Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Beliau menawarkan bantuan kepada tetangga kami.

Beliau is a respectful third‑person singular pronoun for humans (older, higher status, or someone you want to honor). It has no gender.
Use neutral dia in most everyday contexts, and formal ia mostly as a subject in writing.
- Subject (formal): Ia menawarkan…
- Object/after a preposition: prefer dia (e.g., Saya melihat dia), not ia.
Don’t use beliau for animals/things, and avoid referring to yourself with it.

Is this sentence past or present? How do I show tense in Indonesian?

Indonesian has no verb tense. Time is shown by adverbs:

Past: Beliau sudah/tadi/kemarin menawarkan…
Future: Beliau akan/besok/ nanti menawarkan… Without a time word, it’s understood from context.

Why is it kepada tetangga kami, not ke or untuk?

kepada = “to (a person/recipient).” It’s the standard choice for giving/offering to someone.
ke = “to (a place/direction),” but in casual speech people often use ke for people too.
untuk = “for (intended for/purpose).” Menawarkan bantuan untuk tetangga kami is possible, but it emphasizes “help intended for them,” not the act of offering to them.
Very colloquial: sama (to/with): nawarin bantuan sama tetangga kami.

Can I drop kepada here?

With menawarkan, you normally keep a preposition for the recipient: …bantuan kepada tetangga kami.
If you want to drop the preposition, switch to the -i verb: Beliau menawari tetangga kami bantuan (recipient becomes the direct object).

What’s the difference between menawarkan and menawari?

menawarkan X kepada Y: the thing (X) is the direct object; the recipient (Y) is introduced with kepada/untuk.
menawari Y X: the recipient (Y) is the direct object; the thing (X) follows without a preposition. Both are correct; choose based on which element you want to foreground.

Is Beliau menawarkan kami bantuan correct?

No. That structure makes kami look like the thing being offered. Use either:

Beliau menawarkan bantuan kepada kami.
Beliau menawari kami bantuan.

What’s the nuance difference among bantuan, membantu, pertolongan, and tolong?

bantuan = help/assistance (noun).
membantu = to help (verb).
pertolongan = (often urgent) help/aid/rescue; e.g., medical or emergency assistance.
tolong = “please help” or the act of helping in set phrases; e.g., minta tolong (ask for help).

How do I say “offered to help,” not “offered help”?

Use a verb complement:

Beliau menawarkan untuk membantu tetangga kami. To stress volunteering oneself:
Beliau menawarkan diri untuk membantu tetangga kami.

Does tetangga kami mean one neighbor or several?

It’s number‑neutral. To be specific:

One: seorang tetangga kami / salah satu tetangga kami.
Several: beberapa tetangga kami.
All (plural as a group): para tetangga kami or tetangga‑tetangga kami (reduplication).

Should it be kami or kita? What’s the difference?

kami = we/us, excluding the listener. tetangga kami = our neighbor(s), not necessarily yours.
kita = we/us, including the listener. If the listener shares the neighborhood, you’d likely say tetangga kita.

What would a casual version of the sentence look/sound like?

Colloquial Indonesian often shortens and uses different prepositions:

Dia nawarin bantuan ke/sama tetangga kita. Here, dia replaces beliau, nawarin is casual for menawarkan, and ke/sama replaces kepada.

Is Beliau always capitalized?

Capitalize it only at the start of a sentence (like any first word). Otherwise write beliau in lowercase, unless referring to God in religious contexts.

Should I add a word like “a” before bantuan (e.g., sebuah bantuan)?

No. bantuan is a mass/abstract noun; you normally don’t use sebuah with it. Use quantifiers if needed:

sedikit bantuan (a little help), banyak bantuan (a lot of help).

How do I say “his/her help” politely?

bantuannya = his/her help (context decides whose).
To be explicit and respectful: bantuan beliau or pertolongan beliau.

Can I change the word order to put the recipient earlier?

Default is best: …menawarkan bantuan kepada tetangga kami.
Fronting for emphasis is possible in careful/formal style: Kepada tetangga kami, beliau menawarkan bantuan.
Avoid Beliau menawarkan kepada tetangga kami bantuan—it sounds awkward.

What’s the difference between menawarkan, memberikan, and menyediakan?

menawarkan = to offer (the recipient can accept or refuse).
memberikan = to give (the help is actually delivered).
menyediakan = to provide/make available (help/resources are put at someone’s disposal).