Saya mematikan lampu sebelum tidur.

I turn off the lamp before sleeping.

Breakdown of Saya mematikan lampu sebelum tidur.

• sebuah: a
• saya: I
• mematikan: to turn off
• sebelum: before
• tidur: to sleep
• lampu: the lamp

Questions & Answers about Saya mematikan lampu sebelum tidur.

What does the verb mematikan mean, and why is it formed with the prefix me-?

Mematikan means “to turn off” or “to switch off.” In Indonesian, the prefix me- is used to create active transitive verbs. Thus, mematikan expresses the action of the subject turning something off—in this case, the lamp.

What is the meaning of the word lampu in this sentence?

Lampu translates to “lamp” or “light” in English. It refers to the device that illuminates a room or area. In the sentence, it specifically denotes the lamp that is being turned off.

How do we understand the phrase sebelum tidur?

Sebelum tidur means “before sleeping.” The word sebelum translates to “before,” and tidur means “to sleep.” Together, they indicate that the action of turning off the lamp happens prior to going to sleep.

How is the sentence Saya mematikan lampu sebelum tidur structured in terms of grammar?

The sentence follows a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) structure, which is similar to English. "Saya" is the subject (meaning “I”), "mematikan lampu" functions as the verb phrase (turning off the lamp), and "sebelum tidur" serves as an adverbial phrase specifying when the action takes place, namely “before sleeping.”

Why doesn’t the sentence include any specific tense markers like "will" or "did"?

Indonesian typically relies on context rather than specific tense markers to indicate time. Although there aren't auxiliary verbs like “will” or “did,” time-related words such as sebelum (before) help clarify when the action occurs. Therefore, the sentence implies a habitual or immediate action recognized through context.