Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Lampu taman menyala otomatis setiap senja. - The garden lights turn on automatically every dusk.

menyala is the intransitive verb “to light up” or “to glow.” The root nyala can function as a noun (“light,” “glow”) or a bare verb. To show the lamp is doing the action itself, we add the active prefix meN-, which assimilates to meny- before ny-, yielding menyala. Without the prefix, nyala remains the root.

Why don’t we use menyalakan to say the lamps turn on?

menyalakan (prefix meN- + root nyala + suffix -kan) is the causative form “to turn something on” and requires an object. E.g., Petugas menyalakan lampu taman = “The staff turned on the garden lamps.” Here the lamps switch themselves on automatically, so we use the intransitive menyala.

What is otomatis, and why doesn’t it change form?

otomatis is a loanword (from English automatic) used as an adjective or adverb. In this sentence it functions as an adverb modifying menyala. Indonesian generally keeps such loanwords unchanged. For a more formal style you could say menyala secara otomatis, inserting secara (“in a/an … way”).

Why is it Lampu taman instead of Lampu di taman?

Lampu taman is a compound noun meaning “garden lamps,” where taman directly modifies lampu (“garden lamp”). Saying lampu di taman uses the preposition di (“in/at”) to express location: “lamps in the garden.” Both are correct, but lampu taman treats “garden” as an inherent attribute rather than a location phrase.

Why is there no di before setiap senja?

When you use setiap (“each,” “every”) or tiap, you form a frequency/time adverbial without a preposition. So setiap senja means “every dusk.” You only add di with plain time nouns (e.g. di malam hari = “at night”).

What does senja precisely mean, and how is it different from sore or petang?

senja refers specifically to twilight, the fading light right after sunset. sore is late afternoon/early evening (roughly 3–6 pm), and petang covers late afternoon to early evening (about 5–7 pm). So senja highlights the brief twilight period.

Can we start the sentence with Setiap senja?

Yes. Indonesian allows flexible word order for adverbials. You can say Setiap senja lampu taman menyala otomatis to emphasize when it happens. The default is Subject–Predicate–(Object)–Adverbial, but time phrases often move to the front or end for style.

Is the sentence active or passive, and how can I tell?

It’s active: the subject (lampu taman) precedes the verb and the verb has the active prefix meN- (menyala). Passive verbs use the di- prefix (e.g. dinyalakan would be passive of menyalakan), and the agent is optionally marked with oleh.

If there are multiple lamps, do we change menyala or lampu?

Indonesian verbs do not inflect for number or person. To emphasize plural you can say lampu-lampu taman menyala otomatis setiap senja, but the verb stays menyala. Number is shown on the noun (by reduplication or context), not on the verb.