Breakdown of Burung terbang di langit pagi.
di
in
terbang
to fly
burung
the bird
langit pagi
the morning sky
Questions & Answers about Burung terbang di langit pagi.
Why is there no article like the or a before burung?
Indonesian does not have definite or indefinite articles. Nouns stand alone, and you infer “a,” “the,” or “some” from context or by adding words like itu (that/the) or quantifiers such as beberapa (some) or semua (all).
How can I tell if burung is singular or plural?
Burung can be singular or plural depending on context. To make it explicitly plural you can:
- Reduplicate: burung-burung (birds)
- Add a quantifier: beberapa burung (several birds), banyak burung (many birds)
If there’s no marker, you rely on context to decide.
Why isn’t terbang conjugated for tense or person?
Verbs in Indonesian do not change form for tense (past/present/future) or for person. Time is shown by:
- Context or time words (e.g. kemarin for yesterday, nanti for later)
- Aspect markers like sedang for ongoing actions
How do I say “The birds are flying in the morning sky” to show it’s happening right now?
Use the aspect word sedang and mark plurality:
Burung-burung sedang terbang di langit pagi.
Here, burung-burung = “the birds” (plural) and indicates the progressive aspect “are flying.”