Breakdown of Oleh-oleh khas pulau itu dijual murah selama promosi akhir tahun.
itu
that
murah
cheap
pulau
the island
oleh-oleh
the souvenir
khas
special
dijual
to be sold
selama
during
promosi
the promotion
akhir tahun
the year-end
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Questions & Answers about Oleh-oleh khas pulau itu dijual murah selama promosi akhir tahun.
What does oleh-oleh mean and why is it not literally “by-by”?
Oleh-oleh is a single, fixed noun in Indonesian meaning “souvenir” or “gifts you bring back from a trip.” Although it looks like a reduplication of oleh (“by”), it’s lexically treated as one word with its own meaning, not a literal “by-by.”
Why does khās come after oleh-oleh, and what does it mean?
Khās means “typical” or “special (to).” In Indonesian, adjectives usually follow the noun they modify. So oleh-oleh khās = “souvenirs typical to …” The full phrase khās pulau itu tells you which island they’re typical of.
What does pulau itu mean, and why isn’t it itu pulau?
Pulau = island, itu = that/the. In Indonesian the demonstrative itu follows the noun, so pulau itu = “that island.” Placing itu before would sound ungrammatical.
Why is dijual used instead of jual or menjual?
Dijual is the passive form of jual (to sell), created with the prefix di-. Passive voice focuses on the item being sold rather than the seller. Menjual is the active-transitive form (someone sells something).
Where is the seller (agent) in this sentence?
The agent is omitted. Indonesian passive sentences often drop the agent when it’s unknown, unimportant, or obvious from context. Here we simply care that the souvenirs are sold cheaply.
What role does murah play here? Does it modify the noun or the verb?
Murah means “cheap.” In dijual murah, it modifies the verb phrase “are sold” to indicate manner: “are sold cheaply.” Indonesian allows adjectives to function adverbially in this way.
How does selama function in this context?
Selama means “during” or “throughout.” It introduces a time-span: selama promosi akhir tahun = “during the year-end promotion.”
What is promosi akhir tahun, and how is that phrase formed?
Promosi = promotion or sales event, akhir tahun = “end of the year.” Together, promosi akhir tahun specifies the type of promotion: the annual year-end sale.
Could you replace selama with pada? What difference would that make?
Yes, you could say pada promosi akhir tahun = “at the year-end promotion,” but pada marks a point in time (“at”). Selama highlights the entire duration of the promotion (“throughout”), which is more precise here.