Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Kerumunan orang menonton pertandingan di lapangan. - A crowd of people watches the match on the field.

Kerumunan means “crowd” or “gathering,” and orang means “people.” Together, kerumunan orang literally means “a crowd of people.” While kerumunan alone often already implies people, adding orang removes any doubt and is very common in everyday speech.

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

Kerumunan is a noun. It’s built from the root kerumun (to crowd or gather) plus the nominalizer suffix -an, which turns verbs or verb roots into nouns indicating “the act or result of ….”

What does menonton mean, and is it a transitive verb?

Menonton means “to watch.” It is transitive, so it takes a direct object (here, pertandingan). Indonesian doesn’t use special object markers; the object simply follows the verb.

Why isn’t there any tense marking on menonton? How do you express time or aspect in Indonesian?

Indonesian verbs don’t inflect for tense. You rely on context or add time indicators like sekarang (now), kemarin (yesterday), or aspect words such as sudah (already) and sedang (in the middle of) to clarify timing.

What does pertandingan mean, and how is it formed?

Pertandingan means “match” or “competition.” It comes from the root tanding (to pair up or compete) with the prefix per- and suffix -an, forming a noun that denotes “the event or act of competing.”

How can we tell if pertandingan is singular or plural?

Indonesian nouns do not change form for number. Pertandingan can mean “a match” or “matches.” You specify exact quantity with numbers or quantifiers (e.g., dua pertandingan, beberapa pertandingan).

What role does di lapangan play in the sentence?

Di lapangan is a locative phrase meaning “at the field” or “on the field.” It functions as an adverbial complement, telling us where the crowd is watching the match.

Why is the order Subject-Verb-Object-Prepositional Phrase in this sentence?

The basic Indonesian word order is S V O. Any additional information like place or time (prepositional phrases) ordinarily follows the object, yielding S V O PP.

Can we use sedang here to show that the watching is happening right now?

Yes. Inserting sedang before the verb marks a continuous or ongoing action:
Kerumunan orang sedang menonton pertandingan di lapangan.

Why aren’t there articles like “a” or “the” in this Indonesian sentence?

Indonesian has no articles. Definiteness or indefiniteness is understood from context. If you need to be explicit, you can use demonstratives (ini = this, itu = that) or quantifiers (sebuah = a/some).