Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Setelah makan, kami mengadakan diskusi singkat tentang rute mendaki gunung. - After eating, we hold a short discussion about the hiking route to the mountain.

Setelah means “after.” It introduces a time clause that tells you when the main action happens. In Setelah makan, it literally means “after eating” (or “after we ate”), and it connects that action to what follows.

Why is the subject omitted in Setelah makan?

In Indonesian, if the subject of a subordinate clause is the same as the main clause, you often drop it to avoid repetition. Here, Setelah makan implies “after we ate,” because kami is the subject of the main clause. You could say Setelah kami makan, but it’s more concise to leave kami out.

What does mengadakan mean in this context?

Mengadakan is a transitive verb meaning “to hold,” “to organize,” or “to conduct.” The root is adakan, and with the prefix meng- it becomes active: kami mengadakan diskusi = “we held/organized a discussion.”

Why is it diskusi singkat and not singkat diskusi?

In Indonesian, adjectives almost always follow the nouns they describe. Diskusi is the noun (discussion) and singkat is the adjective (short), so the correct order is diskusi singkat (“short discussion”).

What is the function of tentang in this sentence?

Tentang means “about” or “regarding.” It introduces the topic of the discussion. So diskusi singkat tentang rute mendaki gunung = “a short discussion about the mountain-climbing route.”

How is rute mendaki gunung structured grammatically?

Here rute is the head noun (route), and it’s modified by the verb phrase mendaki gunung (“to climb a mountain”) functioning like a relative clause. So literally “route [for] climbing a mountain.” In Indonesian, the modifying clause follows the noun.

Can we use rute pendakian gunung instead, and if so, what’s the difference?

Yes. Pendakian is the noun form of mendaki, so rute pendakian gunung also means “mountain-climbing route.” It sounds slightly more formal or technical, but both phrases are perfectly acceptable.

Are there other ways to express “after eating” in Indonesian?

Absolutely. You can say sesudah makan, usai makan, or even setelah kami makan if you want to include the subject. All convey the same “after eating” meaning.