Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Jalan kecil di desa itu sempit pada malam hari. - The small road in that village is narrow at night.

Indonesian doesn’t use a linking verb before adjectives. An adjective can be the predicate by itself. So Jalan kecil di desa itu sempit literally reads “The small road in that village narrow,” which equals “is narrow.” Don’t use adalah with adjectives; use it mainly to link nouns (e.g., Dia adalah guru = “He is a teacher,” but Dia tinggi, not “Dia adalah tinggi”).

What exactly does jalan kecil mean?

Jalan = road/street; kecil = small/little. Together, jalan kecil is “a small road,” often like a lane or a minor street. If you mean a narrow alley, Indonesians often say gang; lorong can mean corridor or passage.

What’s the difference between kecil and sempit?

kecil = small (overall size or scale).
sempit = narrow (limited width/space). So a jalan kecil is a small/local road, while jalan sempit focuses on its narrow width. In this sentence, both appear: the road (type) is small, and it is narrow at night.

In di desa itu, what does itu modify?

Itu (“that”) comes after the noun it modifies. Here it modifies desa: desa itu = “that village.” It does not mark the road as “that.”

How do I explicitly say “that small road” (not just “a small road”)?

Use jalan kecil itu for “that small road.” To include the village: Jalan kecil itu (yang) di desa itu sempit pada malam hari. In writing, Jalan kecil tersebut di desa itu sempit… (“that/aforementioned small road”) is also common.

Can I drop pada before malam hari? Can I use di?

Yes, you can drop pada: …sempit malam hari is fine in everyday speech. Many people also say di malam hari, though prescriptive grammar favors pada for times. Colloquially, kalau malam (“when it’s night/at night”) is very common.

What’s the nuance difference between malam and malam hari?

Both mean “night.” Malam is neutral and common. Malam hari can sound a bit more formal or emphasize the time period. All of these are acceptable: malam, pada malam, pada malam hari.

Where can the time phrase go in the sentence?

Either end or beginning is natural:

End: Jalan kecil di desa itu sempit pada malam hari.
Beginning (topicalized): Pada malam hari, jalan kecil di desa itu sempit.

Do I need an article like “a/the,” or a classifier like sebuah?

Indonesian has no articles; context decides definiteness. You can add sebuah (“one/a [inanimate]”) if you need to stress “one,” but it’s often unnecessary with roads. For strict indefiniteness, it’s more natural to use ada (“there is/are”): Di desa itu ada sebuah jalan kecil…

How would I say “There is a small road in that village that is narrow at night”?

Di desa itu ada jalan kecil yang sempit pada malam hari.
If you want “becomes narrow,” see the next answer.

How do I say “becomes narrow at night” instead of “is narrow”?

Use menjadi: …menjadi sempit pada malam hari (“becomes narrow at night”). Menyempit means “to narrow/restrict (itself),” implying a physical narrowing: Jalan itu menyempit… is used when the road actually narrows (e.g., due to barriers), not just feels cramped.

Can I use kampung instead of desa?

Yes, but nuance differs. Desa is the standard/administrative “village.” Kampung is more colloquial and can mean a rural village or an urban neighborhood with a “villagey” feel. So di kampung itu is fine if that nuance fits.

Is jalan-jalan the plural of jalan?

No. Jalan-jalan usually means “to take a walk/go out for a stroll.” Indonesian doesn’t need plural marking for nouns; jalan can mean “road/roads” depending on context. For “many small roads,” say banyak jalan kecil or beberapa jalan kecil.

How do I turn the sentence into a yes–no question?

Add apakah or just use intonation:

Apakah jalan kecil di desa itu sempit pada malam hari?
Jalan kecil di desa itu sempit pada malam hari? (spoken, rising intonation) You can add ya/kan for confirmation: …sempit pada malam hari, ya/kan?