Breakdown of Kami pulang sebelum matahari terbenam.
kami
we
sebelum
before
pulang
to go home
matahari
the sun
Questions & Answers about Kami pulang sebelum matahari terbenam.
Why is kami used instead of kita?
Both words translate as “we” in English, but they differ in inclusion:
- kami is exclusive “we” (excludes the person you’re talking to)
- kita is inclusive “we” (includes the person you’re talking to)
In Kami pulang…, the speaker’s group goes home without the listener, so kami is the correct choice.
What does pulang mean?
Pulang is an intransitive verb meaning “to return home” or “to go back (usually home).” The notion of “home” is built into the verb, so you don’t need any object or preposition (e.g. you don’t have to say ke rumah unless you want to specify a different location).
How do we know this sentence is past tense? There’s no past marker on pulang.
Indonesian verbs do not change form to show tense. Instead, time adverbials and context do the job. Here, sebelum matahari terbenam (“before the sun set”) tells you the action happened in the past. If you want to be explicit, you can add a completed‐action marker like sudah or telah:
- Kami sudah pulang sebelum matahari terbenam.
What part of speech is sebelum, and can it start the sentence?