Kantor terasa tenang di malam hari.

The office feels calm at night.

Breakdown of Kantor terasa tenang di malam hari.

• di: at
• malam hari: the night
• kantor: the office
• tenang: calm
• terasa: to feel

Questions & Answers about Kantor terasa tenang di malam hari.

What part of speech is terasa, and how is it formed?

terasa is a verb formed by prefixing ter- to rasa (“to feel”). The ter- prefix often marks passive or involuntary states, so terasa literally means “is felt” or “can be felt.” In our sentence it functions as an intransitive verb:
• kantor terasa = “the office feels”/“is felt.”

What’s the difference between terasa and rasanya?

Both derive from rasa but carry different nuances:
• terasa = “is felt” (an impersonal or external perception).
• rasanya = “it feels to me” or “in my opinion” (a more personal, subjective comment).
Example:
• Kantor terasa tenang (It feels calm there.)
• Kantor rasanya tenang (It seems/presently I feel the office is calm.)

Why can’t we just say Kantor tenang di malam hari without terasa?

You actually can say Kantor tenang di malam hari; it’s a simple statement of fact (“The office is calm at night”). Adding terasa highlights that you’re describing how it feels—the sensory or atmospheric impression.

Why do we say di malam hari instead of just malam?

When indicating a time period, Indonesian commonly uses malam hari (“night time”). The preposition di marks “at”:
• di malam hari = “at night.”
Just saying di malam without hari feels incomplete in standard usage.

Could we say pada malam hari instead of di malam hari? Is there a difference?

Yes. Both mean “at night,” but:
• di malam hari = more colloquial/neutral.
• pada malam hari = slightly more formal or literary (similar to saying “on” in time expressions).

Why is there no article equivalent to the before kantor?

Indonesian doesn’t use articles like “a” or “the.” Definiteness comes from context. If you need to be specific, you can add:
• kantor ini = “this office”
• kantor itu = “that office”

Can we change the word order, like Di malam hari kantor terasa tenang?

Yes. Indonesian allows flexible placement of time phrases:
• Di malam hari kantor terasa tenang. (Emphasizes the time)
• Kantor terasa tenang di malam hari. (Neutral)
• Kantor di malam hari terasa tenang. (Also correct)

What nuance does tenang convey? Could we use sunyi instead?

• tenang = calm, peaceful (absence of chaos or stress)
• sunyi = silent, quiet (emphasis on lack of sound)
So tenang stresses tranquility; sunyi would stress silence (which could feel empty or eerie).

What’s the difference between terasa and terlihat?

• terasa = “is felt” (sensory or atmospheric perception)
• terlihat = “is seen” (visual appearance)
Thus Kantor terasa tenang = “the office feels calm,” whereas Kantor terlihat tenang = “the office looks calm.”

Could we add ini or itu to specify the office? For example, Kantor ini terasa tenang di malam hari?

Absolutely.
• Kantor ini terasa tenang di malam hari = “This office feels calm at night.”
• Kantor itu terasa tenang di malam hari = “That office feels calm at night.”
You can also use possessives or names (e.g., kantor saya, Kantor ABC) to clarify which office you mean.