Ketika musim dingin tiba, dompet saya sering kosong karena tiket film mahal.

Ketika musim dingin tiba, dompet saya sering kosong karena tiket film mahal.
When winter arrives, my wallet is often empty because movie tickets are expensive.
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Questions & Answers about Ketika musim dingin tiba, dompet saya sering kosong karena tiket film mahal.

What does ketika mean in this sentence, and can I replace it with saat?
Ketika is a conjunction meaning when, used to introduce a time clause. You can generally swap it with saat—for example, Saat musim dingin tiba, dompet saya sering kosong—though ketika sounds slightly more formal or literary.
Why is tiba used instead of datang for musim dingin tiba?
Tiba literally means to arrive and is commonly used for events, times, seasons, flights, etc. Datang also means to come, but it usually applies to people or moving objects. Saying musim dingin datang isn’t wrong, but musim dingin tiba is the more idiomatic choice when talking about the “arrival” of a season.
Why doesn’t Indonesian use an article like the before musim dingin?
Indonesian has no articles. Definiteness is implied by context, so musim dingin can mean winter or the winter depending on the situation, without adding extra words.
How does possession work? Why is it dompet saya instead of saya dompet?
Possessive constructions place the pronoun after the noun: dompet saya = my wallet, rumah dia = his/her house. Putting the pronoun first would sound unnatural.
What do sering and kosong mean together in sering kosong?
  • Sering = often/frequently
  • Kosong = empty
    So sering kosong means often empty (here implying I often have no money in my wallet).
How do I form phrases like “movie tickets,” and why is the adjective mahal placed after tiket film?
  • Modifier nouns follow the head noun: tiket film = “ticket of film” = movie ticket.
  • Adjectives come after the entire noun phrase: tiket film mahal = expensive movie tickets.
    You cannot say mahal tiket film; adjectives must follow.
Why isn’t tiket marked as plural?
Indonesian does not mark plurals with an ending. Plurality is understood from context, numerals, or optional reduplication (e.g., tiket-tiket or beberapa tiket for “some tickets”).
What role does karena play, and are there other words for “because”?

Karena introduces a reason clause: because. Other options include:

  • sebab (more formal)
  • soalnya (colloquial)
  • gara-gara (informal, often with a slightly negative connotation)
Can I reorder the clauses for emphasis?

Yes. You could start with the reason or the result, for example:

  • Karena tiket film mahal, dompet saya sering kosong ketika musim dingin tiba.
  • Dompet saya sering kosong ketika musim dingin tiba karena tiket film mahal.
    All maintain the same meaning; you just shift which part you highlight.