Breakdown of Beliau bekerja di sekolah, dan beliau selalu berbicara sopan.
sebuah
a
di
at
sekolah
the school
bekerja
to work
dan
and
selalu
always
sopan
polite
beliau
he/she
berbicara
to speak
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Questions & Answers about Beliau bekerja di sekolah, dan beliau selalu berbicara sopan.
What is the pronoun beliau, and when should I use it?
Beliau is a respectful third-person singular pronoun used for people you honor or speak respectfully about (teachers, elders, officials, respected figures). It’s never used for yourself, for animals/objects, or for casual reference to peers/kids. It’s appropriate in formal speech and writing or when showing deference in everyday conversation.
Can I replace beliau with dia or ia?
- dia: neutral, everyday third-person singular; fine in most contexts.
- ia: mostly written style and typically subject-only (avoid as an object).
- beliau: honorific; works as subject or object. Examples:
- Subject: Beliau/Dia/Ia bekerja di sekolah.
- Object: Saya bertemu beliau/dia. (Avoid: “Saya bertemu ia.”)
Do I have to repeat beliau in the second clause?
No. Indonesian often drops the repeated subject when it stays the same:
- More natural: Beliau bekerja di sekolah dan selalu berbicara sopan.
Is the comma before dan necessary?
Generally no. Standard style (PUEBI) does not use a comma before dan when linking two clauses. Write:
- Beliau bekerja di sekolah dan (beliau) selalu berbicara sopan. A comma can appear for a deliberate pause, but it’s usually unnecessary.
How is tense expressed here? There’s no “works/worked” change.
Indonesian verbs don’t conjugate for tense. Use time/aspect words:
- Ongoing: Beliau sedang bekerja di sekolah…
- Completed/already: Beliau sudah bekerja di sekolah…
- Future: Beliau akan bekerja di sekolah…
- Past/habitual context: Dulu beliau bekerja di sekolah dan selalu berbicara sopan.
What’s the difference between bekerja and kerja?
- bekerja: standard/formal verb “to work.”
- kerja: colloquial/elliptical verb in speech; also a noun “work.” Examples:
- Formal/neutral: Dia bekerja di sekolah.
- Colloquial: Dia kerja di sekolah.
Why is there no “the” or “a” in di sekolah? How do I be specific?
Indonesian has no articles. Di sekolah can mean “at a/the school,” depending on context. To be explicit:
- Indefinite: di sebuah sekolah
- Definite/specific: di sekolah itu
- Possessive: di sekolahnya (at his/her school)
Why di and not ke or pada?
- di = at/in (location): di sekolah
- ke = to/toward (movement): ke sekolah
- dari = from (source): dari sekolah
- pada = at/with (formal, often for institutions/time): acceptable but more formal with organizations (e.g., bekerja pada Kementerian…). With “school,” di is most natural.
Why is it berbicara sopan without dengan or secara? Are those also correct?
Adjectives can function adverbially in Indonesian. All are acceptable:
- berbicara sopan (natural and concise)
- berbicara dengan sopan (very common)
- berbicara secara sopan (bookish/formal)
Can I use bicara, ngomong, or berkata instead of berbicara?
- berbicara: neutral/formal “to speak.”
- bicara: slightly more casual.
- ngomong: informal/colloquial.
- berkata: “to say,” typically followed by quoted speech or a clause (e.g., berkata bahwa…). Not used with sopan by itself; say berkata dengan sopan if needed.
Where does selalu go in the sentence?
Place it before the verb phrase:
- Natural: Beliau selalu berbicara sopan.
- Avoid: Beliau berbicara selalu sopan (unnatural in everyday use).
Should beliau be capitalized?
Standard rule: no (write beliau), unless it starts a sentence. Some official letters capitalize it for deference, but that’s stylistic. Only Anda is routinely capitalized; pronouns referring to God may also be capitalized.
Does beliau indicate gender or number?
No gender; it’s gender-neutral. It’s always singular. For plural, use mereka or a noun with para (e.g., para guru), not “para beliau.”
Can I use beliau to address someone directly?
No. Beliau is third-person. To address someone respectfully, use:
- Bapak (Mr./Sir), Ibu (Ma’am/Mrs.), or Anda (formal “you”). Example: Bapak/Ibu bekerja di sekolah? Not: “Beliau bekerja di sekolah?” to the person’s face.
Does bekerja di sekolah imply the person is a teacher?
Not necessarily. It means “works at a school” (any role). If you mean “teaches,” say mengajar:
- Beliau mengajar di sekolah. or Beliau mengajar matematika di sekolah.
Any pitfalls with di vs the passive prefix di-?
Yes:
- Preposition di is written separately: di sekolah.
- Passive prefix di- attaches to verbs: ditulis, dibaca. Mixing the spacing is a common mistake.