Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya panik karena dompet saya tertinggal di rumah. - I panic because my wallet was left at home.

Indonesian doesn’t mark tense the way English does, and many adjectives act like stative verbs. Panik functions as an adjective meaning “panicked” and can cover both past and present depending on context.

Past: add a time word. Example: Tadi saya panik (Earlier I panicked).
Present/ongoing: add sedang or lagi. Example: Saya sedang panik / Aku lagi panik (I’m panicking).
Future: add nanti or akan. Example: Saya akan panik kalau dompetnya hilang (I’ll panic if the wallet is lost).

What exactly does tertinggal mean, and how is it different from ketinggalan, meninggalkan, and tinggal?

tertinggal: “be left behind/forgotten” (accidental, result state). The thing left behind is the subject. Example: Dompet saya tertinggal di rumah (My wallet was left at home).
ketinggalan: “to be left behind/miss (out),” often with the person as subject. Examples: Saya ketinggalan kereta (I missed the train); Saya ketinggalan dompet (I left my wallet behind – colloquial).
meninggalkan: active “to leave (something/someone).” Example: Saya meninggalkan dompet di rumah (I left my wallet at home), can sound more deliberate.
tinggal: “to live/reside” or “to remain.” Examples: Saya tinggal di Jakarta (I live in Jakarta); Tinggal dua menit (Only two minutes remain).

Why is it dompet saya tertinggal, not saya tertinggal dompet?

Because tertinggal doesn’t take a direct object; the item that got left behind is the grammatical subject. Natural options:

Dompet saya tertinggal di rumah (most neutral).
Saya ketinggalan dompet (colloquial, very common).
Saya meninggalkan dompet di rumah (active voice; can imply a deliberate act).

Is karena the only way to say “because”? How do sebab and gara-gara differ?

karena: neutral and most common.
sebab: more formal/literary.
gara-gara: informal and often carries a negative/annoyed tone. Example: Gara-gara dompet saya ketinggalan, saya panik. Note: In colloquial speech you’ll hear karena … jadi … (because … so …), e.g., Karena dompet saya tertinggal, jadi saya panik. It’s common but redundant in formal writing.

Can I start the sentence with the reason clause? Do I need a comma?

Yes. If the reason comes first, use a comma:

Karena dompet saya tertinggal di rumah, saya panik. If the main clause comes first, a comma is usually not needed:
Saya panik karena dompet saya tertinggal di rumah.

Why is it di rumah and not di rumah saya? Does di rumah automatically mean “at my house”?

Di rumah just means “at home/at a house.” In context, it often implies your own home. If you need to be explicit, say:

di rumah saya/di rumahku (at my house),
di rumahnya (at his/her house),
di rumah [nama] (at [name]’s house).

How do I negate this? Is it tidak or bukan?

Use tidak with adjectives/verbs like panik:

Saya tidak panik. Use bukan to negate nouns or to correct/contrast a statement:
Bukan panik, saya cuma kaget (Not panicking; I’m just startled).

What are other natural ways to say “I left my wallet at home”?

Saya panik karena lupa bawa dompet. (I panicked because I forgot to bring my wallet.) Very common.
Saya panik karena dompet ketinggalan di rumah. (Colloquial.)
Saya panik karena tidak membawa dompet. (More formal.)
Dompet saya tertinggal di rumah. (Original phrasing; neutral.)

When should I use saya, aku, or gue?

saya: polite/formal; safe with strangers, in the workplace, or in writing.
aku: informal/intimate; with friends, family, or peers.
gue (and lu for “you”): very informal Jakarta slang; use only with people who also speak that way.

What’s the difference between di, ke, and dari?

di = at/in/on (location): di rumah (at home).
ke = to/toward (destination): ke rumah (to the house).
dari = from (origin): dari rumah (from home).

Can I use yang for emphasis here?

Yes. Yang highlights the focused element:

Dompet saya yang tertinggal di rumah, bukan HP saya. (It was my wallet that was left at home, not my phone.)

What does panikan mean, and can I use it here?

Panikan describes someone who panics easily (a tendency), not the act of panicking at a moment.

Trait: Saya orangnya panikan. (I’m the type who panics easily.)
Situation (your sentence): Saya panik karena dompet saya tertinggal di rumah. (I panicked because my wallet was left at home.)