Teman saya belum datang.

the friend

Breakdown of Teman saya belum datang.

• belum: not yet
• datang: to arrive

Questions & Answers about Teman saya belum datang.

What does teman mean in this sentence?

Teman means friend. It is the noun that refers to a companion or someone you have a friendly relationship with.

What is the role of saya in this sentence?

Saya means I or, used with a noun, my. In Teman saya, it indicates possession, so it translates to my friend.

What does belum indicate in this sentence?

Belum means not yet. It expresses that the action—here, the act of arriving—has not occurred up to the point of speaking but is expected to occur later.

Why is datang used without any auxiliary verb to show tense?

Indonesian verbs do not change form based on tense and do not require auxiliary verbs. Instead, time is inferred from context or expressed with words like belum. Although datang is not marked for a specific tense, the meaning has not arrived yet is clear from the context provided by belum.

How is negation expressed in this sentence?

Negation is expressed by placing belum before the verb datang. This construction indicates that the action has not been completed or has not occurred yet.

How does the word order in Teman saya belum datang compare to that in English?

In Indonesian, the sentence is structured as [Subject] [Possessive Modifier] [Negation] [Verb]. In English, we say My friend has not arrived yet, which typically requires an auxiliary verb to indicate tense. Indonesian relies on context and specific negation words like belum rather than auxiliary verbs or verb conjugations to express this meaning.

Can datang mean both "coming" and "arriving," and how do we know which meaning applies here?

Yes, datang can mean both coming and arriving. In this sentence, the context—waiting for a friend—makes it clear that the intended meaning is arriving rather than just moving toward the speaker.