Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Pertunjukan seni di galeri kota dimulai pukul delapan. - An art performance at the city gallery starts at eight o’clock.

Pertunjukan seni literally means “art performance” – it’s a live show (dance, theater, music, etc.).
Pameran seni means “art exhibition” – a display of paintings, sculptures, photos, and so on.
Use pertunjukan when the artwork is performed; use pameran when it’s exhibited.

Why is di used in di galeri kota?

Di is a preposition that marks location, equivalent to “at” or “in.”
– di galeri kota = “at the city gallery.”
Without di, galeri kota just names the place, not the location of the action.

In galeri kota, which word modifies which? Is it “gallery city” or “city gallery”?

Indonesian puts the head noun first, modifier second:
– galeri (gallery) is the head
– kota (city) specifies what kind of gallery
So galeri kota = “city gallery.”

What does dimulai mean, and why is it prefixed with di-?

Mulai means “to start.”
When you add the passive/middle prefix di-, it becomes dimulai, literally “is/was started.”
Here it functions like an intransitive “begins,” with no need to mention who starts it.

Could you use mulai instead of dimulai? What’s the difference?

Yes. You can say:
Pertunjukan seni di galeri kota mulai pukul delapan.
– mulai alone is an intransitive verb “begins.”
– dimulai (passive) is more common in schedules or formal announcements, focusing on the event’s start rather than any agent.

What does pukul delapan mean, and how do you express other times?

Pukul = “o’clock/at (a specific hour).”
delapan = “eight.”
So pukul delapan = “at eight o’clock.”
To say “half past eight,” you’d say pukul delapan setengah.
For “quarter to nine,” pukul sembilan kurang seperempat.

Why is the time phrase at the end of the sentence? Can you move it?

Time phrases in Indonesian are flexible. You can place pukul delapan:
– at the end (common in announcements)
– at the beginning: Pukul delapan pertunjukan seni di galeri kota dimulai.
– before the verb: Pertunjukan seni di galeri kota pukul delapan dimulai.
Moving it shifts emphasis but doesn’t change the meaning.

What about adding pada before pukul delapan? Is that allowed?

Yes. Pada is a general preposition for time:
– dimulai pada pukul delapan = “starts at eight o’clock.”
Adding pada makes it slightly more formal, but it’s optional.