Saya menggulung tenda sebelum hujan deras turun.

I roll up the tent before heavy rain falls.

Breakdown of Saya menggulung tenda sebelum hujan deras turun.

• saya: I
• sebelum: before
• hujan: the rain
• deras: heavy
• turun: to fall
• tenda: the tent
• menggulung: to roll up

Questions & Answers about Saya menggulung tenda sebelum hujan deras turun.

Why is the verb menggulung used instead of just gulung? What does the meN- prefix do?

The root gulung means “to roll” (or “roll” as a noun). Adding the meN- prefix (which becomes meng- before g) turns it into an active, transitive verb: menggulung = “to roll up” something. Indonesian uses meN- (with sound assimilation) to form many active verbs from roots.

Why is Saya used instead of Aku or another “I”?

Saya is the standard polite/formal first-person pronoun. Aku is more informal or intimate; gue (or gua) is casual slang in some regions. Saya is safest in most settings, especially with strangers or in formal writing.

Why does tenda (tent) come right after the verb? Is there a preposition missing?

Indonesian normally follows Subject–Verb–Object order, so menggulung tenda is directly “roll up tent.” No preposition like “up” is needed. The object just follows the verb.

What does sebelum mean, and why is it placed before hujan deras turun?

Sebelum means “before.” It introduces a time clause: sebelum hujan deras turun = “before the heavy rain fell.” In Indonesian you can also move that clause to the front without changing meaning:
Sebelum hujan deras turun, saya menggulung tenda.

Why is deras placed after hujan? Don’t adjectives come before nouns like in English?

In Indonesian, descriptive words (adjectives or adverbs) usually follow the noun they modify. So hujan deras literally is “rain heavy,” i.e. “heavy rain.”

Why use turun for rain? Could I say hujan datang instead?

The natural collocation for rain is hujan turun = “rain falls.” Saying hujan datang (“rain comes”) is understandable but less idiomatic. Stick with turun when talking about rain.

How do I know this sentence refers to the past? There’s no past-tense marker.

Indonesian doesn’t mark tense on verbs. Time is inferred from context or added words like sudah (already, past) or akan (will, future). Here, the idea is past because you rolled up the tent before the rain actually fell. To emphasize past, you could say,
Saya sudah menggulung tenda sebelum hujan deras turun.

Can I drop turun and just say sebelum hujan deras?

Yes. Sebelum hujan deras (“before the heavy rain”) is common and implies the rain falling. Adding turun is more explicit but optional.

What’s the difference between menggulung tenda and melipat tenda?

Menggulung tenda means “to roll up the tent” (as you would with a sleeping bag). Melipat tenda means “to fold the tent” (making flat folds). Tents are often rolled, so menggulung is typical.