Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

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!”).

Question 3

What is sedang, and why is it used here?

Accepted Answer

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.”

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

dibongkar is the passive form (“to be demolished”), built with the prefix di- on the root bongkar. We use the passive when the focus is on the house (the patient of the action) and the agent is not important or omitted. An active version (tukang membongkar rumah) would shift focus to who is doing it (“the workers are demolishing the house”).

Question 5

How exactly do you form dibongkar from membongkar?

Accepted Answer

The active verb is membongkar (prefix meN- + root bongkar). To make the passive, you remove the meN- prefix and replace it with di-, yielding dibongkar.  
– meN- + bongkar → membongkar (active “to demolish”)  
– di- + bongkar → dibongkar (passive “to be demolished”)

Question 6

Can you drop sedang and still understand the sentence? What changes?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can say Rumah lama itu dibongkar, which still means “that old house is being demolished.” Without sedang, it’s a neutral passive statement without explicitly marking the action as ongoing at this very moment.

Question 7

If I wanted to say who is demolishing the house, how would I add that?

Accepted Answer

You can add an agent phrase with oleh (“by”):  
– Rumah lama itu sedang dibongkar oleh pekerja.  
= “That old house is being demolished by workers.”

Question 8

What happens if I move itu to the front, as in itu rumah lama sedang dibongkar?

Accepted Answer

Putting itu in front can make it more colloquial or emphatic, like drawing attention: “There, that old house is being demolished.” It’s not the neutral way to say “that old house,” but it’s still understandable in spoken Indonesian.

Rumah lama itu sedang dibongkar.

Breakdown of Rumah lama itu sedang dibongkar.

Questions & Answers about Rumah lama itu sedang dibongkar.

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