Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya kaget mendengar berita tadi malam. - I was surprised to hear the news last night.

kaget here functions as a predicate adjective (sometimes called a stative verb) meaning “surprised” or “shocked.” In Indonesian, many adjectives can directly follow the subject without a separate linking verb. So Saya kaget literally means “I am surprised.”

What’s the function of the prefix meN- in mendengar? Why not just dengar?

The prefix meN- marks the active verb form in Indonesian. The root verb is dengar (“to hear”), and mendengar is its correct formal conjugation (“to hear”). In casual conversation you might drop the prefix and say dengar, but in standard grammar and writing you use mendengar.

Why is there no article before berita? How do I know if it means “a piece of news” or “the news”?

Indonesian does not require a or the. berita is an uncountable noun meaning “news.” Context tells you whether it’s specific. Here, mendengar berita tadi malam implies “hearing the news last night.” If you want to stress “one piece of news,” you can say sebuah berita or satu berita.

What’s the difference between tadi malam and semalam?

Both translate as “last night,” but tadi malam often emphasizes a past moment earlier this evening (“just now last night”), while semalam can suggest “throughout last night.” In everyday speech they’re mostly interchangeable. tadi malam feels a bit more conversational.

Can I say Saya terkejut instead of Saya kaget?

Yes. terkejut is a more formal adjective (using the ter- prefix) meaning “surprised.” kaget is more colloquial and very common in spoken Indonesian. Both are correct; choose terkejut for writing or formal contexts, kaget for casual speech.

Why is the sentence ordered as Saya kaget mendengar berita tadi malam? Could I move tadi malam elsewhere?

Indonesian allows flexible placement of time and place phrases. You can say: • Tadi malam saya kaget mendengar berita.
• Saya tadi malam kaget mendengar berita.
All are grammatically correct. Placing tadi malam at the start or end is a matter of emphasis or style.

Could I use a passive construction like Saya dikagetkan mendengar berita tadi malam?

Technically you can, but it changes the meaning. dikagetkan is the passive of kagetkan (“to surprise someone”), so Saya dikagetkan … suggests someone surprised you. If you simply want to state your own reaction, stick with Saya kaget or Saya terkejut.

Why is berita treated as singular or uncountable? There’s no plural form like “newses,” right?

Correct—berita is a mass noun and doesn’t change in the plural. Indonesian doesn’t pluralize most nouns with an –s. If you need to quantify berita, use numerals or classifiers: dua berita (“two pieces of news”) or sebanyak tiga berita (“as many as three news items”).