Breakdown of Setelah tiba, saya pergi ke hotel dekat pantai.
sebuah
a
saya
I
dekat
near
pergi
to go
ke
to
setelah
after
tiba
to arrive
hotel
the hotel
pantai
the beach
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Questions & Answers about Setelah tiba, saya pergi ke hotel dekat pantai.
What does setelah tiba mean in this sentence?
- setelah is a conjunction meaning after
- tiba is a verb meaning to arrive
Together setelah tiba literally means “after arriving” or “upon arrival.”
Why is there no subject in setelah tiba (e.g. setelah saya tiba) before the comma?
In Indonesian, when the subject of the subordinate clause is the same as the main clause, you can omit it to avoid repetition. Here, the subject of tiba is the same saya in the main clause, so saya is dropped. You could say “setelah saya tiba, saya pergi…”, but it’s more concise without the second saya.
Why is there a comma after tiba? Is it mandatory?
A comma separates a fronted adverbial or subordinate clause (setelah tiba) from the main clause (saya pergi…) for clarity. It’s common—especially in writing—but not strictly mandatory in casual contexts.
What does pergi ke mean?
- pergi = go (motion verb)
- ke = to (preposition indicating destination)
So pergi ke means “go to.”
Why is it hotel dekat pantai and not hotel di dekat pantai?
- With dekat (near), you can place the noun directly after it: hotel dekat pantai = “hotel near the beach.”
- You could also say hotel yang dekat pantai (“the hotel that is near the beach”) or hotel di dekat pantai, but the shorter form hotel dekat pantai is most idiomatic.
Why aren’t there any articles like a, an, or the?
Indonesian has no definite or indefinite articles. Context or additional words (e.g., itu = “that,” sebuah = “a certain”) convey specificity.
Can saya be replaced or omitted?
- Omitted: If context makes it clear who is acting, you can drop saya entirely (especially in speech).
- Replaced:
• aku – informal but friendly
• gue – very colloquial/Jakarta slang
Use saya for neutral or polite speech.
Is tiba always intransitive?
Yes. tiba means “to arrive” and does not take a direct object. If you want “bring something,” you’d use membawa.
Could I use menuju instead of pergi ke?
- menuju means “heading toward” or “bound for.”
- It emphasizes direction rather than the act of going.
So saya menuju hotel is acceptable but slightly more formal/poetic than saya pergi ke hotel.