Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Penerbangan pulang kami lepas landas tepat pukul delapan, jadi kami harus bangun awal. - Our return flight takes off exactly at eight, so we have to wake up early.

penerbangan means “flight” in general.
Adding pulang (“return” or “going home”) specifies that it’s a return flight.
So penerbangan pulang = “return flight” (the flight that takes you back home).

Why is the order penerbangan pulang kami instead of kami penerbangan pulang?

Indonesian uses a modifier–head order: the thing being described (modifier) comes before the noun (head).

penerbangan pulang is the noun phrase (“return flight”).
kami follows to indicate possession: “our return flight.”
If you said kami penerbangan pulang, it would sound ungrammatical because possessive pronouns normally come after the noun.

What does lepas landas mean, and why not just use terbang or berangkat?

lepas landas = “to take off” (specifically when an airplane leaves the runway).
berangkat = “to depart” (more general, could be by train, bus, plane).
terbang = “to fly” (intransitive: the plane is flying).
Here, lepas landas is most precise for the moment the plane lifts off.

What is the nuance of tepat pukul delapan compared to just pukul delapan?

pukul delapan = “at eight o’clock.”
tepat adds the sense of “exactly” or “right on the dot.”
So tepat pukul delapan = “exactly at eight o’clock.”

Why use pukul before the time instead of jam?

In formal or semi-formal contexts, pukul is preferred for saying the exact time.
jam is more colloquial and still understood: jam delapan = “eight o’clock” (but less formal).
Think of pukul as “at (official) time.”

What role does jadi play in the sentence?

jadi here means “so” or “therefore,” showing cause and effect.
It links the first clause to the result in the second clause:
“Our return flight took off exactly at eight, so we had to wake up early.”

Why bangun awal instead of bangun pagi?

bangun awal = “wake up early” (focusing on the action happening earlier than usual).
bangun pagi = “wake up in the morning” (just specifies the time of day).
Because the emphasis is on needing to get up earlier than normal, bangun awal is more precise.

Can you drop kami in the second clause and still be correct?

Yes. In Indonesian, once the subject is clear from context, you can omit it.

Original: … jadi kami harus bangun awal.
With omission: … jadi harus bangun awal.
Both are acceptable; adding kami just reinforces “we.”