Rumah lama itu sedang dibongkar.

that

Breakdown of Rumah lama itu sedang dibongkar.

• rumah: the house
• sedang: be (progressive)
• lama: old

Questions & Answers about Rumah lama itu sedang dibongkar.

Why is lama placed after rumah instead of before, like in English “old house”?

In Indonesian, the normal word order for noun + adjective is Noun + Adjective. So rumah lama literally “house old” corresponds to English “old house.” Unlike English, you generally don’t put the adjective before the noun.

What does itu do in rumah lama itu? Could it go somewhere else?

itu is a demonstrative meaning “that.” In Indonesian, it normally follows the noun phrase it modifies: rumah lama itu = “that old house.” You wouldn’t say itu rumah lama unless you’re calling someone’s attention to it (like “there’s that old house!”).

What is sedang, and why is it used here?

sedang is an aspect marker indicating a continuous or ongoing action—equivalent to the English progressive “is/are …ing.” Placing sedang before a verb (or passive verb) signals that the action is happening right now:
– rumah lama itu sedang dibongkar = “that old house is being demolished.”

Why is dibongkar in passive form instead of an active form like membongkar?