Questions & Answers about Dia kurang sabar.
Dia is a gender‑neutral third‑person singular pronoun, so it can mean either he or she. Context usually makes the gender clear. To specify, add a noun:
- Dia seorang pria/laki‑laki = He (a man)
- Dia seorang wanita/perempuan = She (a woman)
For respectful reference, use beliau. Plural is mereka. In formal writing you may see ia (subject only) instead of dia.
Indonesian doesn’t use a verb like “to be” before adjectives. An adjective can directly function as the predicate:
- Dia sabar = He/She is patient.
- Dia kurang sabar = He/She is not very patient.
Use adalah only to equate nouns, e.g., Dia adalah dokter (He/She is a doctor), not before adjectives.
Here kurang means “not enough,” “insufficient,” or “not very.” So kurang sabar = “not patient enough / not very patient.” It’s a mild/soft way to express a negative judgment.
Beyond this sentence, kurang is common:
- Before adjectives/adverbs: kurang jelas (not very clear)
- With nouns (short of): kurang uang (short of money), kurang tidur (not enough sleep)
- With numbers/time (minus): jam tiga kurang lima (2:55), dua kurang satu = satu
- Kurang sabar = “not patient enough / not very patient.” It’s milder and more diplomatic.
- Tidak sabar = “impatient,” and in many contexts it also means “can’t wait / eager.”
- Negative impatience: Dia tidak sabar saat antre. (He/She is impatient in lines.)
- Eager: Dia tidak sabar menunggu liburan. (He/She can’t wait for the holiday.)
If you want to avoid the “eager” reading, use kurang sabar.
Yes. Kurang often softens criticism and is common in feedback:
- Dia kurang sabar. (He/She isn’t very patient.)
- Presentasinya kurang jelas. (The presentation isn’t very clear.)
- Tindakannya kurang tepat. (The action isn’t quite appropriate.)
Note: Some fixed expressions with kurang aren’t mild, e.g., kurang ajar (very rude/ill‑mannered).
Common degree markers:
- sangat sabar / sabar sekali = very patient
- cukup sabar = fairly patient
- agak sabar = somewhat patient
- kurang sabar = not very patient / not patient enough
- tidak sabar = impatient; also “can’t wait” (context)
- terlalu sabar = too patient (overly patient)
- Less than: Dia kurang sabar daripada/dibanding saya.
- Not as ... as: Dia tidak sesabar saya.
- More than (for reference): Dia lebih sabar daripada saya.
All are natural; tidak sesabar is often the smoothest for “not as patient as.”
- sabar = adjective “patient”: Dia sabar.
- kesabaran = noun “patience”: Kesabarannya kurang. (His/Her patience is lacking.)
- bersabar = verb “to be patient”: Dia sulit bersabar. (He/She finds it hard to be patient.)
Dia kurang sabar uses the adjective.
Add a prepositional or verbal phrase:
- With/around something: Dia kurang sabar dengan anak‑anak.
- Toward (more formal): Dia kurang sabar terhadap kritik.
- When dealing with: Dia kurang sabar menghadapi kemacetan.
- When waiting: Dia kurang sabar saat menunggu.
- Neutral yes/no: Apakah dia kurang sabar?
- Colloquial yes/no: Apa dia kurang sabar?
- Soft confirmation: Dia kurang sabar, ya/kan/bukan?
- Hedging: Sepertinya dia kurang sabar. (It seems he/she isn’t very patient.)
- dia: “DEE‑ah” (two syllables)
- kurang: “KOO‑rang” (final ng like in English “sing”)
- sabar: “SA‑bar” (light rolled/tapped r, vowels like in “father” and “bar”) Indonesian stress is light, typically near the penultimate syllable: ku‑RANG, SA‑bar.
Indonesian doesn’t mark tense on the verb/adjective; add time words:
- Past: Dulu dia kurang sabar. / Tadi dia kurang sabar.
- Present (general): Sekarang dia kurang sabar.
- Habitual: Dia sering kurang sabar saat menunggu.
- Future: Besok dia mungkin akan kurang sabar.