Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Tamu pertama datang membawa hadiah besar. - The first guest comes bringing a big gift.

pertama is an ordinal word meaning “first.” In Indonesian it usually follows the noun it modifies, so tamu pertama literally reads “guest first,” i.e. “the first guest.”

Why is there no word for “the” or “a” in this sentence?

Indonesian has no articles like “the” or “a.” Definiteness or indefiniteness is understood from context. Thus tamu pertama can be translated as “the first guest” without adding a separate article.

Could you say tamu yang pertama instead of tamu pertama?

Yes. yang introduces a relative clause (“the guest who is first”). tamu yang pertama is grammatically correct and slightly more emphatic or formal. However, most speakers simply say tamu pertama.

What is the function of datang? How do we know when the action happened?

datang means “to come” or “to arrive.” Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense. The time frame is inferred from context or added time words (e.g. kemarin “yesterday,” nanti “later”). In most narratives, you’ll interpret datang as past (“arrived”) unless specified otherwise.

Why is membawa placed right after datang? Don’t we need “and” or “to”?

Indonesian allows verb chaining without conjunctions to show simultaneous or sequential actions. datang membawa means “came bringing.” There’s no need for “and” or “to”—the structure implies “arrived while carrying.”

Could we use membawakan instead of membawa?

membawa means “to bring” or “to carry” generally. membawakan means “to bring something for someone.” Since the sentence doesn’t mention a recipient, membawa is appropriate. If you want to emphasize “for someone,” you could say membawakan hadiah untuk tuan rumah.

Why isn’t hadiah pluralized? Shouldn’t it be hadiah-hadiah?

Most Indonesian nouns are unmarked for number. hadiah can mean one gift or multiple gifts—the context tells you. Reduplication (hadiah-hadiah) exists but usually emphasizes variety or many different items and is less common here.

Why is besar placed after hadiah? Can adjectives go before nouns?

Adjectives in Indonesian typically follow the noun: hadiah besar = “big gift.” Putting the adjective before the noun (besar hadiah) is generally unidiomatic and might sound poetic or archaic.

Could we say tamu pertama datang dengan hadiah besar instead?

Yes. datang dengan hadiah besar literally means “arrived with a big gift.” It’s a valid alternative; membawa emphasizes the act of carrying the gift, while dengan simply indicates accompaniment.

How can we express “has already come” or mark that the arrival is complete?

Add an aspect marker like sudah or telah before the verb to show completion. For example:
Tamu pertama sudah datang membawa hadiah besar.
= “The first guest has already arrived bringing a big gift.”