Breakdown of Setelah pesta, saya mencuci pakaian kotor di kamar mandi.
saya
I
di
in
setelah
after
pesta
the party
pakaian
the clothing
mencuci
to wash
kotor
dirty
kamar mandi
the bathroom
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Questions & Answers about Setelah pesta, saya mencuci pakaian kotor di kamar mandi.
What does Setelah mean, and how is it used in this sentence?
Setelah is a preposition meaning after. It introduces a time clause and is followed directly by a noun or noun phrase:
- Setelah pesta = After the party
You can also say Setelah- verb phrase:
- Setelah makan, saya istirahat = After eating, I rest
Why isn't there an article (like “the” or “a”) before pesta?
Bahasa Indonesia does not use definite or indefinite articles. Nouns stand alone, and their specificity is determined by context. Thus, pesta can mean either a party or the party depending on what’s implied.
Is the pronoun saya necessary in this sentence, or can it be omitted?
In Indonesian, you can drop the subject if it’s clear from context, especially in informal speech:
- Casual: Setelah pesta, mencuci pakaian kotor di kamar mandi.
However, including saya adds clarity or formality: - Setelah pesta, saya mencuci pakaian kotor di kamar mandi.
What is mencuci, and how is it formed?
mencuci is the active verb to wash. It comes from the root cuci (wash) plus the prefix me-, which marks a transitive action:
- me- + cuci → mencuci = (I) wash
How do we know this action happened after the party? Don’t Indonesian verbs show tense?
Indonesian verbs are not inflected for tense. Instead, time is indicated by:
- Time words (sekarang, lusa, sejak, setelah)
- Aspect markers (sudah = already, belum = not yet)
Here, Setelah pesta alone makes it clear the washing occurred after the party, so no additional tense/aspect marker is needed.
Why is it pakaian kotor and not kotor pakaian?
In Indonesian, adjectives follow the noun they describe:
- pakaian = clothing
- kotor = dirty
Together: pakaian kotor = dirty clothes
What does di kamar mandi mean, and why is di used?
di is the preposition for location (like in, at, on).
- kamar mandi literally “bath room” (kamar = room, mandi = bathe)
- di kamar mandi = in the bathroom
Can we rearrange the time and place phrases, such as starting with di kamar mandi?
Yes, Indonesian is flexible, but the most neutral order is:
Time → Subject → Verb → Object → Place
Examples:
- Setelah pesta, saya mencuci pakaian kotor di kamar mandi. (default)
- Di kamar mandi, saya mencuci pakaian kotor setelah pesta. (less common but acceptable)
- Saya mencuci pakaian kotor di kamar mandi setelah pesta. (also OK)