Catatan penting ditulis sebelum rapat dimulai.
Important notes are written before the meeting starts.
Breakdown of Catatan penting ditulis sebelum rapat dimulai.
penting
important
sebelum
before
rapat
the meeting
dimulai
to start
Questions & Answers about Catatan penting ditulis sebelum rapat dimulai.
Which voice is used in ditulis, and who is doing the action?
It’s the passive voice marked by the prefix di-: ditulis = “be written.” The agent (who writes) is omitted. You can add one with oleh if you need to specify it: Catatan penting ditulis oleh sekretaris sebelum rapat dimulai.
Why are there two passives, ditulis and dimulai?
Both verbs are in the di- passive. Catatan penting ditulis = “important notes are/were written,” and rapat dimulai = “the meeting is/was started.” This is normal Indonesian. Alternatives include the intransitive rapat mulai (more colloquial) or an active clause when the subject is known: Sebelum kami memulai rapat, kami menulis catatan penting.
How would I say this in the active voice?
Examples:
- Sekretaris menulis catatan penting sebelum rapat dimulai.
- Kami menulis catatan penting sebelum memulai rapat.
What does sebelum do here?
Sebelum is a subordinating conjunction meaning “before,” introducing the time clause rapat dimulai. The time clause can also be fronted: Sebelum rapat dimulai, catatan penting ditulis.