Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Cuaca buruk membuat saya tidak mau bersepeda. - Bad weather makes me not want to ride a bicycle.

The verb membuat means “to make” or “to cause.” Here it takes an object (saya) and then a result clause (tidak mau bersepeda) to say that bad weather causes you not to want to cycle. The structure is: subject (Cuaca buruk) + verb (membuat) + object (saya) + complement/result (tidak mau bersepeda).

Why doesn’t this sentence start with karena to express “because”?

Indonesian can express causation without karena by using membuat directly. If you prefer the “because” structure, you could say: Karena cuaca buruk, saya tidak mau bersepeda, where karena cuaca buruk is a subordinate clause explaining the reason.

What part of speech is buruk, and why is it placed after cuaca?

Buruk is an adjective meaning “bad.” In Indonesian, adjectives usually follow the noun they modify. So cuaca buruk literally is “weather bad” = “bad weather.”

Why is there no untuk before bersepeda even though it’s an infinitive?

After modal verbs like mau (“want to”), you use the bare infinitive without untuk. Thus mau bersepeda (“want to cycle”) is correct; adding untuk would be redundant.

Could I replace saya with aku or other pronouns?

Yes. Saya is a neutral/formal first-person pronoun. In casual speech you can use aku: Cuaca buruk membuat aku tidak mau bersepeda. In slang you might even hear membuat gue in Jakarta’s informal registers.

What’s the difference between saying tidak mau and tidak ingin?

Both mean “not want to,” but mau is more colloquial, while ingin is slightly more formal or literary. Saying tidak mau bersepeda is very natural in everyday conversation; tidak ingin bersepeda sounds a bit more formal.

Can I shorten membuat saya to membuatku?

Yes. Indonesian allows attaching the clitic -ku to verbs. So you can say Cuaca buruk membuatku tidak mau bersepeda. Just note that -ku must come directly after the verb.

Why does Cuaca buruk come at the beginning? Can I start with Saya instead?

Word order in Indonesian is flexible. Placing Cuaca buruk first highlights the cause. You can also start with Saya: Saya tidak mau bersepeda karena cuaca buruk, which shifts the focus to your unwillingness and mentions the reason afterward.

What does the prefix ber- do in bersepeda?

The prefix ber- often forms intransitive verbs meaning “to have/possess” or “to engage in an activity.” Since sepeda is “bicycle,” bersepeda literally means “to ride a bicycle” or “to cycle.”