihkan = verb
puing = object

So the structure is:

Tukang bangunan + membersihkan + puing
Construction worker + cleans + debris

Does membersihkan show active voice?

Yes. Membersihkan is an active verb form.

The sentence focuses on the doer of the action:

Tukang bangunan membersihkan puing = The construction worker cleans the debris.

A passive version would be something like:

Puing dibersihkan oleh tukang bangunan = The debris is cleaned by the construction worker.

So meN- verbs are commonly associated with active voice, while di- often marks passive voice.

Can I translate tukang bangunan as builder?

Yes, often you can. But the best English translation depends on context.

Possible translations include:

construction worker
builder
workman

If the person is specifically doing manual construction work, construction worker is often the safest translation.

How would this sentence be pronounced?

A rough pronunciation guide is:

Too-kahng bahng-OO-nahn mem-ber-SEEH-kahn POO-eeng

A few tips:

ng sounds like the ng in sing
u is usually like oo in food
i is usually like ee in see
stress in Indonesian is usually not as strong or contrastive as in English, so try to say it smoothly rather than heavily stressing one syllable

Could puing come before the verb?

Yes, but that usually changes the structure and often gives a more passive or marked feel.

For example:

Tukang bangunan membersihkan puing = active, neutral
Puing dibersihkan tukang bangunan = passive, focus on the debris

For beginners, the most natural basic pattern to remember is:

Subject + meN- verb + object

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