Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Dia memberi nasihat yang sederhana dan jelas.

dia covers both “he” and “she”; Indonesian does not mark grammatical gender.
To make gender explicit, add a noun: Dia (seorang) laki-laki/perempuan.
Formal/respectful: beliau (for elders or respected figures).
Literary/written subject form: ia (use mainly as a subject; not after prepositions).
Capitalization: Dia is capitalized at sentence start; some religious texts capitalize Dia for God.

What is the meN- prefix doing in memberi? Can I use beri instead?

meN- is the active-voice verb prefix. With the base beri “give,” it becomes memberi (nasal assimilates to m before b).
Use memberi for normal statements: Dia memberi nasihat...
Bare beri is common in imperatives and some set phrases: Beri saya nasihat., beri tahu = memberi tahu.

What’s the difference between memberi and memberikan?

Both mean “to give,” but patterns differ:
- memberi can take two objects directly: Dia memberi saya nasihat.
- memberi can also use a preposition: Dia memberi nasihat kepada saya.
- memberikan focuses on the thing given and normally requires a preposition for the recipient: Dia memberikan nasihat kepada saya.
Avoid double-object with memberikan (e.g., “memberikan saya nasihat”) in careful/formal Indonesian.

Can I use menasihati instead of memberi nasihat? Any nuance?

Yes. menasihati (seseorang) = “to advise (someone).” Example: Dia menasihati saya.
memberi nasihat foregrounds the advice as a thing; menasihati foregrounds the act toward a person. Both are natural.
Related but rarer: menasihatkan (sesuatu) = to advise something: Dokter menasihatkan diet.

How do I add the person who receives the advice?

Common patterns:
- Dia memberi saya nasihat. (double object)
- Dia memberi nasihat kepada saya.
- Dia memberikan nasihat kepada saya.
- With menasihati: Dia menasihati saya.
Politeness: saya/aku (I), Anda (you, formal), kamu (you, neutral/casual).
Use kepada for human recipients in formal style.

Should it be kepada or pada for the recipient?

For recipients (people/animates), use kepada: memberi nasihat kepada saya.
pada is used with time/locations/contexts: Nasihat itu diberikan pada rapat.
Colloquial speech may use ke with pronouns, but it’s informal: ngasih nasihat ke saya.

What is yang doing in nasihat yang sederhana dan jelas? Can I drop it?

yang introduces a descriptor/relative clause: nasihat yang sederhana dan jelas = “advice that is simple and clear.”
You can drop it here: nasihat sederhana dan jelas is also correct and common.
Keeping yang can sound more specific/formal or contrastive (the advice which is simple and clear, as opposed to other advice).
Use yang when the modifier is long or clausal: nasihat yang ia berikan kemarin.

Do adjectives go before or after nouns? How do I connect several adjectives?

Adjectives usually follow the noun: nasihat sederhana, orang baik.
Connect multiple adjectives with dan (and commas if needed): nasihat yang sederhana, jelas, dan praktis.
Some fixed expressions place modifiers before the noun (e.g., mantan pacar, wakil presiden), but it’s the exception.

How do I mark tense or aspect (gave, gives, is giving, will give)?

Verbs don’t change form; add time/aspect words:
- Past: tadi, kemarin, sudah/telah, barusan (e.g., Dia sudah memberi nasihat...)
- Progressive: sedang, lagi (informal) (e.g., Dia sedang memberi nasihat...)
- Habitual: sering, biasanya
- Future: akan, nanti, bakal (informal)

Does the sentence mean “the advice” or “some advice”? How do I show definiteness?

Indonesian has no articles; context decides.
Make it definite with itu or possession: nasihat itu, nasihatnya.
Make it indefinite/quantified with words like sebuah/satu (one), beberapa (some), banyak (many), sedikit (a little).

Is nasihat countable? How do I say a piece of advice or some advice?

Common options:
- “A piece of advice”: sebuah nasihat (formal) or simply satu nasihat (colloquial).
- “Some advice”: beberapa nasihat, sedikit nasihat.
- Plural can be shown with context or reduplication: nasihat-nasihat, though reduplication is often unnecessary.

What’s the difference between nasihat and saran?

nasihat: advice with a moral/guidance tone; often from a senior/mentor figure.
saran: suggestion/recommendation; more neutral/practical, very common in everyday and workplace contexts.
Verbs: menasihati vs menyarankan; both overlap but carry those nuances.

Does jelas mean “clear” as in transparent, or “clear” as in easy to understand? How do I say “clearly” as an adverb?

jelas primarily means “clear/understandable/explicit.”
For “clear/transparent” (water, glass): jernih/bening; for lighting: terang.
Adverbially: dengan jelas or secara jelas (e.g., Dia menjelaskan dengan jelas.)

Any nuance with sederhana? How do I say very simple and clear?

sederhana can mean simple (not complex) or modest (not luxurious).
Intensifiers:
- Before the adjective: sangat sederhana dan jelas, cukup sederhana, amat jelas.
- After the adjective: sederhana sekali, jelas sekali.
- Colloquial: jelas banget, sederhana banget.

What are the passive-voice versions?

“He/She was given simple and clear advice”: Dia diberi nasihat yang sederhana dan jelas.
With an agent: Dia diberi nasihat yang sederhana dan jelas oleh gurunya.
With the verb “advise”: Dia dinasihati gurunya.

Can I use ia instead of dia here? What about object forms?

Yes: Ia memberi nasihat... is fine in written/formal style.
As an object or after a preposition, don’t use ia; use dia/nya: kepada dia or kepadanya (not kepada ia).

Is there a colloquial way to say this?

Colloquial Jakarta Indonesian:
- Dia ngasih nasihat yang simpel dan jelas.
- Or without yang: Dia ngasih nasihat simpel dan jelas.
Notes: ngasih (from kasih) is informal; simpel is a common loanword for sederhana.

How do I pronounce the words?