Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Sepatu basah dijemur sampai kering. - Wet shoes are dried until they are dry.

In Indonesian the prefix di- attached to a verb (here dijemur) marks passive voice. This means the action happens to the subject (sepatu), not that the subject performs the action.

What does dijemur mean?

Dijemur is the passive form of menjemur, which means to hang something in the sun to dry. In passive voice dijemur expresses that it “is/are hung out to dry” or “gets sun-dried.”

Why is there no mention of who dries the shoes?

In Indonesian passive sentences the agent (the doer) is often omitted when it’s unknown, obvious, or not important. The focus here is on the shoes and the drying process, not on who does it.

Why does basah come after sepatu instead of before, like in English?

In Indonesian adjectives follow the noun they modify. So sepatu basah is literally “shoes wet,” which in English we reorder as “wet shoes.”

What role does sampai play in sampai kering?

Sampai means “until.” It sets the endpoint of the action, so dijemur sampai kering means “hung out to dry until (it/they become) dry.”

Why isn’t kering changed with any ending (like –s or –ed)?

Indonesian adjectives such as kering are invariable. They do not take endings for tense, number, or gender, so kering remains the same in all contexts.

Can I say Sepatu yang basah dijemur sampai kering instead?

Yes. Adding yang introduces a relative clause: “The shoes that are wet are hung out to dry until dry.” In simple adjective use yang is optional—both forms are correct.

Why is dijemur written as one word and not di jemur?

The passive prefix di- attaches directly to the verb in standard Indonesian orthography. Writing di jemur with a space would be incorrect.

Is there a difference between sampai kering and hingga kering?

Both phrases mean “until (it becomes) dry.” Sampai is more common in everyday speech; hingga is a bit more formal or literary. In this context they’re interchangeable.