Dia tidak lama di kantor hari ini karena libur.

He/She is not at the office for long today because it is a holiday.

Breakdown of Dia tidak lama di kantor hari ini karena libur.

• dia: he/she
• di: at
• tidak: not
• kantor: the office
• hari ini: today
• karena: because
• libur: the holiday

Questions & Answers about Dia tidak lama di kantor hari ini karena libur.

Why does the sentence use tidak lama instead of some other phrase for “not staying long”?

In Indonesian, tidak lama literally means “not long” and is a natural, concise way to say that someone doesn’t spend much time doing something. Other phrases like cuma sebentar (just a short while) are also common, but tidak lama feels slightly more neutral and direct.

How does di kantor work grammatically here?

Di kantor simply marks location (where? At the office). Di is a preposition indicating a place. It works similarly to “at” in English, so it tells us the person was at the office.

What does karena libur mean in this sentence?

Karena libur roughly translates to “because of a holiday/day off.” When you use karena, you’re stating the reason for something. Libur can mean a holiday or a day off, and in this context it explains why the person doesn’t stay long at the office.

Why is there no subject pronoun like ia or dia repeated in the second part of the sentence?

In Indonesian, once the subject is established at the beginning (here Dia), you don’t generally need to repeat it every time. As a result, the second part (karena libur) doesn’t need another dia. The context is clear that the subject remains the same.

Can we say Dia tidak lama di kantor hari ini, karena hari ini libur instead of karena libur?

Yes, you can. Adding hari ini before libur is grammatically correct and emphasizes that the holiday is specifically today. However, it is often omitted if it’s already clear from context. Using just karena libur is concise and still understandable.