Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya khawatir kabar dari rumah kurang jelas. - I am worried the news from home is not clear.

bold kabar bold = personal news/updates, often about people you know. Think “word,” “an update,” or “news” in a personal sense. Common in bold Apa kabar? bold (“How are you?”) and bold beri kabar ya bold (“keep me posted”).
bold berita bold = “news” as in news items/reports, or more formal/weighty news. It’s what you read/watch in the media, though it can also mean “news” generally.
In this sentence, bold kabar dari rumah bold sounds natural because it’s about updates from one’s home/family. bold berita dari rumah bold is possible but feels more like “news reports from home.”

What exactly does bold kurang jelas bold mean compared with bold tidak jelas bold?

bold kurang + adjective bold means “not sufficiently/less than X.” So bold kurang jelas bold = “insufficiently clear,” “not very clear,” a softer, hedging judgment.
bold tidak jelas bold = “unclear,” a stronger, categorical statement.
Near-synonyms:
- bold tidak terlalu jelas bold / bold tidak begitu jelas bold = “not very clear” (similar softness to bold kurang jelas bold).
- For “not clear at all,” say bold tidak jelas sama sekali bold (not bold kurang jelas sekali bold).

Do I need bold bahwa bold after bold khawatir bold?

No. Indonesian often omits a complementizer:

bold Saya khawatir kabar dari rumah kurang jelas. bold (natural, neutral)
bold Saya khawatir bahwa kabar dari rumah kurang jelas. bold (more formal/written)
Colloquial speech may use bold kalau bold: bold Saya khawatir kalau kabar dari rumah kurang jelas. bold Note bold kalau bold can also mean “if,” so context matters.

Why isn’t there bold yang bold before bold kurang jelas bold? Should it be bold …kabar … yang kurang jelas bold?

bold yang bold introduces a relative clause that modifies a noun phrase. Here, bold kabar dari rumah kurang jelas bold is a full clause embedded after bold khawatir bold, so no bold yang bold is needed.

Without bold yang bold: bold Saya khawatir [kabar dari rumah kurang jelas]. bold (I’m worried [that the news is unclear].)
With bold yang bold: bold …kabar dari rumah yang kurang jelas… bold = “the news from home that is unclear” (a noun phrase), which changes the structure and focus.

Does bold dari rumah bold mean “from the house” or “from home/family”?

It can mean either, depending on context. In everyday use, bold kabar dari rumah bold typically implies “news from home (i.e., from one’s family/household).”

If you mean “from hometown/homeland,” you might use bold dari kampung halaman bold.
Contrast with bold di rumah bold (“at home”). For “news from home,” you want bold dari bold, not bold di bold.

Is bold kabar bold singular or plural? How do I say “some news” or “the news”?

Indonesian doesn’t mark count or definiteness by default.

bold kabar bold can mean “news” (one piece or several) from context.
To imply plurality: bold banyak kabar bold (“lots of news”) or bold berbagai kabar bold (“various news”). Reduplication bold kabar-kabar bold is possible but uncommon in practice.
“The news” can be expressed with bold kabar itu bold (“that news”) if you mean a specific, known piece.
“Rumor has it” = bold kabar-kabarnya bold / bold kabarnya bold.

Can I say bold Saya khawatir tentang/akan kabar dari rumah bold?

Yes, but it shifts the meaning slightly.

bold Saya khawatir kabar dari rumah kurang jelas. bold = you’re worried that the news is unclear (a clause).
bold Saya khawatir tentang/akan kabar dari rumah. bold = you’re worried about the news itself (it might be bad, late, or otherwise concerning), without specifying “unclear.”
bold akan bold often feels a bit more formal; bold tentang bold is neutral.

Is bold khawatir bold an adjective or a verb? And what about bold mengkhawatirkan bold / bold kekhawatiran bold?

bold khawatir bold is a stative adjective (“worried/anxious”) that functions predicatively like a verb: bold Saya khawatir… bold
bold mengkhawatirkan bold = “to worry (someone)” or “worrying/alarming” (also used adjectivally): bold Situasinya mengkhawatirkan. bold (“The situation is worrying.”)
bold kekhawatiran bold = “worry/concern” (noun): bold Ada kekhawatiran soal… bold

Can I use bold takut bold instead of bold khawatir bold?

You can, but it changes tone:

bold Saya takut… bold often means “I’m afraid (I fear)…” and can be stronger or more literal fear.
It’s also used as a polite hedge like English “I’m afraid that…,” but bold khawatir bold is the default for “worried/concerned” and sounds more neutral/professional.

How do you pronounce the bold kh bold in bold khawatir bold?

In careful speech, bold kh bold represents a voiceless velar fricative (like German “Bach”). Many Indonesians in everyday speech pronounce it as a simple bold h bold. So bold khawatir bold is commonly pronounced like bold hawatir bold.
Both are widely understood; don’t stress about producing the fricative.

Does bold Saya khawatir… bold work as a polite hedge like “I’m afraid…” in English?

Yes. bold Saya khawatir… bold softens bad news, disagreement, or caution:

bold Saya khawatir kita tidak sempat. bold (“I’m afraid we won’t make it in time.”)
In your sentence, it gently frames a concern about clarity.

Would bold berita bold or bold pesan bold be more natural than bold kabar bold here?

bold kabar bold feels most natural for personal updates from home/family.
bold berita bold is fine but leans toward “news report” or weightier news.
bold pesan bold = “message” (a text, voicemail, etc.). Use it if you specifically mean a message: bold pesannya dari rumah kurang jelas bold (“the message from home is unclear”).

Why bold dari rumah bold and not bold di rumah bold or bold tentang rumah bold?

bold dari bold = from (source/origin): bold kabar dari rumah bold = “news from home.”
bold di bold = at/in: bold kabar di rumah bold would mean “news at home,” which is odd here.
bold tentang bold = about: bold kabar tentang rumah bold = “news about the house/home” (topic), not necessarily sent from there.

Can I move parts around or add commas?

Yes, Indonesian word order is flexible for emphasis:

Neutral: bold Saya khawatir kabar dari rumah kurang jelas. bold
Split for emphasis: bold Kabar dari rumah kurang jelas; saya khawatir. bold
With a pause: bold Saya khawatir, kabar dari rumah kurang jelas. bold All are acceptable; the first is the most straightforward.

Is there a difference if I say bold kabar dari rumah itu kurang jelas bold?

Yes. bold itu bold (“that”) points to specific, identifiable news:

bold …kabar dari rumah kurang jelas. bold = the news (in general) from home is unclear.
bold …kabar dari rumah itu kurang jelas. bold = that particular news/update from home is unclear.

Can I intensify bold kurang jelas bold with bold sekali bold or bold sangat bold?

Better alternatives:

Avoid bold kurang jelas sekali bold; it sounds awkward because bold kurang bold already means “insufficiently.”
For strong negation: bold tidak jelas sama sekali bold (“not clear at all”).
For slight/medium: bold agak kurang jelas bold (“a bit unclear”) or bold tidak terlalu jelas bold (“not too clear”).