Mereka berjalan perlahan di jalan gelap.

They walk slowly on the dark road.

Breakdown of Mereka berjalan perlahan di jalan gelap.

• mereka: they
• di: on
• berjalan: to walk
• jalan: the road
• gelap: dark
• perlahan: slowly

Questions & Answers about Mereka berjalan perlahan di jalan gelap.

What does the prefix ber- in berjalan signify?

In Indonesian, ber- is a verbal prefix used to form intransitive verbs. The root jalan can be a noun (road) or an informal verb (walk), but berjalan is the standard intransitive verb meaning to walk. It shows the subject is doing the action without a direct object.

Why isn’t there an English article like “a” or “the” before jalan gelap?

Indonesian has no definite or indefinite articles. A bare noun phrase like jalan gelap can mean a dark road, the dark road, or dark roads depending on context. If you need specificity, add words like itu (that), ini (this), or suatu (a certain):

• jalan gelap itu – “that dark road”
• suatu jalan gelap – “a dark road”

Why is the adjective gelap placed after the noun jalan?

The normal Indonesian word order for adjectives is noun + adjective. So dark road becomes jalan gelap. Placing gelap before jalan (as in English dark road) would be ungrammatical in standard Indonesian.

What does di do in di jalan gelap?

Di is a preposition marking location, similar to English in, on, or at. di jalan means on/in the road. If you wanted to express movement toward the road, you’d use ke (to/towards): berjalan ke jalan – “walk to the road.”

What part of speech is perlahan, and why isn’t there dengan before it?

Perlahan is an adverb of manner meaning slowly. In Indonesian, manner adverbs typically follow the verb directly: berjalan perlahan – “walk slowly.” You don’t need dengan (with), though you can say berjalan dengan perlahan, which sounds more formal or wordy.

Is there any difference between perlahan, pelan, and pelan-pelan?

Yes:
• Pelan: casual, either adjective slow or adverb slowly.
• Perlahan: more formal adverb slowly.
• Pelan-pelan (reduplication): slowly or take it easy, often conversational.
All three can modify berjalan: berjalan pelan, berjalan perlahan, or berjalan pelan-pelan.

Can perlahan appear before the verb, like perlahan mereka berjalan?

The neutral position for manner adverbs is Subject + Verb + Adverb: Mereka berjalan perlahan. Placing perlahan before berjalan (Mereka perlahan berjalan) is possible but less common; it adds a slight literary or emphatic tone. Starting with Perlahan, mereka berjalan foregrounds the manner.

Does jalan only mean “road,” or does it have other uses?

Primarily, jalan means road, street, or path. But it appears in compounds like jalan setapak (footpath) and jalan raya (highway). Colloquially, jalan-jalan means to go for a walk or to hang out. Context tells you which sense is intended.