Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Indonesian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Liburan dimulai besok.
What exactly does liburan mean, and how is it different from libur or cuti?
- liburan: a vacation/holiday period, a stretch of time off (school break, long vacation).
- libur: a day off or the state of being off/closed. Examples: hari libur (public holiday/day off), Toko libur (The shop is closed).
- cuti: leave from work (authorized time off). Example: cuti tahunan (annual leave).
- Related verb: berlibur = to go on/ be on vacation.
Is dimulai a passive form? Why use it here?
Yes. dimulai is the passive voice (di- + mulai) and literally means “is/gets started.” Indonesian often uses the passive to focus on the event rather than the agent. It’s natural for scheduled events: Pertemuan dimulai jam 9. The active equivalent would be memulai with an agent: Panitia memulai acara.
Can I just say Liburan mulai besok instead of Liburan dimulai besok?
Yes. Both are common:
- Liburan dimulai besok: slightly more formal/institutional, fits announcements.
- Liburan mulai besok: simpler, neutral/colloquial. Here mulai works like “start(s) from.”
Do I need to add akan to mark the future, like Liburan akan dimulai besok?
Not necessary. Time words like besok already convey future. akan is optional and adds formality or explicitness:
- Neutral: Liburan dimulai besok.
- More formal/explicit: Liburan akan dimulai besok.
What word orders are natural?
- Natural:
- Liburan dimulai besok.
- Besok liburan dimulai.
- Liburan mulai besok.
- Besok liburan mulai.
- Less natural/odd: Liburan besok dimulai. (sounds off in everyday speech)
Should I use a preposition before besok (like di or pada)?
- Don’t use di before time words: di besok is wrong.
- pada is generally used with specific dates/days/times (pada hari Senin, pada pukul 9). With besok, most speakers omit it. Pada besok is rare/over-formal.
What’s the difference between besok, esok, besoknya, and lusa?
- besok: tomorrow (everyday).
- esok: tomorrow (more formal/literary; common in headlines).
- besoknya: the next day (relative to a past narrative).
- lusa: the day after tomorrow.
- Very formal: esok hari (tomorrow).
Is dimulai one word or two? I’ve seen di mulai.
It’s one word: dimulai. The bound prefix di- forms the passive and attaches to verbs. The separate word di is a preposition meaning “at/in/on” and is followed by a noun (e.g., di rumah), never by a verb.
How do I specify which holiday I’m talking about?
Add a classifier or possessor:
- Liburan sekolah dimulai besok. (school break)
- Liburan nasional dimulai besok. (national holiday period)
- Liburan kami dimulai besok. (our vacation) Indonesian doesn’t use articles, so context or modifiers clarify definiteness.
How do I say “has already started”?
Use sudah (neutral) or telah (formal):
- Liburan sudah dimulai.
- Liburan telah dimulai.
How do I say “ends” instead of “starts”?
Use:
- berakhir (to end): Liburan berakhir minggu depan.
- selesai (finished): Liburan selesai minggu depan.
Can I include a specific time?
Yes. Add jam (common) or pukul (formal):
- Liburan dimulai besok jam delapan.
- Liburan dimulai besok pukul 08.00.
Can I name the agent with oleh in the passive, like Liburan dimulai oleh…?
Grammatically yes, but it often sounds stiff. Prefer the active for clear agents:
- Passive (formal): Liburan dimulai oleh pemerintah.
- More natural active: Pemerintah memulai liburan. Often you simply omit the agent in Indonesian.
Is there any nuance difference between mulai and dimulai?
- mulai: intransitive or prepositional-like (“start from”), straightforward and common.
- dimulai: passive, highlights the event’s start point and fits official schedules/announcements. Both are correct; choose by tone and focus.
How do I say “starting tomorrow (until…)” to show a range?
- Start point: mulai besok or dimulai besok.
- Range: mulai besok sampai/hingga minggu depan. Example: Liburan mulai besok sampai minggu depan.
Any pronunciation tips for these words?
- liburan: lee-BOO-rahn (penultimate stress; u like “oo”).
- dimulai: dee-moo-LAI (the ai is like “eye”).
- besok: b’SOCK (the first e is a schwa-like sound). The final k may be unreleased in casual speech. The Indonesian r is tapped/trilled.