Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Esoknya, kami mengadakan diskusi singkat tentang pengalaman berkemah sebelum sarapan. - The next day, we hold a short discussion about the camping experience before breakfast.

Esoknya literally means “the next day.” It comes from the base esok (tomorrow) plus the suffix -nya, which can turn a time word into a more narrative “the X” phrase.
You use esoknya when you’re continuing a story and want to say “the following day.” If you just say besok, it’s more like “tomorrow” in a general sense, not necessarily “the next day in our story.”

Why is there a comma after Esoknya?

When you open a sentence with a time adverb (like Esoknya, Kemarin, Suatu hari), Indonesian style often places a comma before the main clause. It’s a way to set the scene:
Esoknya, … “The next day, …”

Why does the sentence use kami instead of kita or mereka?

kami means “we” excluding the person you’re talking to. It refers only to the speaker and others.
kita is “we” including the listener.
mereka is “they.”
So by saying kami, the speaker is indicating that the group discussed things among themselves, not necessarily including the person they’re addressing.

What is the function of mengadakan and how is it formed?

mengadakan means “to hold” or “to organize.”
It’s formed from the root ada (“to exist” or “be present”) with the prefix meN- and the suffix -kan, giving a causative or event-creating sense.
Phonology: meN- becomes meng- before a vowel, so ada → mengadakan.

Why do we say diskusi singkat rather than singkat diskusi?

In Indonesian, descriptive adjectives like singkat (“brief”) usually follow the noun they modify: Noun + Adjective. Hence diskusi singkat (“brief discussion”). Reversing it to singkat diskusi would sound awkward or poetic.

What role does tentang play in this sentence? Could we use another word?

tentang is a preposition meaning “about” or “concerning.”
It introduces the topic of the discussion: tentang pengalaman berkemah = “about camping experiences.”
You could also say mengenai or perihal, but tentang is the most common in everyday speech.

How does pengalaman berkemah work? What does the ber- prefix do?

pengalaman means “experience” and is formed by adding the nominalizer peng- (plus the suffix -an) to the root alâm (to know/experience).
berkemah means “to camp.” The prefix ber- on kemah (camp) makes it a verb meaning “to do camping.”
Together pengalaman berkemah means “camping experiences.”

Why is sebelum sarapan placed at the end, and what does it mean?

sebelum is a subordinating conjunction meaning “before,” and sarapan means “breakfast.”
Together, sebelum sarapan means “before breakfast.”
Time clauses like this often go at the end of a sentence in Indonesian, though you can also put them at the front: Sebelum sarapan, kami mengadakan… Both are correct, but ending with it keeps the narrative flow.