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Questions & Answers about Saya cukup lelah hari ini.
In the sentence Saya cukup lelah hari ini, what does cukup mean?
cukup literally means “enough,” but here it functions as an adverb meaning “quite” or “rather.” It softens the adjective to express a moderate degree of tiredness, so the sentence reads “I’m quite tired today.”
Why is there no word for “to be” in Saya cukup lelah hari ini?
Indonesian doesn’t require a copula (a linking verb like “to be”) in simple descriptive statements. You simply place the subject and adjective together—saya lelah already means “I am tired.” No extra verb is needed.
Why does the sentence use saya instead of aku?
Both saya and aku mean “I,” but saya is more formal or polite, commonly used in neutral or professional contexts. aku is more casual or intimate, often reserved for friends and close relationships.
Can I place hari ini at the beginning, like Hari ini saya cukup lelah? Does it change the meaning?
Yes—Hari ini saya cukup lelah is perfectly natural and means the same thing (“Today I’m quite tired”). Placing hari ini first simply emphasizes “today” a bit more but doesn’t alter the core meaning.
What’s the difference between cukup and agak when expressing degrees, as in “quite tired”?
Both cukup and agak soften adjectives, but cukup suggests a stronger or more definite degree (“fairly” or “quite”), whereas agak implies a lighter degree (“somewhat” or “a bit”). So Saya cukup lelah is stronger than Saya agak lelah.
Can I drop saya and just say Cukup lelah hari ini to mean “Quite tired today”?
In informal or very casual contexts (like a note to yourself), you can omit saya: Cukup lelah hari ini. However, in spoken or formal writing it’s clearer to include saya so listeners/readers know who you’re talking about.
How do I pronounce cukup lelah hari ini correctly?
Pronounce it syllable by syllable:
- cu-kup [choo-ko͞op]
- le-lah [luh-lah]
- ha-ri [hah-ree]
- i-ni [ee-nee]
Stress in Indonesian usually falls on the penultimate (second-to-last) syllable, so it sounds like cu-KUP le-LAH HA-ri I-NI.