Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya bangun tidur lalu minum kopi.

bangun means “to wake up” and tidur is “sleep.” The phrase bangun tidur is a common collocation meaning “to wake up (from sleep).” In Indonesian, many action–object expressions follow a verb + noun order, so instead of “wake from sleep,” you say “wake up sleep.”

Why is there no preposition dari before tidur?

Certain verb + noun pairs like bangun tidur, bermain sepak bola (play soccer), or membaca buku (read a book) naturally omit prepositions. You could say bangun dari tidur, but it’s not necessary in everyday speech—bangun tidur is idiomatic and clear on its own.

What role does lalu play in this sentence? How is it different from dan or kemudian?

lalu means “then” or “after that,” signaling sequence. You could use kemudian with almost the same meaning, but kemudian is slightly more formal. If you use dan (“and”), you’re simply connecting two actions without emphasizing that one follows the other.

How do we know if the sentence is past or present tense? There’s no tense marking.

Indonesian verbs don’t change form for tense. Time is inferred from context or added time words.

Habitual: Saya bangun tidur lalu minum kopi setiap pagi. (“I wake up then drink coffee every morning.”)